ARCA Rookie Krisiloff Wins Chicagoland

 
JOLIET IL (9-11-04)  ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Kyle Krisiloff used his head as well as his hands and feet on his way to victory lane in the ReadyHosting.com 200 Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway. 

 

The eighteen-year-old Indianapolis, Indiana native, in a masterful display of patience and skill, steered clear of several wrecks, passed veteran Brent Sherman for the lead and then held off a late-race charge from rookie TJ Bell to earn his career-first victory in only his third series attempt.

 

"We used our patience all day, saved our stuff for the end and went for it when the time was right," said Krisiloff in victory lane. "We struggled a little bit in practice, but the ditech.com crew got the car really good for the race. I just want to thank all the people who allowed me to have this opportunity - Hendrick Motorsports, the Gerhart's, this whole crew. These guys have been great to work with, so supportive; it's just been great. I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I just hope we can keep it going."

 

The victory marked the second of the season for Bobby Gerhart Racing, which is grooming developmental drivers for NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports through the RE/MAX Series. The BGR team won earlier this year at Nashville Superspeedway with rookie Blake Feese behind the wheel.

 

Bell, coming off a third place finish on the DuQuoin mile-dirt a few days before, finished two lengths away in second recording his career-best finish in Brad Kemp's unsponsored Chevy Monte Carlo. Christi Passmore, in the GAP Roofing-Asphalt & Fuel Supply Ford, finished a career-best third in front of Sherman, who finished fourth in the Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford. Rookie Chris Moore, in the Cunningham Motorsports Ford, played it smart all day long and finished a solid fifth in his fifth series attempt.

 

Several top contenders were taken from the mix early on through a series of wrecks, misfortune and mechanical failure, including Pork Pole Award winner Stuart Kirby, whose rear-end gear failed before one lap was complete.

 

Then series veterans Frank Kimmel and Tim Steele, both of whom led laps early in the race, were charging back through the field when they got caught up in a multi-car pile-up on lap 35 of the 134-lap, 200-mile race. It started with rookie Walt Brannen who lost control of his car racing alongside Tandy Marlin. Brannen spun into the path of Kimmel, who t-boned the Elko, Georgia driver setting off a chain reaction that gobbled up six cars total before the smoke cleared. Rookies' Joey Miller, Bryan Gandy and Mike Guerity were also involved. 

 

Then outside polesitter and six-time winner Ryan Hemphill, who recovered from earlier mechanical troubles, made contact with the outside wall when the lead-lap line of cars stacked up on a restart. Front-runner AJ Henriksen also got caught up in someone else's wreck early on.

 

In all, a record ARCA/Chicagoland 10 cautions slowed the field for 56 laps. There were no injuries.

 

With the complexion of the race altered drastically before the event was even half over, several new stories would soon surface adding new interest to a bizarre start.

 

One of those stories included Christi Passmore, who led the first 11 laps before Steele, making his first series appearance since June of 2003, took charge of the lead. Steele led for eight circuits before Kimmel stepped up to challenge spawning an old rivalry reminiscent of old times. Kimmel finally made the pass on Steele and led 6 laps before opting for pit road service under caution. Steele followed Kimmel onto pit road while Sherman, who stayed out, assumed the lead.

 

Sherman led the next 22 laps during which time the aforementioned accidents would begin to pluck would-be players from the field while Krisiloff, Bell and Passmore, avoiding several close calls along the way, began working their way to the front.

 

Bell was the first to get there passing Sherman for the lead on lap 48. From there, Bell, who led the most laps, held the top-spot for 40 rounds before series regular Billy Venturini took control. Venturini led for three laps before Sherman, freshly serviced, regained the lead. Sherman led the next 19 laps before Krisiloff became the final leader on lap 109. 

 

From there, Krisiloff held firm until Bell caught the eventual winner just as the white flag was unfurled. However, Bell's machine, on tired tires, washed up the track in turns one and two removing any real opportunity to take another run at Krisiloff. 

 

Venturini, in the ReadyHosting.com-ABC Auto Parts Chevrolet, finished sixth in front of rookie Michael Simko, who finished a solid seventh in the Mound Steel-Diamond Racing Products Chevrolet. Rookie AJ Fike, in the Ray Farms Chevrolet, finished eighth with rookie Chevy White, in only his second series start, trailing in ninth in the Bobby White Motors-Crazy Ed's Dodge. Rookie Jennifer Jo Cobb, in Keith Murt's AGAPE Marketing/Nick-N-Willy's Chevrolet, finished tenth.

 

Bell also picked up the Bennigan's Halfway Leader award. Venturini, who started 22nd, earned the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger honors for advancing the most positions from a non-provisional starting position. Frank Kapfhammer won the Gladiator GarageWorks Gladiator of the Race award. Pork polesitter Kirby got the ARCA Hard Luck award.

 

Just two events remain on the 2004 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule at Salem Speedway on Saturday, September 18 followed by the season finale at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 2. Both races will be televised on SPEED Channel. Five-time series champion and current point leader Frank Kimmel needs only to show up at Salem to officially claim the 2004 national championship, which would tie him with six-time champion Iggy Katona with the most series titles.

 

Top-10 ARCA RE/MAX Series Points after Chicagoland:  1) Frank Kimmel 5405; 2) Brent Sherman 4635; 3) Billy Venturini 4515; 4) TJ Bell 4480; 5) Jason Jarrett 4300; 6) Christi Passmore 4225; 7) Mark Gibson 4140; 8) AJ Fike 4135; 9) Todd Bowsher 4020; 10) Norm Benning 3880.