K. Earnhardt Drive To Victory

EARNHARDT TAKES ARCA RE/MAX ATLANTA FINALE
(11-17-01)

HAMPTON GA, by Don Radebaugh - Still reeling over the tragic loss of
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, race fans nationwide nurtured their sorrow
through ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Kerry Earnhardt, the eldest son of the
seven-time Winston Cup champion, who drove to victory lane Saturday
afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Pork The Other White Meat
400.

Earnhardt, while the healthy crowd stood and roared with overwhelming
approval, posted his fourth RE/MAX Series win in only his 11th attempt.
In victory lane, Earnhardt attributed his victory to Blaise Alexander
who was killed in a racing accident at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October.

“It was hard losing Blaise,” said an emotional Earnhardt. “That race
(Earnhardt’s win at Lowe’s) wasn’t a victory to me; it was a loss. This
victory was to celebrate Blaise’s life and the racer he was. This race
here in November, this is Blaise’s. This is his race; he was with us and
that’s why we won.”

The expert pit service from his well-oiled Dale Earnhardt, Inc. pit
crew, the same crew that services the Pennzoil Chevy in Winston Cup
competition, probably didn’t hurt either. The DEI guys continually
out-performed all others throughout the 162-lap race and kept Earnhardt
in a position to win. From there, Earnhardt answered back with 75
laps-led including the final 19 in his Diamond Cut Jeans-sponsored
Chevrolet. In the end, Earnhardt finished more than six seconds ahead of
his closest rival Shane Hmiel who finished a solid second in the
GoARMY.com Chevrolet in his career-first RE/MAX Series start.

“When you run with names like Earnhardt and Kimmel you really have to
work hard to stay up with those guys,” said Hmiel. “This is our first
step in the big cars and we feel we have had a great showing. Dad was on
the radio with me the whole time helping to keep me focused.” Hmiel is
the son of renowned Winston Cup crew chief Steve Hmiel who now works for
Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

2001 ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel capped off a solid week
with a third place finish after leading 59 laps in the Advance Auto
Parts-Pork Ford. In addition, Kimmel, on Thursday, won the Old Milwaukee
Pole Award with a new one-lap track record (188.854 mph), his 11th pole
of the year.

Rookie sensation Stuart Kirby charged from the tail-end of the field in
Bob Schacht’s Combos Ford to finish fourth. Kirby’s crew, in an effort
to compete with Earnhardt’s, gambled with a two-tire stop on the final
pit stop while all the other front-runners took four. And although Kirby
won the race off pit road and led eight laps, the strategy did not pay
off with a win. Nonetheless, it was Kirby’s fifth top-five in eight
starts. Tim Steele, who struggled with a loose car all afternoon,
finished fifth in his own HS Die-Softech-Willy’s Carburetor Ford.

In all, there were 17 lead changes among five drivers including Hmiel
who led 14 circuits while Garfield, Minnesota driver Rick Thoennes led
the other six. Seven cautions slowed the race for 45 laps for a variety
of one and two car incidents, although no drivers were injured. ARCA
RE/MAX Series runner-up point finisher and Rookie of the Year Jason
Jarrett finished sixth ahead of veteran Ed Berrier in seventh, the last
car on the lead lap. Damon Lusk, one lap down, finished eighth with
Robert Burroughs trailing in ninth. Thoennes completed the top-ten
finishers.

Kevin Belmont, who started 37th in the Fisher Marine Construction Ford,
won the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for his respectable 14th place
finish while Kimmel picked up the Loctite Halfway Leader award.

The next event for the ARCA RE/MAX Series, just concluding its 49th
season of competition, will be the championship awards banquet at the
Northern Kentucky Convention Center just south of Cincinnati, Ohio on
Saturday, December 8.

FINAL 2001 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES TOP-10 POINTS: 1) Frank Kimmel 7080; 2)
Jason Jarrett 6000; 3) Andy Belmont 5470; 4) Ron Cox 5070; 5) Norm
Benning 4750; 6) Todd Bowsher 4690; 7) Chuck Weber 4560; 8) Donny
Morelock 4495; 9) Tim Steele 4300; 10) Mike Buckley 3470.