ARCA RE/MAX race story, Gateway

Kimmel grabs Gateway gold
For Immediate Release (5-5-01)

MADISON, IL, by Don Radebaugh - It pays to be lucky, and it pays to be
good. Current ARCA RE/MAX Series point leader Frank Kimmel was both here
Saturday at Gateway Int’l Raceway.

Kimmel, in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork White Meat Ford, won the
rain-shortened Gateway ARCA 150 earning his career 25th RE/MAX Series
victory.

Kimmel was good enough to lead more laps than anyone, and lucky enough
to be out front  at the halfway point when the rains came down on the
1.25-mile superspeedway ending the race 56 laps shy of the scheduled
120. “I’ve got to hand it to my car owner Larry Clement,” Kimmel said in
victory lane. “He told me to stay out because it was going to rain. We
could have pitted with everyone else but decided to stay out and let
this thing play out. The car was perfect from the start; that’s part of
the reason we didn’t pit; we didn’t need to. The car was great on long
runs. I’d like to thank Larry (Clement) for letting me be a part of this
first-class outfit, and thanks to my brother and crew chief Bill, the
whole crew; they work so hard, and it continually shows. We’re ready for
Kentucky.”

Mike Swaim Jr., in the Dynatek Chevrolet, finished second ahead of Tim
Steele in third. Ed Berrier, in Cavin Councilor’s Target Saws & Blades
Chevy, finished fourth while Rick Carelli, in the RE/MAX Chevy, finished
fifth.

Steele, who won the Old Milwaukee Pole Award with a new one-lap track
record of 133.745 mph, led the first 16 laps before Kimmel, who started
third, made his pass for the lead. Once Kimmel got out front, the
Jeffersonville, Indiana driver began to pull away while Steele’s loose
HS-Die Softech Ford, fell back. Steele got the break he thought he was
looking for when the caution, for debris, came out on lap 26. Steele,
along with Swaim, Carelli and BSR Outside Polesitter Jason Jarrett,
elected to pit for adjustments while Kimmel, who had pulled out to a
three second advantage, decided to stay out. When the green flag waved
again, Swaim, on fresher tires than the leader, raced his way into
second and began closing in on Kimmel, who would soon be needing a fuel
stop. But just as Kimmel crossed the stripe to complete the 60th lap,
rain began to spatter the speedway bringing out the final caution of the
race. As the rain increased, the cars continued to circle the track
under caution up through lap 64 before being stopped on pit road while
officials assessed the situation, which, weather-wise, would only worsen
as evening approached. Having finished more than half the laps, the
required distance to make it an official race, ARCA RE/MAX Series
officials announced the race complete.

Laurel, Mississippi driver Robert Burroughs finished sixth in the Cooper
Tires Pontiac recording his career-best RE/MAX Series finish while
Jarrett finished seventh in the Biomet-Damon RV Pontiac earning the ARCA
Highest Finishing Rookie Award. Billy Venturini, in the IRM-Permatex
Chevy, finished eighth ahead of RE/MAX Series rookie Chad Blount, who in
his career-first start, impressed all with a solid ninth place finish in
the Braun Mobility Products Chevrolet, the last car on the lead lap.
Local Illinois favorites’ Joe Cooksey, in the Fuelvend.com Chevy, and
Mark Voigt, in the Heuiser Truck Service Chevy, finished tenth and 11th
respectively.

Kimmel earned $21,795 for the victory, which included the Loctite
Halfway Leader honors as well as the Quarter Master Comin’ Thru in the
Clutch award.

CONTACT: Don Radebaugh, ARCA PR (734) 847-6726 or arcaracing.com