ARCA RE/MAX Results, Points, Springfield Dirt

CURRENT TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS: 1) Frank Kimmel 4225; 2) Chad
Blount 3945; 3) Jason Jarrett 3520; 4) Chase Montgomery 3425; 5) Billy
Venturini 3300; 6) Shelby Howard 3285; 7) Andy Belmont 3160; 8) Ron Cox
3065; 9) Mark Gibson 3055; 10) Kevin Belmont 2990.

KIMMEL WEARS SPRINGFIELD DIRT CROWN

SPRINGFIELD IL (8-18-02) Although the race was chock-full of fast,
raring-to-go rookies, when it comes to dirt-track business, experience,
when the dust settles, always seems to shake out up front. Veteran Frank
Kimmel, in dominating fashion, posted his 40th career ARCA RE/MAX Series
triumph Sunday afternoon in the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds dirt-mile. It was Kimmel’s fifth career win on dirt
and third consecutive at Springfield.

“What a great car,” said Kimmel in victory lane. “The Advance Auto
Parts-Pork Ford was fast right off the truck. Man, what a great job my
crew did to get me up front. These guys are the best.”

Actually, it was Kimmel who seemed best in this round. Outside of one
pit stop for a splash of gas and to scrape some mud off, Kimmel
completely controlled the race leading 84 laps of the 100-lap, 100-mile
event while a mix of veterans raced hard for second on back. St. Joseph,
Missouri veteran Doug Keller, in his own Van Am Tooling & Engineering
Pontiac, emerged in the end to finish a career-best second. Veterans’
Bob Strait and Joe Cooksey made their returns to RE/MAX Series
competition with resounding success posting third and fourth place
finishes respectively while Hesston, Pennsylvania veteran Tom Eriksen,
in the Eriksen Well Drilling Chevrolet, finished a career-best fifth.

Old Milwaukee Pole Award Qualifying was rained out so the field was set
by current car owner points putting Kimmel and rookie Chad Blount on the
front row while several veterans, with few points, started in the back.
Kimmel, who led at the onset, flexed his muscles immediately and pulled
out to a 20-length advantage while the likes of Andy Belmont, Ron Cox,
Strait, Todd Coon and Billy Thomas charged towards the front. Kimmel
forfeited the lead when he made his pit stop 19 laps in, as did several
other front-runners, while Belmont and Cox stayed out. Back under green,
Belmont led four laps before Cox charged his way into the lead with
Thomas, Belmont, Kimmel, Strait and Coon trailing. Cox showed the way
for eight laps before Thomas took control for the next four circuits.
Then Kimmel charged ahead and took the lead from Thomas on lap 36. From
there, Kimmel seemed to be on cruise control while Coon, Cox, Thomas and
Strait waged war for second. Coon eventually won the war for second and
began to set his sights on the leader. However, Coon, poised for a
career day, began falling back with engine trouble while Strait, Thomas
and Cox swapped back and forth for second, third and fourth.

While Coon continued to fall back, Cooksey, Keller, Eriksen, Norm
Benning and Kevin Belmont moved ahead to challenge. Then Thomas and Cox
locked horns racing for third in turn three eliminating Thomas from
competition while Cox soldiered home with a broken racecar in 19th.

With eight cautions for 34 laps, the field had plenty of opportunities
to work on Kimmel however none was his equal on this day.

Benning, in his own Chevy, finished a career-best with Belmont, in James
Hylton’s Ford, finishing a career-best seventh. Blount was the ARCA
Highest Finishing Rookie in eighth while Billy Venturini, in the Lean
Supreme Chevrolet, finished ninth. Jason Jarrett finished tenth in the
Biomet-Damon RV Pontiac.

In addition to Kimmel’s first-place prize money, the current RE/MAX
Series point leader picked up the Loctite Halfway Leader award while
Cooksey, who started 31st, won the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for
advancing the most positions. Rookie Shelby Howard, who cut down a tire
early on, was awarded the Landrum Spring Hard Luck award.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series gets busy next with the Winchester ARCA 200 at
Winchester Speedway Saturday night, August 31 with a quick turnaround to
follow at the DuQuoin, Illinois dirt-mile on Monday, Labor Day,
September 2. The series completes the quick sweep the following
Saturday, September 7 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

    2002 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #16
   Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield IL, 8-18-02
   Official Results, Allen Crowe Memorial 100

FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS
1 1 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 100
Running
2 16 7 Doug Keller/St Joseph MO Van Am Tooling & Engineering Pontiac 100
Running
3 28 66 Bob Strait/Mokena IL Dauphin Tech Chevrolet 100 Running
4 31 51 Joe Cooksey/Centralia IL Fuelvend.com Chevrolet 100 Running
5 15 38 Tom Eriksen/Hesston PA Eriksen Well Drilling Chevrolet 100
Running
6 13 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 100
Running
7 12 48 Kevin Belmont/Feasterville PA Victory Junction Gang Ford 100
Running
8 2 77 Chad Blount/Walkerton IN Braun Auto Group Dodge 100 Running
9 6 25 Billy Venturini/Concord NC Lean Supreme Chevrolet 100 Running
10 3 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Biomet-Damon RV Pontiac 100 Running
11 5 27 Chase Montgomery/Mt Juliet TN Montgomery Motorsports Chevrolet
100 Running
12 37 20 Todd Coon/E Peoria IL Coon Motorsports Chevrolet 100 Running
13 35 9 Eric Smith/Bloomington IL Wall Realtors Ford 99 Running
14 9 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Odoban Grease Control Ford 99 Running
15 7 5 Randy VanZant/Brookville OH Devers Truck Bodies Pontiac 99
Running
16 30 43 Scotty Sands/Henryville IN Bobby Sands Racing Ford 99 Running
17 29 99 Justin Allgaier/Springfield IL Hoosier Tire Midwest-Law
Automotive Chevrolet 99 Running
18 21 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI BradSmithMotorsports.com Chevrolet 99
Running
19 11 50 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN Buffalo Wild Wings-Hixson Construction
Chevrolet 98 Running
20 4 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN Mack Trucks Chevrolet 98 Running
21 38 79 Charlie Schaefer/Carlyle IL Schaefer Contracting Chevrolet 98
Running
22 36 22 Billy Thomas/Phenix City AL JW Miller Land & Timber Chevrolet
97 Accident
23 23 2 Eric Martin/Hixson TN Sleep Inn of Decatur IL Chevrolet 97
Running
24 20 6 Tim Mitchell/Fayetteville TN Nealco-Reid's Pontiac 96 Running
25 39 47 Jim Eubanks/Dexter MO Eubanks Trucking Company Chevrolet 95
Running
26 22 91 Chris Geier/Barrington Hills IL Dauphin Tech Chevrolet 95
Running
27 34 14 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 94
Running
28 14 21 Todd Bowsher/Springfield OH GFS Marketplace Ford 93 Running
29 10 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Mark Gibson Racing Ford 90 Running
30 27 39 Bob Hill/Story City IA Roulo Brothers Racing Chevrolet 79
Overhtng
31 32 30 Tim Burrell/Birmingham AL Fred Jones Ford 43 Oil Leak
32 8 75 Red Farmer/Hueytown AL Bob Schacht-ML Motorsports Pontiac 43
Engine
33 24 83 Dennis English/Benton KY Beannie's Luxury Coach-Absolute
Impressions Ford 39 Accident
34 18 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Basham Racing Chevrolet 38
Accident
35 26 4 Greg Sarff/Columbus OH Beannie's Luxury Coach-Absolute
Impressions Ford 7 Fuel
36 25 8 Todd Antrican/Miamisburg OH Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 6
Handling
37 17 24 Adam Roberts/Cleveland TN Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 2
Rear End
38 19 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Midwest Mall Fronts Chevrolet 1
Engine
39 33 40 Ed Wettlaufer/St Clair Shores MI Chassisdyne Dodge DNS
  06 Tim Turner/Pulaski TN Wayne Peterson Chevrolet

   OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD:  None (rained out)
   MRGN OF VICT: 2.406 seconds CAUTIONS:  8 for 34 laps
   TIME OF RACE:  1:20:25 AVG SPEED:  74.611 mph
   LAP LEADERS:  Kimmel 1-19, 36-100 (84); Belmont 20-23 (4); Cox 24-31
(8); Thomas 32-35 (4)