Frank Kimmel
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Franklin James Kimmel (born April 30, 1962 in Clarksville, Indiana)owns and drives the #44 Ford in the ARCA Re/Max Series. He has won the ARCA championship nine times as of 2007 and is the defending champion in the series. He won the championship in 1998 and also won the 2000 through 2007 championships.[1]
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[edit] Personal
His father, Bill Kimmel Sr., was a three-time race winner in the ARCA series[2].
As of 2006, Frank Kimmel resides in Borden, Indiana. [3]
[edit] Early career
Before racing in ARCA, Kimmel won three championships racing Late Models.[4]
[edit] ARCA
Frank's first ARCA race came in 1990. His first full season was 1992, driving the #02 Indiana Steel Co. Pontiac. Kimmel was consistent and was able to claim Rookie of the Year honors. Frank won his first race at Toledo Speedway in 1994.
He is the only nine-time champion in the Re/Max Series and the only driver to win eight championships in a row (2000-2007). As of the end of the 2007 season, he is second on the all-time win list with 71 victories. None of those victories have come at Daytona. He also has 207 top-5 finishes and 258 top-ten finishes in 349 starts.[5] Kimmel became the first ever ARCA Re/Max Series driver to be assigned a seat in the IROC (International Race of Champions) Series in 2006.
As of 2006, the crew chief on Frank Kimmel's team is his brother, Bill Kimmel Jr.[3] For 2008, the Kimmel brothers will leave Tri-Star Motorsports to form their own team, known as Kimmel Racing. The team initially ran a Dodge with the support of Cunningham Motorsport and sponsorship from Riverside Auto at Daytona before joining forces with Ford Racing for the remainder of 2008.
[edit] NASCAR
He has made seven starts in the NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Sprint Cup) Series[6], six of these starts with Travis Carter Motorsports in 2002[7]. He so far found little success in the series. His best finish to date was a 26th place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He had one Busch Series start[6]. He has had two Top-10 finishes from twelve Craftsman Truck Series starts.[6]
[edit] IROC
Kimmel was invited to participate in the 2006 edition of the International Race of Champions, IROC XXX. Kimmel was the first ever ARCA Re/Max Series driver to be assigned a seat in IROC.
That season, he placed seventh in points[8] with a best finish of third in the first race[9] of the four-race IROC season[8].
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5833/2/
- ^ http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/992/136/
- ^ a b RoundAbout Entertainment Guide - Harley-Davidson of Cincinnati 150
- ^ Racing beat - Truckers News
- ^ http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5833/2/
- ^ a b c Frank Kimmel Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info
- ^ Frank Kimmel 2002 Winston Cup Results - Racing-Reference.info
- ^ a b IROC Standings and Statistics for 2006 - Racing-Reference.info
- ^ Frank Kimmel's IROC Results at Daytona International Speedway - Racing-Reference.info
[edit] External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Steele |
ARCA Champion 1998 |
Succeeded by Bill Baird |
| Preceded by Bill Baird |
ARCA Champion 2000-2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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