ARCA RE/MAX: Kimmel, a true-blue Tennessee Titan

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

August 12, 2001

LEBANON TN – If you’re going through the Tennessee Titan team roster, then add ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Frank Kimmel to the list. Kimmel, in Larry Clement’s Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford, pumped out another perfect score card Saturday night under the lights at Nashville Superspeedway with a convincing victory in the Waste Management 200.

The Jeffersonville, Indiana driver and current point leader won the Old Milwaukee pole with a new one-lap track record, led the most laps, and in the end, raced away from outside polesitter Jason Jarrett to earn his sixth win of the year, and 29th of his career. Jarrett, the only other driver to finish on the lead lap, finished second in Mary Miller’s Biomet-Damon RV Chevrolet.

“The car was perfect right off the trailer,” Kimmel said. “We named this car Mabel after my mother and she never let’s us down. The car really seems to like these intermediate tracks - a mile and a third, a mile and a half. We really didn’t do much to the car all week besides add a spring rubber or take one away. When you have a car hooked up so well, and a crew that’s on top of their game, it really makes my job easier; it’s a pleasure to drive and even more fun to steer it for victory lane.”

In all, there were nine lead changes among three drivers under mostly green flag conditions while four caution periods slowed the 151-lap race for 27 laps. Kimmel led 72 circuits while third-generation driver Justin Labonte, competing in the first-ever Dodge Intrepid in ARCA RE/MAX competition, led 52 laps in the Cunningham Motorsports Dodge. And when Kimmel was comfortably up front, Labonte and Jarrett swapped second a number of times throughout the 200-mile race. However, with 15 laps remaining, Labonte’s machine, which had moved to within three lengths of Jarrett’s, broke loose in turn two and made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall. Although his Dodge received heavy right-side damage, Labonte was shaken, but otherwise unhurt, and through for the night. Jarrett was the only other leader having posted 27 laps atop the leader board.

Ed Berrier, in Cavin Councilor’s Target Saws & Blades Chevrolet, was in contention for the win before a cut right-front tire forced the Winston-Salem, North Carolina veteran onto pit road for an unscheduled pit stop during a green flag run. The former NASCAR Busch Series winner went a lap down as a result, but still managed a third place finish. Laurel, Mississippi driver Robert Burroughs finished a respectable fourth two laps back with Chesapeake, Virginia rookie Jeff Falk, in his father Joe Falk’s Superior Logistics Services Chevrolet, trailing in fifth.

In addition to the winner’s pay, Kimmel picked up the Loctite Halfway Leader award as well as the Pork Pole-Win bonus bringing his total earnings for the night to $19,695. Jarrett, who moved into second in points ahead of Andy Belmont who dropped out early with engine trouble, won the ARCA Highest Finishing Rookie award as well as the Thermo-Tec Cool Drive award. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania veteran Norm Benning won the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions, from 30th to tenth in the final running order.

Local Franklin, Tennessee favorite Randal Ritter, in the Miss Audrey’s Fried Pies Chevrolet, posted his career-best finish in sixth ahead of Billy Venturini in seventh. Venturini was running fourth with less than ten laps remaining before engine troubles slowed his advance. Howard Rose finished eighth in the Jerry “The King” Lawler Chevrolet while Greg Sarff posted his career-best finish in ninth.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series travels next to the one-mile dirt oval in Springfield, Illinois for the PAR-A-DICE 100 this Sunday afternoon, August 19.

CURRENT POINTS: 1) Frank Kimmel 4470; 2) Jason Jarrett 3470; 3) Andy Belmont 3455; 4) Tim Steele 3340; 5) Ron Cox 3250; 6) Norm Benning 3020; 7) Chuck Weber 2950; 8) Todd Bowsher 2930; 9) Donny Morelock 2900; 10) Robert Burroughs 1900.

Text provided by Don Radebaugh

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.