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NEWTON, Iowa (Sept. 6, 2013) —Â Frank Kimmel has a victory on his Iowa Speedway resume that’s good for his attitude coming into Saturday night’s Prairie Meadows 150 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards event with his No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota.
But Kimmel, who won the second ARCA race held at the .875-mile oval, in 2007, also has a start there earlier this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ July visit, where he drove a third Toyota truck for his ThorSport Racing organization. “I’m really looking forward to going to Iowa, but then, I always do,” Kimmel said with a chuckle. “I think running the truck there is going to give us a little bit of a head start on the adjustments we’re going to need to make and the setup we’ll start out with, especially because that (Truck) race was also at night. “Being there within the last month or so makes me more familiar with the place, unlike a lot of other tracks that we only go to year-to-year. I hate to keep singing the same tune, but I’m sure Jeriod (Prince, crew chief) and Rich (Lushes, car chief) are going to bring another great racecar and I can’t wait to sit down in it.” Kimmel’s optimism is particularly bolstered by the fact his team has engineered his current career-best streak of 27 consecutive top-10 finishes stretching over the last two seasons. This season, they’ve done that while Prince and Kimmel experiment with a new tack on setups. “We learned some things with the setups on both the asphalt and dirt tracks and Jeriod’s found some tendencies that I seem to like as a driver a little more and that the car and the tires seem to like a lot,” Kimmel said. “Our last two races on asphalt tracks we’ve been very competitive, shown some speed and had a shot to win and I think that’ll continue at Iowa.” Kimmel’s record at Iowa is as stout as it is at most venues the ARCA Series competes at. In seven career races Kimmel has six top-10 finishes, the worst of which is seventh in 2009. He’s led 120 laps in three different races, 94 of which came in his 2007 win. Kimmel dropped out of his inaugural Iowa start after his car overheated, but since then he’s completed every ARCA lap raced there. Saturday night will be the third different race length — and the shortest, at 150 laps — that he’s contested at Iowa. “I think we can unload and be in contention to win the race,” Kimmel said of Saturday’s single-day show, which mirrors three of his last four events, though two of them were on mile dirt tracks at Springfield and DuQuoin, Ill. “That’s what our goal always is, and I’m blessed to have the team I do at ThorSport that makes it possible.” The prospect of winning his 80th career race also has Kimmel enthused, even though he’s already missed the chance to claim sole possession of ARCA’s career record for victories in the last seven races since he won his 79th career race in June at Winchester.
Kimmel is locked in a tie for that honor with ARCA legend Iggy Katona. Kimmel comes to Iowa with a season-high 305-point lead over ARCA Rookie of the Year contender Mason Mingus, but he anticipates no changes in anything he or his team will do.
“I’ve pretty much raced the same way all my life,” Kimmel said. “To say that I’m going to go out and be more or less aggressive or to do something different — that’s not going to be the case. I’m going to race like I’ve raced forever and I’ve been fortunate to be a good points racer — while also racing to win — so we’re just going to go out and make the car run as fast as we can, get as good a starting spot as we can and race as good as we can.
“Our goal is to win but our primary goal is to finish the race. I think with the equipment and the team that I have behind me now, I feel like every race that we’ve finished I’ve had at least a car that was competitive for a top-five finish. That’s what we need to do and I won’t change anything going into Iowa.” Iowa’s one-day format has a single 90-minute practice session on Saturday from 1:30-3 p.m. CT. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell, which will set the race’s starting lineup, is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Prairie Meadows 150 is scheduled to take the green flag at 8 p.m. CT. The race will be telecast live on FOX Sports 2 and re-aired less than 12 hours later, at 7 a.m. Sunday on FOX Sports 1. Live timing and scoring and audio coverage is available all day on the Web at www.arcaracing.com. |
| ABOUT MENARDS:
With 280 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 ANSELL: Ansell is a world leader in providing superior health and safety protection solutions that enhance human well-being. With operations in North America, Latin America/Caribbean, EMEA and Asia, Ansell employs more than 11,000 people worldwide and holds leading positions in the personal protective equipment and medical gloves market, as well as in the sexual health and well-being category worldwide. Ansell operates in four main business segments: Medical Solutions, Industrial Solutions, Specialty Markets and Sexual Wellness. Information on Ansell and its products can be found at www.ansell.com.
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ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Thorsport, which has run full-season Truck Series schedules annually beginning in 1998, in 2013 will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by Matt Crafton, the No. 98 Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 SealMaster Toyota Tundra driven by Tracy Hines in the Truck Series and the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry driven by Frank Kimmel in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
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