Daytona Beach, Florida (February 16, 2015) – Frank Kimmel wasted no time showcasing his strength and new team colors in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season opener at Daytona International Speedway by posting a fifth place finish in the No.25 Ansell-Menards Toyota with Venturini Motorsports.
Grant Enfinger won the race claiming his second consecutive ARCA Racing Daytona title. Daniel Suarez finished second, followed by Brett Hudson, Cody Coughlin and Frank Kimmel.
Kimmel started the ARCA Racing Lucas Oil 200 from the 11th starting spot before taking over the lead from teammate Cody Coughlin on lap-8; maintaining that lead for the next 27 circuits. Kimmel relinquished the top spot under caution on lap-35 when a fueling mishap during a routine pit stop dropped the veteran back to the 34th position.
Upon the restart Kimmel in his Ansell-Menards Toyota jumped to the highline showing his car’s dominance – picking off positions one-at-a-time, Kimmel drove back up through the field before catching Grant Enfinger, eventual race winner, with 13-laps remaining. Racing side-by-side in the closing laps the outside line which Kimmel was racing lost momentum and started backing up to the leader. With laps ticking away Kimmel was unable to close the gap settling for a fifth place finish.
Even with the strong finish Kimmel disappointed with outcome.
“The car was good enough and we got all the way back to the front, almost made it just couldn’t get there. Grant did a good job holding me off and Will (Kimmel) and bunch of them tried to push me bye but for some reason couldn’t get all the way past him at the end, tried really hard. Hats off to Venturini Motorsports, best car I’ve ever had here by far and to come out of it with a fifth…it’s just really disappointing,” said Kimmel.
Daytona Breakdown – Inside Kimmel’s ARCA career numbers at Daytona
After 24 consecutive starts at the “World Center of Racing,” Kimmel has now earned 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Kimmel hadn’t led a lap in the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona International Speedway since 2004 until Saturday. Kimmel – the all-time series leader with 80 wins and 10 championships – drove the Venturini Motorsports No. 25 Ansell-Menards Toyota to the front of the pack Saturday and remained out front for 27 laps. It was the most Kimmel had ever led in any single event at Daytona, surpassing his previous high-mark of 25 laps-led in 2004. Prior to Saturday’s race, he had led fewer than 50 laps in all of his Daytona starts combined, which reaches back to 1992.
Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 presented by Auto Zone will be rebroadcast three times this week. The race will air on FOX Sports 2 at 9 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday and on FOX Sports 1 at 10 a.m. Thursday.
ABOUT ANSELL:
Ansell is a global leader in protection solutions. Headquartered in Iselin, NJ, 11,000 employees across 42 countries design and manufacture innovative products relied on by millions of consumers, workers, first responders and healthcare professionals. The Ansell vision is to create a world where people enjoy optimal protection against the risks to which they are exposed by delivering safety, peace of mind and performance with unmatched quality, comfort and technology. This vision is delivered by the Ansell core brand products, from the HyFlex®, AlphaTec®, TouchNTuff®, ActivArmr®, Projex®, VersaTouch®, Trellchem® and Viking product lines.
ABOUT MENARDS:
With 287 stores in 14 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember. Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, John Wes Townley, Erik Jones, and Justin Boston. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
