ARCA RE/MAX race results & release, Berlin Raceway (5-24-03)

Kimmel wins at Berlin; sweeps Memorial Day Weekend ARCA RE/MAX double-header



MARNE MI (5-24-03)  By Don Radebaugh - Fresh from victory lane at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina the day before, Frank Kimmel again found his way into the winner's circle at the Berlin Raceway short-track in Marne, Michigan Saturday night by winning the Pork The Other White Meat 200. It was Kimmel's 46th career ARCA RE/MAX Series triumph. 

 

Through a series of adjustments over the course of three pit stops, Kimmel' s Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford car improved consistently throughout the 200-lap race to the point where the Jeffersonville, Indiana driver, in the end, pulled away from the pack. 

 

"We did some extra work on that first pitstop," said Kimmel in victory lane. "We made air pressure adjustments to tighten up the car; we also pulled a spring rubber out of the right rear. With the air pressure adjustments, the last two sets (of tires) tightened up the car and made it work. Hats off to Billy Venturini; he drove a great race."

 

Billy Venturini, in the MC Sports Pontiac, led 74 laps and looked to be on his way to his career-first victory before engine gremlins surfaced late in the race. Venturini was all over Kimmel for the lead with less than 20 laps remaining until he suddenly began to lose ground. "We're so disappointed," said Venturini. "I don't want to take anything away from Frank; he's good everywhere, but we really felt we had the car to beat. We may have broken a valve spring or something because the motor just laid down there at the end. I don't know what we have to do to get our first one (victory)."

 

Venturini still finished fourth while Brent Sherman, in the Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford, posted his career-best finish in second. "I'm not sure what changes Lee (Leslie/crew chief) made; all I know is that I tell him what the car is, or isn't doing, and he fixes it," said Sherman. "I told him we were loose off the corner and we needed more forward bite. Guess what; when we went back out, the car wasn't so loose and we had more forward bite. This is like a win for this team; it's as much his (Leslie's) as it is mine."

 

Ron Cox, in Wayne Hixson's Pontiac, recovered from a mid-race spin and charged from the tail-end twice to finish a career-best third. "We never adjusted the car," said Cox. "We didn't need to; it was perfect from the start and it stayed that way. Man I love this track." Berlin regular Andy Ponstein finished a solid fifth in John Bailey's Chevrolet.

 

At the onset, Kimmel's machine wasn't nearly as good as it would become while Venturini, who started fourth, passed Old Milwaukee polesitter Fred Campbell on lap 16 and checked out. With six cautions to choose from, all for minor incidents, a majority of the front-runners, including Venturini and Kimmel, pitted together on the 73rd lap. Venturini soon raced his way back into the lead on lap 99 passing Ponstein, who didn't pit in the first round. Like before, Venturini continued to pull away from the pack and led through lap 114 before forfeiting the lead on the next round of pit stops. During the next green-flag run, Kimmel, with a better handling car, emerged as the leader with Venturini in tow. But as good as Kimmel's car had become, he could not shake Venturini who, inches away, worked Kimmel for the lead continuously. The leaders would pit one more time for final adjustments and tires with Kimmel, Venturini, Sherman, Cox, Shelby Howard and Jason Jarrett all in position to win with laps winding down. Venturini would continue to be Kimmel's biggest problem until Venturini's machine began to sputter inside of 20 laps to go. And while Venturini's machine began to back up, Sherman and Cox stepped up. But with Venturini removed from Kimmel's rear view mirror, the eventual winner had no immediate challengers and cruised to the checkered flag with a five-length advantage over Sherman. 

 

Other laps leaders over the course of pit stop exchanges included Berlin late model regular Billy Shotko who qualified outside pole and 17-year-old Howard who would eventually finish sixth. Jarrett finished seventh while Campbell, who recovered from several stops on pit road to cure an ill-handling car, finished eighth. ARCA Rookie of the Year contender Bill Eversole finished a solid ninth earning the Highest Finishing Rookie honors with Shotko trailing in tenth. John Sadinsky, the last car on the lead lap, finished 11th. Veteran Joe Cooksey finished 12th from the 20th starting position earning the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award.



        2003 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #8   
       Berlin Raceway, Marne MI, 5-24-03   
       Official Results, Pork The Other White Meat 200 by GFS Marketplace   
           
      FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS 
      1 7 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork White Meat Ford 200 Running 
      2 4 44 Brent Sherman/N. Barrington IL Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford 200 Running 
      3 9 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN Hixson Construction Pontiac 200 Running 
      4 6 25 Billy Venturini/Chicago IL MC Sports Pontiac 200 Running 
      5 3 70 Andy Ponstein/Hudsonville MI Bailey Excavating Chevrolet 200 Running 
      6 8 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge 200 Running 
      7 14 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Biomet-Damon RV Pontiac 200 Running 
      8 1 22 Fred Campbell/Battle Creek MI Chicago Meat Authority-DJ's One Stop Ford 200 Running 
      9 12 08 Bill Eversole/Chelsea MI Think Pink Energy Drink Chevrolet 200 Running 
      10 2 75 Billy Shotko/West Olive MI Wolverine Power Systems Chevrolet 200 Running 
      11 10 38 John Sadinsky/Johnstown OH Talon Chevrolet 200 Running 
      12 20 51 Joe Cooksey/Centralia IL Fuelvend.com Chevrolet 199 Running 
      13 15 21 Todd Bowsher/Springfield OH GFS Marketplace Ford 199 Running 
      14 16 39 Chris Anthony/Grand Rapids MI MJM Builders-Tailored Buildings Chevrolet 199 Running 
      15 13 5 Randy VanZant/Brookville OH Devers Truck Bodies Pontiac 196 Running 
      16 19 48 Marty Butkovich/Romeo MI Dow Dawson Trucking Chevrolet 196 Running 
      17 23 7 Clair Zimmerman/Denver PA Huntilar Corporation Chevrolet 195 Running 
      18 26 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Phoenix Contractors-ETS Solutions Chevrolet 195 Running 
      19 22 2 Jerry Middleton/Richmond IN Servpro of Indiana & Ohio Chevrolet 195 Running 
      20 18 56 David Clay/Carlisle OH Community Nat'l Bank-CE Custom Services Ford 194 Running 
      21 28 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA B&B Pest Control Chevrolet 194 Running 
      22 27 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Ideal Paint & Wallpaper Chevrolet 193 Running 
      23 25 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 193 Running 
      24 31 6 Brian Conz/Livonia MI Precision Cutter Chevrolet 190 Running 
      25 29 06 Mike Koch/Mountain Home AR Wayne Peterson Racing Chevrolet 190 Running 
      26 24 83 Jim Hollenbeck/Kalamazoo MI Spectra Contracting Chevrolet 188 Running 
      27 30 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI Phoenix Contractors-SciCom Center Chevrolet 185 Running 
      28 11 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA 1-800-USE-THE-VZ Ford 172 Tie Rod 
      29 17 91 Christi Passmore/Pryor OK GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford 100 Accident 
      30 21 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Chevrolet 30 Engine 
      31 5 65 Vern Slagh/Zeeland MI Chicago Meat Authority-DJ's One Stop Dodge 12 Accident 
      32 32 32 Danny Eaves/Columbus OH David Glick Racing Ford 2 Handling 
           
       OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD:  Fred Campbell 17.169 (91.840 mph)   
       MRGN OF VICT:  1.111 seconds CAUTIONS:  6 for 41 laps   
       TIME OF RACE:  1:24:55 AVG SPEED:  70.658 mph   
       LAP LEADERS:  Campbell 1-15 (15); Venturini 16-73, 99-114 (74); Ponstein 74-98 (25); Kimmel  
       115-145, 155-200 (77); Howard 146-150 (5); Shotko 151-154 (4)   





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