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BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 13, 2013) — Frank Kimmel set up a classic “old school versus new school” duel Thursday at Michigan International Speedway during an extended practice session for Friday’s Patriot Pumps 200 for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
Penske Racing development driver Ryan Blaney stepped into the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge for the first of three races he’ll do this season, and was fastest in the two-hour, 25-minute session with a lap that was a little more than three seconds faster than Kimmel’s best, in 186.374 mph.
But Kimmel’s spirits were bolstered by how well his No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota drove over the 38 laps he put in, compared to 22 laps logged by Blaney. Kimmel’s best lap was in 184.403 mph.
“This might be the best car I’ve ever had here,” said Kimmel, who has 24 career starts at the fast, two-mile oval. “It turns when I need it to turn, right down to the bottom of the racetrack where you need to run.
“We were able to run wide-open through Turns 3 and 4 quite often, and that’s what you need to do to be fast here. I believe we’ll have something to deal with those kids.”
Venturini Motorsports part-timer Brennan Poole, whose No. 15 Toyota was one of three Venturini cars that broke engines in practice, recovered to post the third-best lap, one-tenth of a second slower than Kimmel.
Kimmel has a pair of Michigan victories and comes into Friday’s race riding a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan. Kimmel has 78 career ARCA victories, which remains one shy of Michigan native Iggy Katona’s record 79 wins.
Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET Friday to set the starting grid. ARCA will hold a full-field driver autograph session in the infield, in which Kimmel will participate, from 1:45-2:30 p.m.
Michigan is the first race in ARCA’s “Bill France Four Crown Challenge,” which awards drivers points in four races on diverse venues: Michigan, the New Jersey Motorsports Park road course, the Springfield Mile dirt track and the Salem Speedway asphalt short track.
The season’s eighth race, the Patriot Pumps 200, is 100 laps and 200 miles and is scheduled for a 5 p.m. Friday start with live TV coverage on the SPEED Channel, with a re-broadcast at 10 p.m. Friday. Live timing and scoring and audio coverage throughout the weekend is available on 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 global 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 Iselin, NJ, USA and its parent, Ansell Limited, is registered in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide, the group employs over 10,000 people in 33 countries. |
| ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured active 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 Todd Bodine 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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