ARCA RE/MAX Points, Salem

CURRENT TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS AFTER SALEM: 1) Damon Lusk 830;
2) Frank Kimmel 795; 3) Chad Blount 770; 4) Jason Jarrett 645; 5) Todd
Bowsher 630; 6) Shelby Howard 600; 7) Ron Cox 580; 8) Robert Burroughs
570; 9) Mike Buckley 560; 10) Chase Montgomery 555.


Kimmel fights off adversity, Jarrett for Salem glory

SALEM IN (4-28-02) Hometown favorite Frank Kimmel, in the #46 Advance
Auto Parts-Pork Ford, fought off a barrage of adversity Sunday afternoon
at Salem Speedway including a late-race charge from Jason Jarrett to win
the action-packed Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200.

Runner-up finisher Jarrett, within 20 laps of the finish, had his fender
inside Kimmel’s rear quarter on several occasions but in the end, could
not find a way around the popular Jeffersonville, Indiana driver.
Kimmel’s margin of victory was a mere .161 seconds at the checkered
flag.

The victory for Kimmel, his fourth consecutive there, marked his sixth
Salem win overall making him the all-time ARCA RE/MAX Series winner at
the storied half-mile, high-banked oval.

“These Salem wins mean more to me than most,” said Kimmel in victory
lane. “We’ve got more support here than anywhere. It was great racing
with Jason (Jarrett) there at the end; I want to thank him for racing me
so clean; he was close enough a time or two to wiggle me out of the way,
but he’s a pro and raced me right. Today was a total team effort; this
is a brand new race car and it always takes some time to work the bugs
out; but the crew hustled all day, fought back when they needed to and
kept me in the game.”

Andy Belmont, in the lead pack all afternoon, finished a solid third in
the AOL-Southern Pan Services Ford. Brookville, Ohio driver Randy
VanZant was stout all day finishing a career-best fourth in the Devers
Truck Body Pontiac while Matt Hagans, making his career-first start,
finished fifth in his own Eagle Creek Aviation Services Pontiac.

Kimmel, in the early going, made several unscheduled pit stops to make
repairs to the right front wheel assembly and struggled to stay on the
lead lap while the likes of Belmont, Jarrett and 16-year-old Shelby
Howard took their turns leading the pack. Fortunately for Kimmel, 10
cautions for a variety of the typical Salem scrapes and wall bangers
throughout the 200-lap race gave the crew ample time to make the
necessary repairs. There were no injuries.

With Old Milwaukee Pole Award Qualifying rained out the day before, the
field was set according to 2001 car owner points placing Kimmel on the
pole with Jarrett alongside. Kimmel jumped out into the lead at the
onset before vibrations in the right front would leave him fighting to
stay on the lead lap. While Kimmel worked out his problems on pit road,
Jarrett, Belmont and Howard swapped the lead back and forth for much of
the race as Kimmel systematically worked his way back towards the front.
Belmont, who led 73 laps, second in the laps-led category to Kimmel’s
85, saw his chance for victory slip away when he bounced his Ford Taurus
off the wall as did Jarrett a short time later. Howard, who was the
Loctite Halfway Leader, eventually fell out with engine failure; and by
lap 140, Kimmel was back in the lead. Although Jarrett kept his Mary
Louise Miller owned Pontiac within continual striking distance, Kimmel
would not be denied in the remaining laps.

Todd Bowsher, with new sponsorship from GFS Marketplace, stayed in the
hunt all afternoon and finished sixth in his father Jack Bowsher’s Ford
Taurus, the last car on the lead lap. Mooresville, North Carolina driver
AJ Henriksen, who started 24th, finished seventh in the Engineered
Components-Fastenal Chevrolet earning the Hoosier Performance Hard
Charger award for advancing the most positions. Damon Lusk, in the
Dynatek-One Race America Chevrolet, fought back with a banged up racecar
to finish eighth. In doing so, the Kennewick, Washington native takes
over the championship points lead ahead of Kimmel and Chad Blount who
fell from first to third in points after finishing a disappointing 28th.
Mike Buckley steered the Midwest Mall Fronts Chevrolet to ninth at the
finish with Norm Benning trailing in tenth in his own unsponsored
Chevrolet.

Don Radebaugh (734) 847-6726 or arcaracing.com