ARCA Rookie Hemphill Dominates at Kansas

Hemphill Dominates Rain-Shortened Kansas Lottery $200 Grand
By Don Radebaugh - KANSAS CITY KS (6-5-04) ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Ryan Hemphill was both lucky and good en route to victory lane Saturday afternoon in the rain-shortened Kansas Lottery $200 Grand.

Hemphill, who lost the lead only once when he pitted for fuel and tires, raced his way back to the front on lap 64 of the 134-lap event just as a steady rain began to cover the 1.5-mile speedway. The race continued under caution as the rain persisted before series officials called it an official race on lap 79.

It was Hemphill's third consecutive superspeedway victory in only his sixth series attempt.

"I was having a blast out there," said Hemphill. "I wish the race could have been green the whole entire way. I told my crew chief (Greg Tester) and crew on the radio; you guys have got to be really proud because this car is absolutely flawless."

Hemphill, who had won his third career Pork Pole award earlier in the day, was every bit as flawless as his TrimSpa Dodge leading 69 laps overall.

Frank Kimmel, who pitted twice for fuel, tires and adjustments, finished second in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford despite losing a cylinder late in the race. "Our car was good," said Kimmel. "But not as good as Ryan's. He had everyone covered. The rain actually worked in our favor. We went down a cylinder so we would have never finished second had the race stayed green."

Jason Jarrett, who led five laps while Hemphill was working his way forward, finished third in the Gladiator GarageWorks-Bennigan's Chevrolet. "This day was about progress," said Jarrett. "We've struggled with our intermediate program, but we made some very significant progress today. It's something to build on headed to Pocono."

Montello, Wisconsin rookie Jeff Kendall finished a career-best fourth in the Assembly Products Pontiac followed by Brent Sherman, who steered his own Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford to the finish in fifth.

Billy Venturini finished sixth in the Action Box-Hawk Saw Blades Chevrolet. Mark Gibson, who ran second for much of the race, was charging back through the pack after a pitstop before the Winder, Georgia veteran ran out of time settling for seventh in the Williams Bros Lumber Chevrolet. Open-wheeler Boston Reid, who led five laps, finished eighth in the ditech.com Chevrolet in front of local Kansas City, Kansas driver Jennifer Jo Cobb, who finished a career-best ninth in the Nick-N-Willy's Chevrolet. Christi Passmore finished tenth in the GAP Roofing-Asphalt Fuel & Supply Ford.

Brad Smith, who started 25th and finished 14th, won the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions. Mike Buckley, who dropped from sixth to tenth in series points after being involved in a frontstretch crash, picked up the Landrum Spring Hard Luck award. The Sherman Racing crew, who quickly turned a short-track car into a speedway car in time for the race, earned the Gladiator GarageWorks Gladiator of the Race honors.

TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS AFTER KANSAS: 1) Frank Kimmel 1780; 2) Billy Venturini 1580; 3) Jason Jarrett 1455; 4) Brent Sherman 1430; 5) AJ Fike 1390; 6) Ryan Hemphill 1355; 7) Mark Gibson 1305; 8) Todd Bowsher 1290; 9) TJ Bell 1285; 10) Mike Buckley 1240.