While Kimmel does not consider himself an avid road course racer, he is no slouch when it comes to making right and left hand turns. In Kimmel’s eight previous road course starts he has earned seven top-10 finishes. He also has top-10 finishes in both of his starts at NJMP (9th- 2008, 10th-2009).
Kimmel’s road course consistency proves that his Ansell/Menards team knows how to prepare for the challenge a road course presents.
“We take a different approach to road course races,” explained nine-time ARCA champion, Frank Kimmel. “Road course racing is very difficult on equipment and something that we as ARCA competitors just don’t do a lot of. We work really hard to make sure that our cars are very durable so we don’t break anything. The people at G-Force South do our transmissions and gears, and we have had nothing but great luck out of those, so we feel like we have that covered. We have a fresh Roush/Yates motor going in the car this weekend. It’s just going to be a matter of me getting my head on straight to drive the road course. The problem with me on a road course is that I need laps on the race track. We will run quite a few practice laps and get the car as comfortable as I can. We will get the very best finish we can; hopefully that lands us in victory lane.”
Kimmel will look to earn that first road course win in the Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross on Sunday, August 14th. The 67-lap, 150-mile event begins at 1:00 p.m. EST, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage presented by ARCA Nation at ARCARacing.com.
In The Points:
After leading the most laps and finishing fifth at Berlin, Kimmel climbed to second place in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings. He now sits only 10 points out of the lead.On a Roll: Not only has Frank Kimmel climbed to second in the championship standings, but he has done it in a consistent fashion. His fifth-place finish at Berlin marked the seventh-straight top-10 finish for the Ansell/Menards team. It was also Kimmel’s fifth top-five in the last seven races. The Ansell / Menards team has also been racking up the bonus points. Kimmel has led the most laps the past two weeks in a row (20 at Pocono, 91 at Berlin).
NJMP History: While Kimmel has earned top-10 finishes in both of his races at NJMP, the results don’t show how good he really is at the 2.3-mile track. In 2008 he had a strong car but got caught in the rain, resulting in a 10th-place finish. In 2009 a shifter handle broke off the Ansell / Menards Ford, ruining what was a third or fourth place run. Kimmel went on to finish 9th.
This Week’s Ford: Crew Chief, Bill Kimmel Jr., has chosen to run chassis No. 306, “Angelina” at NJMP. This chassis is strictly a road course car.
Autographs: Fans attending the New Jersey Motorsports Park race will have the chance to meet Kimmel before the start of the Garden State ARCA 150. Fans will have a half hour to attend the ARCA Racing Series Driver Autograph Session on Sunday, August 14 at 11:45 a.m. EST.
Did You Know?: Kimmel has only finished outside of the top-10 on a road course one time (PBIR 2010) in ARCA Racing Series competition. His only finish outside the top-10 came at PBIR this year when Kimmel drove to a 12th-place finish.
Stepping Closer to History: Kimmel’s 42nd-career pole at Pocono Raceway put him one step closer to the top of the record books in another category – All-time ARCA Pole Winner. Kimmel now stands only one pole away from tying the record currently held by Iggy Katona.
Follow Frank Kimmel: Want to know what happens when Kimmel is not behind the wheel of his Ansell/Menards Ford Fusion? Fans can logon to www.facebook.com/frankkimmelracing to follow him on Facebook and www.twitter.com/frankkimmel to follow him on Twitter.
- Activ8 Communications Press Release
