ARCA RE/MAX results Lake Erie Spdwy

Kimmel leads the charge at Lake Erie; passes Venturini on last lap  

 

NORTH EAST PA (7-12-03) - By Don Radebaugh - After getting spun twice, Frank Kimmel, in danger of going a lap down, gathered up his thoughts, rolled up his sleeves and went to work. 

 

The four-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion and current point leader came from the back three times and worked his way up front just in time to pass Billy Venturini on the last corner of the last lap to win the thrilling inaugural ARCA RE/MAX 200 presented by Hamot & Siemens Saturday night at Lake Erie Speedway.

 

"Wow; what a race," said Kimmel in victory lane. "We got behind a couple times, but what a great team. What a great car. Thanks to our great sponsors Advance Auto Parts and Pork. We just kept digging and we finally got there - just in time. Congratulations to Billy Venturini; he's turned himself into one fine race car driver."

 

However, Kimmel's euphoria was Venturini's pain. Venturini, who dominated the 200-lap race with 118 laps-led, was battling Kimmel for the lead in turn four on the final lap when his Hawk Saw Blades-Mahle Pistons Pontiac broke loose as the pair raced side-by-side headed towards the checkered flag. Venturini spun down across the start-finish line backwards while Kimmel forged ahead to pick up his 47th career series victory. Venturini, albeit backwards, still finished a career-best second. With one headed east, and the other west, the margin of victory was .377 seconds.

 

"I can't believe it," said Venturini. "We were so close. Outside of our rear brakes locking up all night, the car worked beautiful, but this one's hard to take. I'm so disappointed; I don't know what to say. I just don't feel very good right now."

 

In addition to his disappointment, Venturini, in the hospital the night before with a 102 temperature, battled the flu for three days beforehand. Still yet, Venturini's career-best finish was coupled with his career-first Old Milwaukee Pole earlier when the third-generation driver established a new one-lap track record for the .4-mile speedway.

 

Andy Belmont, in his own Verizon Ford, hustled from the 13th starting position to finish third in front of Tom Eriksen, who steered the CamAir-Aermotor Pumps Chevrolet to the finish in fourth, a career-best for the Hesston, Pennsylvania driver. Shelby Howard, in the Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge, battled back from a couple of fender-benders and spins to finish fifth.

 

At the onset, Kimmel, who started third, got a nose inside of Venturini headed into turn one and led the way over 17-year-old David Ragan, Venturini, Howard and Randy VanZant. That's the way they stayed until Ragan, making his career-first RE/MAX Series start from the outside pole, put the move on Kimmel for the lead on lap 49. However, Ragan's lead was short-lived compliments of Kimmel who took it back the very next lap. 

 

Then Venturini served up notice that he too wanted to lead and raced by both for the top-spot on lap 82. Ragan also got by Kimmel just before Howard began pressing Kimmel for third. Then Howard pressed a little too hard in turn one and nudged Kimmel causing him to spin. Then on the next restart, one of several during the slam-bang, caution-filled affair, Kimmel, now much deeper in the field, got a nudge from veteran Joe Cooksey and spun again in turn one. Kimmel, under a quickie caution, came down pit road and changed left-side tires and rejoined the field towards the tail-end. When racing resumed, and with the field spread out all the way around the track, Kimmel almost went a lap down as Venturini and the troops began bearing down on him. However, another caution, one of 16 to choose from, soon appeared allowing Kimmel to come back down pit road to change right-side tires. 

 

Back under way, Kimmel put on a show all his own coming through the pack while Venturini, with 14 lead-lap machines tight behind, fought off continual challenges from Ragan as both worked lapped traffic. While Venturini, who never pitted, continued to thread short-track needles, Kimmel, on fresher tires, mounted his charge. By lap 170, Kimmel was running third and looking for the leaders. With less than ten laps remaining, Kimmel passed Ragan for second and tracked down Venturini. Kimmel finally got within striking distance of the leader as the white flag was unfurled. With the crowd standing, some jumping, Kimmel drove to the outside of Venturini off turn two. Then as they approached turn three, Kimmel changed his line and swung down inside of Venturini. With Kimmel inside headed through turn four, Venturini, on the same set of tires he started the race with, mashed the gas sending his car into a long, slow slide behind Kimmel who, triumphantly, raced underneath the checkered flag.

 

Jarrett battled back from being spun earlier in the race to finish sixth in the Biomet-Damon Motor Coach Pontiac with Bobby Gerhart, who also battled back from a spin, trailing in seventh in the Core Mechanical-Shetler Molding Chevrolet. Eversole, in the Think Pink Energy Drink Chevrolet, finished eighth in front of Todd Bowsher, who raced his GFS Marketplace Ford from 18th to ninth in the finishing order. Christi Passmore, in the GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford, finished tenth earning the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions after starting 23rd. VanZant and Ragan faded to 11th and 12th respectively.

 

Kimmel's crew won the Gladiator of the Race honors for their impressive service on pit road while Venturini was awarded the Landrum Spring Hard Luck honors.

 

The next action for the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be a double-header at Pocono Raceway with the ARCA Giant 200 on Friday, July 25 followed tight behind by the Pennsylvania 200 on Saturday, July 26. Both events will be televised on SPEED Channel.

        2003 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #11   
       Lake Erie Speedway, North East PA, 7-12-03   
       Official Results, ARCA RE/MAX 200 presented by Hamot & Siemens   
           
      FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS 
      1 3 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 200 Running 
      2 1 25 Billy Venturini/Chicago IL Hawk Saw Blades-Mahle Pistons Pontiac 200 Running 
      3 13 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Verizon 1-800-USE-THE-VZ Ford 200 Running 
      4 10 38 Tom Eriksen/Hesston PA CamAir-Aermotor Pumps Chevrolet 200 Running 
      5 6 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge 200 Running 
      6 12 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Biomet-Damon Motor Coach Pontiac 200 Running 
      7 14 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Core Mechanical-Shetler Moulding-AT Constrctn Chevy 200 Running 
      8 7 08 Bill Eversole/Chelsea MI Think Pink Energy Drink Chevrolet 200 Running 
      9 18 21 Todd Bowsher/Springfield OH GFS Marketplace Ford 200 Running 
      10 23 91 Christi Passmore/Pryor OK GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford 200 Running 
      11 5 7 Randy VanZant/Brookville OH Devers Truck Bodies Pontiac 200 Running 
      12 2 56 David Ragan/Kannapolis NC Bridge Track-Gresham & Associates Ford 200 Running 
      13 9 62 Bob Aiello/Covington GA Bullett Motorsports Ford 199 Running 
      14 8 44 Brent Sherman/N Barrington IL Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford 198 Running 
      15 24 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Chevrolet 198 Running 
      16 31 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 198 Running 
      17 15 48 Marty Butkovich/Romeo MI Dow Dawson Trucking Chevrolet 198 Running 
      18 30 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 198 Running 
      19 21 75 Clair Zimmerman/Denver PA Huntilar Corporation Chevrolet 198 Running 
      20 25 2 Jerry Middleton/Richmond IN Servpro of Indiana & Ohio Chevrolet 197 Running 
      21 20 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Phoenix Contractors-ETS Solutions Chevrolet 197 Running 
      22 22 3 David Clay/Carlisle OH Community Nat'l Bank-CE Custom Services Ford 196 Running 
      23 11 83 John Sadinsky/Johnstown OH Talon Chevrolet 196 Running 
      24 17 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN Yaple's Vacuum Cleaner Centers Chevrolet 194 Running 
      25 32 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI Pro-Tech Lighting Ford 194 Running 
      26 16 14 Johnny Leonard/North Ft Myers FL Affordable Roofing-First Choice Hair Cutting Chevrolet 193 Running 
      27 29 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Basham Racing Chevrolet 186 Running 
      28 19 51 Joe Cooksey/Centralia IL Fuelvend.com Chevrolet 166 Rear End 
      29 27 6 Jim Walker/Holtville AL Wayne Peterson Racing Chevrolet 117 Accident 
      30 26 71 Chuck Steinle Jr/E Springfield PA Painless Services Chevrolet 86 Brakes 
      31 35 92 Eileen Smith/Akron NY E&E Motorsports Ford 52 Overhtng 
      32 4 89 Michael Wirth/Charlotte NC Testa & Wirth Construction Ford 44 Accident 
      33 34 40 Ed Wettlaufer/St Clair Shores MI Chassisdyne Dodge 43 Handling 
      34 33 8 Boomer Stevens/Freeland PA Rahmoc Racing Engines-American Heart Assoc Chevy 41 Electrical 
      35 28 06 Alan Markovitz/Clarkston MI Wayne Peterson Racing Chevrolet 27 Transmssn 
           
       OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD:  Billy Venturini 15.757 (91.388 mph) *NTR   
       MRGN OF VICT:  .377 seconds CAUTIONS:  16 cautions for 57 laps   
       TIME OF RACE:  1:29:07 AVG SPEED:  53.963 mph   
       LAP LEADERS:  Kimmel 1-48, 50-81, 200 (81); Ragan 49 (1); Venturini 82-199 (118)