Category: Other Series Racing

Other series racing

Mason Mingus; Win-Tron Racing Confident Heading To Lucas Oil Raceway

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]“Double-Duty On Tap For Rookie Mason Mingus”

CLERMONT, Indiana (July 25, 2012) – – Without question or hesitation, Mason Mingus (@Mason_Mingus) has been able to surge himself into the spotlight driving the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala for Win-Tron Racing. As the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards 60th anniversary season presses forward and heads to Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR) at Indianapolis Friday night, Mingus and his team are ready to contend for victory.

With the confidence and faith from crew chief Mark Rette, the Brentwood, Tennessee native will aim for his first career top-five finish in the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care. There are several reasons that Mingus is not only upbeat but confident in the ability to deliver the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team their second top-five outing of the year. Last week, the duo participated in a private test session at the .686-mile oval and the veteran ARCA team was exceptionally pleased with the results from the driver. Adjustments to their No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala responded well which also has boosted the driver’s confidence leaning into his 10th career ARCA start.

“I’m ecstatic about getting back to Lucas Oil Raceway,” offered Mingus. “We went there and tested and man, the car was bad to the bone fast. Mark (Rette) and the Win-Tron Racing guys really have worked on this piece, because together we’re ready to prove that we have what it takes to win. This team is no stranger to victory lane and I’m eager to grasp one of those checkered flags in ARCA and I firmly believe that our chances are as good as any.”

Knowing that Friday night’s showdown will be full of plenty of short track aces, the teenager isn’t fazed by the fact. Instead, it’s given the development driver additional motivation to go out there and prove it to himself and his team.

“I’ve heard and saw from the entry list that this race usually brings out some of the best of the best as far as short track driving is concerned. I really feel that we have an advantage by being able to test and that will help us as we go through practice and qualifying and eventually leading up to the green flag. We just have to keep the fenders intact and my head clear and focus on the job on hand and we should be right where we need to be.”

To further aid the Tennessean with seat time at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Mingus will partake in the ARCA / CRA Super Series Fatheadz 100 presented by Team Construction driving the No. 811 Call 811 Before You Dig / Diamond Equipment Chevrolet for Mingus Motorsports, the preamble for the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care.

“The Late Model race should be a lot of fun,” sounded Mingus. “The race will go by quickly, but undoubtedly the extra seat time will be beneficial for the ARCA side. The ARCA / CRA Super Series is a fun series to compete in and we’ve enjoyed success. But how cool would it be to bring two trophies home on the same weekend?” For the seventh time this year, the 17-year old standout will be carrying the likes of Call 811 Before You Dig, which has been with him since his inception into the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Their logos return to the primary role on the team’s entry after hoisting the Iowa One Call signage in his most ARS start at Iowa Speedway on July 13. “I can’t begin to thank Call 811 Before You Dig for their support of me on the ARCA Racing Series tour this season,” added Mingus. “We’ve had some really good runs and gained them some attention – but our goal remains focused on bringing others aware of what Call 811 Before You Dig is all about and how their program works. I feel confident about our chances for Friday night for them.” Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on his protégés tango with Lucas Oil Raceway. “We’re all fired up about getting to Lucas Oil Raceway this weekend. We really put a lot of time and effort into the test and it seemed to pay off with the lap times. Mason’s quick adaption to the track should easily play into our hands. Our chances are as good as any about helping Mason deliver his first career ARCA Racing Series win on Friday night.” On top of Lucas Oil Raceway, Mingus’s current ARCA schedule also includes Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield), the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds and the traditional Fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway classic. In addition to Call 811 Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment will leap aboard the team as an associate marketing partner for Mingus’s ninth-career ARCA start.

The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care(200 laps / 137 miles) is the 13th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The ninth ARCA race at LOR is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 27 with a forty-five practice session planned from 1:35 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag under the lights shortly after 9:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.comor contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641 Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

About Win-Tron Racing: Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus and Aleks Gregory.

About Call 811 Before You Dig: 811 (call811.com) is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national “Call Before You Dig” number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

July 25, 2012
Kimmel Aiming for Break Through Short Track Win

No. 44 Ansell/ Menards Toyota Camry

ARCA RACING SERIES – RACE 13 OF 20 – LUCAS OIL RACEWAY PARK

For the ninth time in series history, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will hit Indianapolis’ short track for the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200. 2011 marked the first time Frank Kimmel competed at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, and the nine-time champion returns this weekend chasing a break through short track win.

Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards Toyota team have consistently performed near the front of the field at every short track event in the 2012 season. After season best finishes of 2nd at Salem and Toledo, the tight confines of short tracks have proved to be the strongest efforts for Kimmel thus far in 2012. Four of Kimmel’s five top five finishes in 2012 have come on short tracks, and has only one finish outside the top ten on short tracks. After leading 23 laps at Iowa two races ago, Kimmel has led a total of 84 laps on short tracks this season.

Over the last two weeks, Kimmel has become a major player in the championship chase, trying to win an unprecedented 10th ARCA title. With six of the eight remaining events on tracks one mile or less, Kimmel and the Thorsport Racing team like their chances to gain ground on the point leaders through the hot summer stretch. Consistency has always been a staple of Kimmel’s career, and 2012 has been no exception. After 12 events, Kimmel has nine top ten finishes, and just two finishes worse than 11th. With solid performances week after week, Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards team are focused on breaking into victory lane this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.

2012 SHORT TRACK PERFORMANCE: Kimmel has scored his season best finish on short tracks this season. Two runner-up finishes at Salem and Toledo have contributed to a total of five top five finishes. Kimmel has led 84 laps on short tracks this season, and has one finish worse than 11th.

TOP TEN STREAK: Kimmel rides a streak of three consecutive top ten finishes dating back to New Jersey Motorsports Park on July 1st. After finishing 3rd at Chicagoland Speedway, Kimmel enters LORP with two consecutive top five finishes.

CLOSE TO THE RECORD: Kimmel can tie Iggy Katona’s all-time record of 43 pole awards this weekend during Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell on Friday at 5:30pm ET. In addition, Kimmel’s 74 career wins is five behind Katona’s all-time wins record in the ARCA Racing Series.

POINTS REPORT: After 12 of 20 races, Kimmel sits fourth in ARCA Racing Series points and trails point leader, Chris Buescher, by 100 points. With finishes of 5th at Iowa, and 3rd at Chicagoland, Kimmel has gained 60 points on the point lead in the last two races.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Kimmel will race Thorsport Racing’s A-1 chassis for the sixth time in 2012. Chassis A-1 has been raced to two runner-up finishes, and was most recently raced at Iowa where Kimmel finished 5th. (Mobile – 17th, Salem – 2nd, Toledo – 2nd, Winchester – 11th, Iowa – 5th).

THORSPORT TANDEM: For the first time this season, Thorsport Racing will field two cars in the ARCA Racing Series. Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Menards Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Thorsport Racing will pilot the #18 Messina-Menards Toyota.

AVON, IN MENARDS APPEARANCE: Kimmel will visit the Avon, IN Menards location on Thursday, July 26th, from 7-8pm ET. Kimmel will be joined by the defending Brickyard 400 race winner, Paul Menard, and Thorsport Racing teammate, Matt Crafton to sign autographs. Menard’s #27, and Crafton’s #88 showcars will also be on display. The Avon Menards store is located at 10555 East US Highway 36, Avon, IN 46123.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Frank Kimmel

WITH ONLY ONE START, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RETURNING TO LORP?

“I’m really looking forward to going back. It’s only 2 hours from home, which is always nice. It’s such a legendary racetrack, lots of history and a really cool racetrack. Last year, we didn’t run good at any point during the day. I was frustrated that we ran so poorly. So, this year I’m really looking forward to improving, especially with our record on short tracks this year. In order to stay in the points battle, we have to run well and redeem ourselves from last season.”

WHAT MAKES LORP SO MUCH DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SHORT TRACKS IN THE SERIES?

“The biggest difference is how flat it is. The track surface is a lot different from anywhere else we run because you don’t run right on the bottom. You run in up in the middle of the racetrack and sometimes, even higher. It’s a difficult place to get a hold of. The cars don’t want to turn, and once you do, it’s free up off. We seem to be tighter in the middle and loose up off the corner there more than anywhere else we go.”

Race Info

July 27th, 2012

Lucas Oil Raceway Park

.686 Mile Oval

Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200

200 Laps/137 Miles

Broadcast Info:

Live Timing & Scoring at ARCARacing.com

Friday July 27: Practice – 1:35pm – 2:20pm ET Final Practice – 3 – 3:45pm ET Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell – 5:30 pm ET

Race – 9 pmET – LIVE ON SPEED

Team Facts:

Current Driver Point Standings: 4th

Chassis: A-1 (Recently Raced at Iowa – 5th)

Engine: TRD (Toyota Racing Development) & TRIAD

Frank Kimmel ARCA RACING SERIES results at LORP:

WINS: 0

POLES: 0

Top 5s: 0

Top 10s: 0

Total Appearances: 1

ABOUT MENARDS:

With 263 stores in 13 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:

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July 25, 2012
High School Wrestling Captain Mason Mingus to Wrestle Double Duty At LOR

High School Wrestling Captain Mason Mingus to Wrestle ARCA Racing Series and ARCA CRA Super Series

Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway

(TOLEDO, Ohio) -Perhaps no other driver this week at Lucas Oil Raceway will be as busy as Brentwood, Tennessee’s Mason Mingus. The 17-year-old rookie will be competing in both the ARCA CRA Super Series and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Friday night, July 27.

The soon-to-be senior in high school did the same feat at Winchester Speedway earlier this year, but each series ran its main event on different days. That won’t be the case at Lucas Oil Raceway, where everything rolls out in one action-packed, double-header day.

“It’ll be a little tougher to do it all in one day,” Mingus said. “At Winchester, we raced on two different days, which gave me more time to learn the track. We’re going to race back-to-back at Lucas Oil (Raceway), so I’m going to have to learn the track a lot quicker.

“Our main focus is ARCA, but we’re there to win both.” The Fatheadz 100 for the ARCA CRA Super Series, scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern, will precede the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 for the ARCA Racing Series, live on SPEED at 9 Eastern.

Mingus, whose career-best ARCA finish was sixth at Winchester, also finished ninth at Elko Speedway earlier this season. Mingus drives the No. 32 car in ARCA Racing Series competition for Win-Tron Racing. He’ll be driving for car owner Kevin Gardner in the No. 811 Chevy on the ARCA CRA side.

“I’m not concerned about the stamina, and I’m not running for points in either series; so seat-time is most critical now …… so we’re ready to come back and run ARCA fulltime next year.

“In racing both cars at Winchester I was able to learn a lot, which I think will really help this weekend at Lucas Oil. The ARCA cars are a lot heavier, and different to drive. It’s all about how you drive the ARCA car. In the CRA car, you can drive in a lot harder and get back in the throttle as soon as you can.

“In the ARCA car, you have to be a lot more patient. You have to back up your corner entry, ease in, and let it turn so you can get back on the gas as soon as possible. In the late model, you get everything you can getting in, and get back in it as soon as possible coming off.”

Mingus will be a senior in high school this year at the Franklin Road Academy in Brentwood. While his high school buddies may not be completely up to speed with his racing program, they are certainly well aware that Mingus competes on the school’s wrestling team – that would be the Tennessee State Championship high school wrestling team.

Surprisingly, Mingus says there are some valuable comparisons between wrestling your opponent on the mat and wrestling your race car on the track.

“I think wrestling is one of the best things you can do to help you with life and to teach discipline. It’s about discipline and focus, and that’s what it takes to be successful in wrestling. It’s what will make me successful in racing, or anything else for that matter.”

Mingus wrestles in the 160-lb. weight class and is the captain of his state championship wrestling team.

“Racing is a team effort for sure, but once you get out on the track, it’s all you. It’s all in your hands when you get in the car. That’s just like wrestling. It takes a lot of discipline and focus whether you’re wrestling or racing.”

The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care(200 laps / 137 miles) is the 13th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The ninth ARCA race at LOR is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 27 with a forty-five practice session planned from 1:35 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag under the lights shortly after 9:00 p.m.

The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

About Win-Tron Racing: Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus and Aleks Gregory.

About Call 811 Before You Dig: 811 (call811.com) is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national “Call Before You Dig” number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

July 25, 2012
Race No. 7: Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

The seventh race of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule brings the series to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to run the Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway.

It marks the only race of the schedule that’s not on a Saturday or Sunday, as the race will be run on Wednesday night. It’s scheduled mid-week to make the series’ west coast swing easier for the teams as most are based in Central Canada.

The last four races – including three ovals and one road course – have gone perfectly for D.J. Kennington as he won each of those races, becoming the first to win four races in a row in series history. As a result, the 2010 series champion currently lead the standings, 35 points over last year’s champion Scott Steckly. The likelihood of the streak continuing in Saskatoon is likely as Kennington, finished third in 2009, won in 2010, and finished runner-up last year to Pete Shepherd III. The 15-time race winner has a current streak going of eight straight top-five finishes and nine consecutive top 10s.

If Kennington can pull off his 16th career victory on Wedneday, he will break the tie between him and Andrew Ranger for the most wins in the series.

The only other past-race winner that will be running this year’s event is defending series champion Scott Steckly, who currently sits second in points to Kennington. The Milverton, Ontario driver is looking to get his first win of the 2012 season on Wednesday night.

“We want to win races and haven’t been able to get that done this year – yet,” says the pilot of the No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge.

If he is going to have a chance at going back-to-back, he is going to catch Kennington and right now, Kennington is on a roll.

“That (Kennington) car has something figured out this year and we haven’t found it yet,” he says. “That’s how this sport goes, though. Someone finds something and we all chase it for a while. Then, we move on to the next thing.”

Last Sunday, Steckly dominated the race at Edmonton, though contact with J.R. Fitzpatrick took him out of the race late in the going.

“It was a disappointing end to the race. We had the best car on the track,” he says.

It was Saskatoon that put a damper in Steckly’s championship run last year after he finished 20th last year after suffering radiator damage early in the event. Before that, he won the race in 2009 and finished fourth in 2010. The two-time series champion has seven top-five finishes in his last eight starts dating back to last season.

“We’re not frustrated at all. We’ve had great finishes for the most part,” he says. “We just want to win.”

Winning is something that J.R. Fitzpatrick has been able to do as he won the opening race of the 2012 season at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. However, having some poor finishes has him sitting fourth in points, 43 points behind Kennington. In his two starts in Saskatoon, Fitzpatrick has a second and a ninth.

Meanwhile, Andrew Ranger, who sits third in points, has only made one start in Saskatoon. That start came in 2009, when he finished eighth. Though Ranger seems to be solid everywhere as he has a top 10 finish in eight of his last nine starts. The two-time series champion has also finished inside the top 10 in 27 of his last 29 series starts, dating back to 2008.

July 24, 2012
Super Weekend 2012 Brings Hectic Schedule to Indy

[media-credit name=”Adam Lovelace” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Super Weekend 2012 seemed like the perfect idea. We would see Nationwide cars accompany the Sprint Cup cars at Indianapolis along with the Rolex Sports car Series in the same weekend. All of the different series racing on the same weekend and at the same track would bring some problems but we didn’t think it would create as many issues as it has.

Skimming over the basic on-track schedule, I see that the Nationwide Series will have all their practice sessions crammed in on Thursday and then they wouldn’t be back on track until Saturday. Over a day off track could create some problems for the teams. The limited experience Nationwide regulars have at Indianapolis and just two practice sessions also raises an issue. Indy is one of the toughest tracks to race on and giving drivers who have never raced on the track only two practice sessions to learn the track isn’t a great idea and it could bring hectic measures.

We have other race weekends each year when the Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series race on the same track on the same weekend and those schedules make sense and aren’t as hectic as Indy’s schedule is. Watkins Glen is one of the tracks where all three series compete on the same weekend and the practice sessions are spread out evenly.

At Indy this weekend we have three different series essentially racing on three different days instead of being combined and racing on the same day to have a somewhat normal schedule. One of the issues with the schedules being combined would be the track switch over which will need to take place for the Rolex Sports Car Series. The Rolex Series is racing on Indianapolis’s road course inside the track and so the track will need to be adjusted for when those cars take the track. That’s why the schedule seems hectic but in all, it actually makes some sense. After the Nationwide teams practice on Thursday, the track officials will adjust the track to the road course configuration by adjusting barriers and the Rolex teams will practice Thursday and have Friday to themselves .

After Friday, the Rolex Series will have finished their race weekend and it will leave only the NASCAR series still racing at Indy. On Saturday, the Sprint Cup Series will take to the track for the first time and practice and qualify within eight hours. That time frame seems hectic and it is. Teams will have little time to make major adjustments to the car before qualifying and after qualifying they aren’t allow to make major adjustments without serving a penalty. After the quick Sprint Cup action on Saturday, the Nationwide Series is set to begin their race at 4 PM EST, which is a pretty late time to start the race. After Saturday, the craziness should end and we will have a normal race day on Sunday without any major issues.

The track schedule for this weekend sounds crazy but at the same time it makes some sense and in the end we will look back on the weekend and hopefully think positive about how everything turned out. We are racing at the famed Brickyard this weekend and that should bring excitement in its self.

July 24, 2012
JIM WHITE BACK IN ACTION IN SASKATOON

July 23, 2012. Following a career best seventh place finish in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event at his home track of Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC Jim White will be behind the wheel again this coming Wednesday night at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.

This event will be the final race on the series annual swing through western Canada and White was so successful in BC he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get back in the action. “What a great night we had” said White. “The whole team was great, Scott Steckly’s team headed up by Tyler Case preparing the car did an awesome job and I know we can have another strong outing this week” he added.

Jim White is looking forward to racing on the beautiful one third mile oval at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway. “Everybody I’ve talked to loves this track” stated White. “It has really nice banking that allows you to battle side by side and make a clean pass. The fans have been jamming the place every year and I can’t wait to get out there”.

For the second time this year Jim White will also race against his brother Jason White who is a full time series competitor in the #21 Dodge. “Jason had the better finish than I did the last time we raced against each other so I want to come out on top this time” said Jim White.

This weekend’s effort for Jim White in the #24 Dodge has been supported by New Life Feeds and their contractors for the new Clavet Feed Mill Project that is currently under construction. Those contractors include: AW Millwrights, Sturdy Formed Concrete Ltd., Mohr Construction, McNeil Engineering & Construction, Industrial Contracting Solutions and Ironbridge Fabrication Inc.

Round number seven of the NSACAR Canadian Tire Series on Wednesday July 25th at Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. takes the green flag at 7PM local time. Fans can watch the race from Saskatoon on TSN Sunday August 4th at 6:30PM Eastern.

You can get the latest information about the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at www.hometracks.nascar.com

July 24, 2012
Strong Top-5 Finish Inches Kimmel Closer to Point Leaders

Joliet, IL. (July 22, 2012) – Frank Kimmel scored his second consecutive top five finish, and fifth top five finish overall this season, in the Ansell ActivArmr 150 at the Chicagoland Speedway after finishing 3rd. With the support of 200 guests from Menards and Ansell Gloves in attendance, the #44 Thorsport Racing team put together one most impressive efforts of their 2012 season.

Coming into Chicagoland, the Ansell ActivArmr/Menards team was anxious to improve on performance at intermediate racetracks. Early in practice, the Thorsport Toyota team was faced with challenges of adapting to a new setup, but persevered and found a solid race trim baseline. Kimmel posted the 9th fastest lap in Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell, but started 8th after the initial pole winner’s time was disallowed.

From the immediate drop of the green flag, Kimmel’s Ansell ActivArmr/Menards Toyota was on the move. Kimmel picked up two spots of the first lap, and was in fourth by the race’s first yellow on lap 4. Kimmel radioed the crew, reporting he was very happy with the balance on a short run with fresh tires. Kimmel took advantage of restarts all race long, and on the lap 8 restart, moved into the top three.

On lap 24, Kimmel was racing hard for second and made slight contact when the #35 car made a three-wide move the inside on the tri-oval. After recovering from the contact, Kimmel radioed a tight condition in the center of the corner, and was running fourth at the lap 46 caution for debris. Under the event’s second yellow flag, Kimmel came to pit road for an inner-liner air pressure adjustment. The Thorsport Racing crew made quick work and gained Kimmel two spots, moving him to 2nd.

After another quick caution at lap 53, Kimmel made a move for the lead and challenged eventual race winner, Kevin Swindell, on the outside on the restart at lap 56. With 30 laps remaining, Kimmel settled in the 3rd spot, putting distance from all other challengers for position. Kimmel remained in 3rd through the race’s concluding green flag run, and took the checkered flag to net his fifth top five finish of the season. Kimmel gained five points on the championship point lead, and heads to Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis 4th in ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards points.

“It was a good day and pretty consistent”, Kimmel said. “We had a top five, or top three Ansell ActivArmr/Menards Toyota all day long, and that’s where we ended up. These are the best, nicest racecars I’ve ever driven, so we just have to keep up, and keep getting better. We always try and get the best finish we can with the car we have each race. To beat these guys for the championship, we’re going to have to beat them on the racetrack. If you win the race, you gain the most points, so we need to keep getting better and win.”

Race Recap:

Date: July 21st, 2012

Track: Chicagoland Speedway

Race: 12 of 20

Started: 8th

Finished: 3rd

Driver Championship Points Standings: 4th

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: Lucas Oil Raceway Park is the 13th event on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards circuit on Friday, July 27th. The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 will mark the 2nd ARCA Racing Series event at the famed short track. All on track activity will take place on Friday, July 27th. Timing and scoring will be available onARCAracing.com beginning with the opening practice at 1:35pm ET. SPEED Channel will have live coverage of the 200 lap event beginning at 9 pm ET.

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com

July 24, 2012
Will Kimmel Rebounds Nicely For Top-10 At Chicagoland

JOLIET, Illinois (July 23, 2012) – – After battling a series of obstacles during this past Saturday’s Ansell ActivArmr® 150 at Chicagoland Speedway, Will Kimmel (@willkimmel) recovered nicely in his No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion for a 10th place finish in the 12th race of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season. A last-minute sponsorship agreement between AccucareTX and the Joliet-based Tilted Kilt allowed the Kimmel Racing(@kimmel_racing) to spring to life and an opportunity to shine in the “Windy City.”

In the lone practice session on Friday evening, Kimmel and his team led by father, crew chief and owner Bill Kimmel showed just how strong of a Ford Fusion that the team had. After quickly bolting themselves into the top-five early, the team ended the run sixth fastest overall giving the Clarksville, Indiana-based confidence heading into race day.

Knowing that they had a good piece underneath them, the Kimmel Racing team made some adjustments to their piece hoping it would help them for Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell on Saturday morning. During time trials, Kimmel though was only able to maneuver the ninth quickest. The team was somewhat disappointed with their effort, feeling that they may have over adjusted their No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion.

Still, a solid starting position for 100 laps of racing would give the former Late Model champion at Salem (Ind.) Speedway, plenty of time to race his way to the front.

When the green flag flew, Kimmel quickly realized that he had to protect his position in the No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion as his vehicle was incredibly tight throughout the first run.

By lap 15, Kimmel had slipped back to 11th and just 10 laps later he dropped two more positions to 13th. Despite the tightness on his blue oval, Kimmel persevered and was able to work his way back up to the 12th position by lap 35.

The race’s second caution flag of the day would waive 11 laps later allowing Bill Kimmel to bring the No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion to pit lane for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. An impressive stop by the pit crew allowed their driver to pick up spots on pit road and rejoin the field in ninth.

On the restart, Kimmel was quick to get through the gears and make his move towards the front. However, as he exited turn two, Kimmel was squeezed by a lap car while racing Matt Lofton for position. Trying to stay off of Lofton, the two made slight contact which violently sent Kimmel’s car spinning wildly through the backstretch but impressive car control by the Sellersburg, Indiana native kept the No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion from making any contact to the wall.

With the race pressing on under green flag conditions and with flat Hoosier Racing tires underneath him, the 24-year old would have to ease his way to pit lane. Thankfully, another car spun on the track bringing out the event’s third yellow which allowed Kimmel to make his way to pit lane and change tires but still remain on the lead circuit. Another stop to pit lane was essential for damage control. With a quick caution facing the team, Kimmel returned to competition but several seconds behind the lead group.

Still, the driver gave it his all and after restarting 16th on lap 55, Kimmel was able to move his way back into 12th by lap 75 and take 11th by lap 84 and with 10 laps remaining, the driver made the move on the No. 45 of David Levine for 10th where he would take the checkered flag.

“It was a good rebound for us,” offered Kimmel following the race. “We unloaded with an extremely fast No. 68 AccucareTX / Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion. The car was really good in practice and I think we may have over adjusted it for qualifying. At the start of the race, the car was just so tight, I was just hanging on until we pitted. On the restart, I messed up. I tried to get by Matt (Lofton), but there was a lap car down on the bottom and I got greedy and ran out of room. My fault and I apologize to Matt and the guys. I’m learning and I learned a lot out there too. Luckily, the caution flag came out for something else and we were able to regroup and bring home a top-10 finish. It wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but under all the circumstances, we’ll take it. I want to thank AccucareTX and Joliet Tilted Kilt for stepping up and supporting us this weekend, we really appreciate it.”

In his 35th career ARCA start, Kimmel earned his ninth top-10 finish of his career and fourth of the season.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in their 60th anniversary season is a trip to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the running of the Messina Animal Wildlife Stopper 200 which is set for Friday, July 27.

For sponsorship inquiries with Kimmel Racing, interested parties are urged to contact Bill Kimmel at 502.645.9370 or bill@kimmelracing.com.

To learn more about AccucareTX and their services, please click over to accucaretx.com.

For more on Will Kimmel, please visit willkimmel.com.

For additional input on Kimmel Racing, please log on to kimmelracing.com.

July 24, 2012
Kevin Swindell, Venturini Motorsports Dominate Chicagoland Speedway

Concord, NC (July 23, 2012) — The storyline for Saturday’s ARCA Ansell ActivArmr® 150 race at Chicagoland Speedway couldn’t have been scripted any better than it was for Kevin Swindell or his team Venturini Motorsports.

Driving his No.55 CURB Records Toyota, Swindell dominated the race leading all 100-laps of the event capping off an incredible celebratory weekend for the Venturini Motorsports team.

Swindell, the son of Sprint Car racing icon Sammy Swindell, earned his second career Pole position and his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory of his young career. At 23-years old, Swindell is no stranger to the spotlight as he’s gained national recognition as a three-time and defending champion at the famed Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Swindell earned the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell when Venturini Motorsports teammate Brennan Poole’s would-be pole lap in the morning was disallowed for an inspection infraction. The Tennessee driver stayed out front for all 100 laps at Chicagoland Speedway and cruised to a 1.238-second victory over Poole, who drove from the back of the field to challenge for the win.

“The car was excellent,” said Swindell. “I was able to get out in front and keep clean air and try not to make any mistakes in traffic, and everything went well. I didn’t have any trouble with the pit stops, and the Curb Records car was great. Everything was good, and I can’t thank Venturini Motorsports and my crew chief Keith Hinkein enough for one heck of a car.”

Swindell’s win was his first in 11 career ARCA starts, and came in his sixth race for Venturini. No driver has led every lap in an ARCA event since Ryan Hemphill completed the feat in a rain-shortened 67-lap race on July 9, 2004.

The Venturini sweep of the top two positions capped off the team’s grand celebration of 30 years in ARCA competition and their forthcoming induction into the National Italian Sports Hall of Fame. The team selected Chicagoland Speedway as the site of its commemoration because of the track’s proximity to Chicago, the Venturini family’s home city and racing origin.

Swindell’s and Poole’s cars, as well as those of Mark Thompson and Nelson Canache, carried throwback paint schemes from the team’s championship years and other top moments.

After his leading qualifying lap of 30.64 seconds (176.24 mph), Swindell (No. 55 Curb Records Toyota) jumped to a 0.616-second lead on the first lap and pushed that lead to two seconds by Lap 15, easily outdistancing his closest competitors. Poole (No. 25 Texas Corral Toyota), meanwhile, had improved to 15th by Lap 5, when Korbin Forrister spun off of Turn 2 to bring out the race’s first caution. He improved one position after the Lap 9 green flag and found himself in the top 10 by Lap 16.

From there, Swindell started to flex his muscle. He led by more than three seconds at Lap 20 and five seconds three laps later, when second-place Matt Lofton got caught behind the car of Buster Graham. That allowed Canache (No. 35 Venezuela Tourism Toyota) to pass from fourth to second and let Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota) move around him.

Swindell advanced his lead to more than six seconds at Lap 27. At the same time, Poole passed teammate Ryan Reed (No. 15 JDRF Ford) to move into fifth place. Swindell drove around Mark Thompson to leave just 16 cars on the lead lap at Lap 34, while Poole had moved into fourth, 9.181 seconds back.

Spencer Gallagher experienced mechanical issues while running seventh on Lap 45 to bring out the race’s second caution flag. Swindell saw his nine-second lead disappear with a trip to pit road, but his sizable advantage easily allowed him to exit first with fuel and four fresh tires. Kimmel improved to second off of pit road, with Canache, Chris Buescher (No. 17 Reliance Tool/BeavEx Ford), and Poole following.

Swindell led again at the Lap 51 green flag, but his progress was slowed when Thompson slid into the grass just two laps later and the caution flag flew again.

He got away clean at the Lap 56 restart and climbed to a three-second lead within 10 laps. Poole was making his own advances, passing Canache for third on Lap 63 and Kimmel for second six laps later. Swindell led Poole by 3.84 seconds at Lap 70, but Poole sliced that gap by more than a second within five laps. With 25 to go, Poole seemed to be making a charge.

Swindell kept the advantage, though. By Lap 80, he continued to lead by 2.62 seconds, the margin fluctuating as the two leaders weaved in and out of lapped cars.

Poole closed the gap to 1.202 second with 10 laps left; only the 10th-place car of Will Kimmel (No. 68 AccucareTX/Joliet Tilted Kilt Ford) – one lap down – sat between him and Swindell. In the end, Swindell was too much, and he finished having led every lap for his first win.

In addition to Swindell’s victory and Brennan Poole’s second place finish, Venturini drivers, Ryan Reed finished a career best fifth and Nelson Canache claimed a seventh place finish. In All, Venturini Motorsports placed four cars in the top-7 positions.

The race lasted just one hour, three minutes, and 47 seconds, finishing with an average speed of 141.103 mph to shatter the 2009 race record of 111.02 mph. The three caution flags slowed the field for just 11 laps.

For Bill Venturini, seeing one of his cars win the Ansell ActivArmr® 150 at Chicagoland Speedway was a welcome bonus after a week of hometown celebration.

Not only did the Windy City-born Venturini Motorsports team commemorate 30 years in ARCA with a flurry of guests at its home track, but “Big Bill” and wife Cathy also celebrated 39 years of marriage on Saturday. Even before Kevin Swindell led all 100 laps for his first ARCA triumph, Bill Venturini seemed to be on cloud nine.

“It was a special week, being honored here at the speedway on Thursday night,” Venturini said. “They had me and my wife, my family, the Ultra Blue Crew as guests of honor here. It’s our home track and I had 200 friend and family members here, so it was a lot of fun.”

Indeed, members of the 1987 Ultra Blue Crew – an all-female pit crew that helped Venturini to his first driving title in ARCA – visited the current team at the Ansell ActivArmr® 150, 25 years later.

In most organizations, things change over 30 years. Between Bill Venturini’s first win on June 18, 1983 and son Billy’s first driving victory in 2006, only “Big Bill” drove to Victory Lane for the team. Now, the Venturinis enter a handful of contenders at each race, and Swindell is the 10th driver to win for the program. The team now counts 27 wins in three decades.

Amid changes over that time, one constant continues to drive Venturini at the race track.

“Winning,” he said. “Last weekend, I had five cars at Iowa and we wrecked five cars. We were at an all-time low last week, and I come here this week and I have four in the top seven, we win, and lead 100 laps. It’s an adrenaline fix. We enjoy the racing, and enjoy the people.

“I’m proud to say we do what we do, and I’m really happy with what we’ve got in our program.”

Venturini Motorsports will return to the track this week when the ARCA Series visits Indianapolis Friday Night for the running of the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway. The race will be televised live on SPEED TV at 9pm EST. About Venturini Motorsports Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. The 2012 season marks the team’s 30th Anniversary of competition in the ARCA Series. 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, Steve Arpin, Brian Scott, Max Gresham, Miguel Paludo, Josh Richards, Ryan Blaney, and Scott Lagasse, Jr. Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports

July 24, 2012

Dollansky Gets #50 at Lebanon Valley

[media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Racing is all about numbers. The cars have numbers. The drivers are known by their numbers. Laps are timed and posted for positioning in numbers. It’s always better to draw a low number than a high number in racing. Careers are judged by the number of wins and championships. Racing is a game of math the simplest being adding to the win column to improve one’s overall position in the points so as to add another or a first championship to your resume. Tonight Craig Dollansky achieved a milestone when he won his 50th A Main event with the World of Outlaws.

The evening at Lebanon Valley, NY, saw an unusually low car count for the Outlaws, with only 23 cars signing in for tonight’s racing. With all the cars in attendance transferring to the A Main qualifying became even more important than normal. A driver’s qualifying time would determine where he would start the A Main if he didn’t transfer to the dash. Craig Dollansky set the pace early turning a lap of 16.582 or 130.262 mph around the semi banked 1/2 mile track. Dollansky’s lap was just .229 seconds off the track record of 16.353 set by Danny Lasoski on 5/27/03. The top 10 would be separated by only .658 seconds.

The first heat race brought trouble for last nights winner Cody Darrah as he had an engine let go early on, relegating him to last place in the heat. The race would be won by Jessica Zemken who held off a charging Craig Dollansky and Kraig Kinser. The heat would also find the seeming slump continuing for 4 time world of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz who finished a distant 5th.

The second heat held perhaps one of the truest illustrations of the level of skill that is possessed in the Outlaws series when Sammy Swindell dropped a cylinder on the pace laps and still held off the field to finish second. Logan Schuchart would win the race but the skills it took to run just hard enough to make it to the end and not so hard as to blow the engine up required not only the technical expertise with the engine but also the driving skills to make up for the horsepower that he didn’t have but that the other competitors did. Lucas Wolfe would push Swindell hard but he couldn’t find a way around the wily master and had to settle for 3rd.

The third heat would be won by Tim Kaeding with Joey Saldana in pursuit all the way to the checkers. The pair set sail and left 3rd place Chad Kemenah in their wake.

The Dash was a different situation tonight with so few cars. The top 2 from each heat still transferred to the Dash. But the other 4 cars had to have finished in the top 6 of their heat in order to be eligible for the Dash. But there would be another bump in the road for 2 of the Dash competitors. Jessica Zemken and Bill Rose both had right rear tire damage. According to Outlaws rules you can not change the Right rear tire before the dash. Neither competitor had a choice in changing the tire and so they were not allowed to run the dash but instead relegated to 9th and 10th starting positions in the A Main. The Dash inversion was a 4 putting Lucas Wolfe on the pole with Joey Saldana on the outside front row. Saldana would take the lead in turn 1 and never look back. Craig Dollansky would get by Wolfe for 2nd to set up the front row that would start the A Main.

With only 23 cars in attendance there was no need for a B Main. So the action went right to the A Main. Joey Saldana would lead all the way until lap 20. After trying nearly every lap on the low side to get around Saldana, Craig Dollansky would make the pass on the high side in traffic and drive by Saldana, bringing Daryn Pittman with him. Pittman would challenge Dollansky briefly before the checkered flag waved giving Dollansky his 50th win. Saldana would come home 3rd.

The final 6 laps of the race showed a resurgence for Donny Schatz who restarted in 12th and in 5 laps climbed up to 6th and finished in 6th as the races KSE Hard charger having started in the 13th spot. It would see another night of strange and difficult situations for Sammy Swindell who had to change an engine before the dash and then had a left rear tire go down to bring out the only caution in the A Main. Swindell would finish 13th. The King of the Outlaws would run in the top 10 all evening until the final lap of the feature when he slowed dramatically as the checkers flew and finished an uncharacteristic 15th.

Every racing series has a measuring stick. That one driver that everyone struggles and works to measure up to. In NASCAR it’s Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt. In Indy Car Racing it’s Mario Andretti or Rick Mears. In the World of Outlaws it’s Steve Kinser. His 20 national championships and 573 wins sets him apart from competitors not only in his own genre of racing but every genre of racing. Tonight at Lebanon Valley, NY, Craig Dollansky inched a half step forward towards that yard stick when he won his 50th A Main Feature. Yes it’s a long way from 573, but it’s a great deal further than many in other forms of racing have to call their own.

Dollansky’s win was hard fought and won. On a track that saw few passes made until the late stages of the race, Dollansky had a tough road to drive getting by Joey Saldana to take the lead and win the 25 lap $10,000 purse tonight. Saldana was strong and he seemed to know exactly where Dollansky was going to try his pass and when. Saldana is a fierce competitor in his own right and owns 82 career wins of his own, and on this tight narrow short track he was tough to get around. But Dollansky used lapped traffic and made a daring pass to the outside and drove around Saldana. Once by him he didn’t look back, and it was probably a good thing because if he had he would have found a new foe chomping at his heels in Daryn Pittman. Pittman tried high. Pittman tried low. That is after all what racing is about, winning. Not playing the numbers and playing it safe but winning. In the end win number 50 was Craig’s. “The Crowd Pleaser” as he is known lived up to his nick name.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‎Qualifying Results:

1) Craig Dollansky 16.582 130.262 mph. 2) Daryn Pittman 3) Joey Saldana 4) Cody Darrah 5) Lucas Wolfe 6) Bill Rose 7) Jessica Zemken 8) Sammy Swindell 9) Tim Kaeding 10) Kraig Kinser 11) Logan Schuchart 12) Chad Kemenah 13) Donny Schatz 14) Steve Kinser 15) Danny Smith 16) Kerry Madsen 17) Jason Sides 18) Paul Sides 19) Michael Parent 20) Jacob Allen 21) Russ Bennett 22) Dick Spadaro 23) Curtis Bradshaw

Heat 1 Results:

‎1) Jessica Zemken 2) Craig Dollansky 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Kerry Madsen 5) Donny Schatz 6) Michael Parent 7) Dick Spadaro 8) Cody Darrah

Heat 2 Results:

‎1) Logan Schuchart 2) Sammy Swindell 3) Lucas Wolfe 4) Daryn Pittman 5) Steve Kinser 6) Jason Sides 7) Jacob Allen 8) Curtis Bradshaw.

‎Heat 3 Results:

1) Tim Kaeding 2) Joey Saldana 3) Chad Kemenah 4) Danny Smith 5) Bill Rose 6) Russ Bennett 7) Paul Sides (DNF)

Dash Results:Inversion was 4

‎1) Joey Saldana 2) Craig Dollansky 3) Lucas Wolfe 4) Daryn Pittman 5) Tim Kaeding 6) Logan Schuchart 7) Sammy Swindell 8) Kraig Kinser 9) Bill Rose 10) Jessica Zemken

A Main Results:

‎1) Craig Dollansky 2) Daryn Pittman 3) Joey Saldana 4) Logan Schuchart 5) Cody Darrah 6) Donny Schatz 7) Tim Kaeding 8) Lucas Wolfe 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Bill Rose 11) Jason Sides 12) Kraig Kinser 13) Sammy Swindell 14) Danny Smith 15) Steve Kinser 16) Jacob Allen 17) Michael Parent 18) Jessica Zemken 19) Chad Kemenah 20) Russ Bennett 21) Paul Sides 22) Curtis Bradshaw 23) Dick Spadaro.

KSE Hard Charger of the Race: Donny Schatz

World of Outlaw Points after Lebanon Valley:

Pos.	Driver	Total	Diff	Wins	Top 5’s	Top 10’s	QT
1	Steve Kinser	5633	0	3	18	31	0
2	Craig Dollansky	5622	-11	6	19	29	7
3	Donny Schatz	5610	-23	3	15	33	0
4	Sammy Swindell	5589	-44	7	17	27	8
5	Joey Saldana	5584	-49	4	14	29	6
6	Kraig Kinser	5503	-130	4	15	29	3
7	Kerry Madsen	5218	-415	3	8	21	1
8	Cody Darrah	5217	-416	1	11	18	2
9	Chad Kemenah	5143	-490	2	8	18	2
10	Lucas Wolfe	4862	-771	0	4	13	0
11	Bill Rose	4430	-1203	0	0	7	0
12	Jason Sides	4006	-1627	0	11	18	0
13	Daryn Pittman	2462	-3171	0	6	13	1
14	Danny Lasoski	2356	-3277	1	5	8	0
15	David Gravel	2310	-3323	0	7	9	4
16	Tim Kaeding	2301	-3332	3	5	10	0
17	Paul McMahan	2221	-3412	1	2	3	0
18	Jac Haudenschild	2054	-3579	0	1	2	0
19	Austen Wheatley	1818	-3815	0	0	2	0
20	Brad Sweet	1779	-3854	1	5	8	1

July 23, 2012