Concord, NC (May 18, 2015) – Frank Kimmel returned to the driver’s seat making his 494th career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Auto Care at Toledo Speedway.
Already the series’ all-time winner, Kimmel was looking to cash in on his success with his 10th overall career victory at Toledo Speedway. Armed with a strong No.25 Ansell-Menards Toyota, Kimmel qualified sixth for the event.
Riding in the top-5 most of the day Kimmel was ready to make his move towards the front and challenge for the lead. After a late race caution the race was seemingly going to be decided with a 20-lap shootout with Kimmel running in the third position behind race leader Grant Enfinger and the second place car of Austin Wayne Self.
“We had a great car all weekend long. Grant (Enfinger) was definitely the class of the field today and I don’t think we were going to do anything with him but I felt we had the second best race car for most of the day,” said Kimmel.
Unfortunately for Kimmel, on lap-180 while going into turn three the race leader, Enfinger slowed drastically with transmission issues causing the front running cars to stack up. Unable to see through the car of Self in front of him, Kimmel had nowhere to go and was collected in a five car accident.
“There’s really nothing more I could have done there to avoid that wreck. I was running really hard trying to get around the 98 car (Self) for second place when I guess Grant (Enfinger) broke a transmission. I couldn’t see Grant beyond the car in front of me. So when he stopped, the 98-car plowed into him leaving me and the guys behind me with nowhere to go,” said Kimmel.
With severe hood damage to his Ansell- Menards Toyota Kimmel lost his position as he had pit to repair damages. Kimmel reentered the race three laps down ultimately salvaging an 11th place finish.
Kimmel’s teammate, Todd Gilliland who was running in the sixth position at the time of the accident, would survive the melee and go on to earn his first career ARCA win.
“Congratulations to Todd and his family. The Venturini team had two top-5 cars all day long and either one of them could have won the race, and one of them did,” said Kimmel.
Kimmel will step aside this coming weekend while his No.25 driving teammate, Brandon Jones, jumps back behind the wheel at New Jersey Motorsports Park for next Sunday’s running of the ARCA 150 presented by Unique Pretzels. The New Jersey race marks the sole road course event of the ARCA season.
Kimmel will return to action in two weeks when the ARCA series visits Pocono Raceway on June 6th.
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
