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[/media-credit]No. 44 Ansell/ Menards Toyota Camry
ARCA RACING SERIES – RACEÂ 4 OF 19 –Â Talladega Superspeedway
RUNNER-UP MEANS SUPERSPEEDWAY MOJO? Despite a hard charge to the finish in Sunday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway, Frank Kimmel narrowly missed his long-awaited 75th ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win. However, if stats tell a story, Kimmel has positive “mojo” going into this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. In 19 overall appearances, Kimmel has racked up one pole (2004), one win (2006), seven top fives and four top tens. Last year, he just missed the win by Ty Dillon – so victory seems close to the veteran driver.
THE BIG 5-0:Â Kimmel turned 50 years old Monday, just after his hometown race at Salem Speedway. Knowing the pressure was on in front of the Indiana crowd, he’s still happy about a second-place finish – even after nine wins for “nine time” at the local track. “I wanted to get to Alex (Bowman), but we just didn’t have it to get there. It was a great run for the hometown crowd, and everyone did an awesome job on pit stops. The car is spotless – when you can bring her home like that at a short track like Salem, it was a good day.”
TALLADEGA NIGHTS FOR AIDB: Kimmel and the No. 44 Ansell/Menards team will support the annual Race Fever dinner and auction held by Betty Jane France Award Recipient Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind while in Talladega. A supporter every year, the crew will donate signed crew items and a jersey as an “honorary member of the team” for one lucky bidder. All proceeds benefit the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind – for more information, visit www.racefever.org.
CHASSIS HISTORY:Â The No. 44 team will utilize chassis No. A-5 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. A new chassis for the team for the 2012 season, it made its debut in Daytona earlier this year. After an unfortunate unavoidable wreck and late race penalty, it finished 23rd. Rebuilt for Talladega, it rejoins the ThorSport Racing ARCA Racing Series No. 44 fleet.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Frank Kimmel
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WHAT MAKES THIS TIME DIFFERENT AT TALLADEGA? Talladega is a tricky place. You go there with a little different mentality. Just like Daytona, you’re at the mercy of others and pack racing – so you have to put a different ‘racing hat’ on. It’s a chess match. The guys literally rebuilt the Daytona chassis from scratch, they tore it apart in the shop; so we’re hoping to have a lot of speed and aerodynamics this time around to lead the draft. That’s going to be important at Talladega – being in front of the stuff that happens mid-pack. SO YOU’RE EXPECTING THE “BIG ONE” TO HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT? There will be some accidents – it’s Talladega, let’s face it. We’ll get our there and try to get the best finish we can and try to stay out of trouble. We haven’t tested this chassis yet, so it’s kind of an open-ended book. We don’t know what we’re going to have until we get out there for practice, which is okay. We have lots of time to figure it out. SO EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW, ANY BIG PLANS FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? Well, I did the weekly trip to Steak n’ Shake with my dad for breakfast, and I ended up paying. Then (my wife) Donna’s parents took us out to lunch and paid, so it canceled out! I had a great birthday with family, and that’s what counts. Thanks to all the friends and family who thought about me and sent well wishes, that meant a lot. WHAT’S THE ROOKIE QUOTIENT AT TALLADEGA? Well, I have a lot of experience at all of the tracks we go to in the ARCA Racing Series, so I’m usually the guy who has a lot of rookies asking questions before a race or during practice. That’s a good thing, because when we go to a place like Talladega, I know just about everyone. I can find a drafting partner no matter what, as well as helping these guys and girls progress. Hopefully, when we make a move, we’ll get some support and get the No. 44 car up to the front no problem this weekend. |
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Race Info: May 4th, 2012 Talladega Superspeedway 2.66-Mile Paved Oval International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 94 Laps/250 Miles
Broadcast Info: Live Timing & Scoring at ARCARacing.com Thursday, May 3: Practice 10am-1pmCT Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell: 5:05pmCT Friday, May 4: RACE – 4:00pmCT LIVE ON SPEED & Thunder 92.7FM
Team Facts: Current Driver Point Standings: 8th Chassis:Â A-5 – last used at Daytona International Speedway Engine:Â TRD (Toyota Racing Development) & TRIAD
Frank Kimmel ARCA RACING SERIES results at Talladega Superspeedway: WINS: 1 POLES: 1 Top 5s: 7 Top 10s: 4 Total Appearances: 19 since 1992
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.Â
ABOUT ANSELL:
Ansell is aglobal leader in protection solutions, with operations in North America, LAC, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. Ansell designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of surgical, examination, industrial and household gloves, protective clothing and condoms. People in over 100 countries around the world put their trust in Ansell’s innovative, high-quality solutions to offer superior protection, combined with high levels of comfort and performance.   Ansell holds its operational headquarters in Red Bank, NJ, USA and its parent, Ansell Limited, is registered in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide, the group employs over 10,000 people in 33 countries. In its Fiscal Year 2011, Ansell achieved sales of USD 1.2 bn. For more information visit www.ansell.com, www.safetypro.com,www.activarmr.com and www.ansellconstruction.com.
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