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ARCA: The Frank Kimmel Decade 2000-Present
Written by: ARCA Communications
ARCA Communications   http://www.arcaracing.com
11/25/2009
Toldeo, OH
 
Frank Kimmel won consecutive ARCA titles from 2000-2007. (Photo: LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos

Frank Kimmel established himself as ARCA's major franchise player and the series' most recognizable name in the 2000s, setting records in nearly every category and clinching consecutive titles from 2000-2007, making the 2000s, indisputably, the Kimmel Decade. The stars of the 2000s, along with champions from each of ARCA's 57 years, will be honored at the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Awards Banquet in Covington, Kentucky, on Saturday evening, December 5.

From the Series' inaugural race at Dayton Speedway in Ohio on May 10, 1953, to the 2009 Championship race at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina on October 11, 2009, it's the stars of ARCA that have formed the most memorable racing moments in ARCA's history. From 2000-2009, those stars included Frank Kimmel, who captured eight of his nine championships during the decade, along with a pair of Justins-Justin Allgaier and Justin Lofton-the only non-Kimmel ARCA Champions from 2000-2009.

But beyond the Kimmel, Allgaier and Lofton Championships driver development programs flourished throughout the 2000s with several current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars finding success in ARCA before making their NASCAR debuts. ARCA, like other racing series, made strides with improvements in the categories of equipment and safety.

A group of ARCA's expert insiders will provide their opinion and analysis for each of ARCA's six decades, beginning with the inaugural 1953 season and ending with 2009. ARCA Insiders include history buffs Ron Drager, the current president of ARCA, Bill Kimmel, Jr., crew chief of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Fusion driven by Frank Kimmel, and SPEED commentator Phil Parsons, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for this year's Championship Awards Banquet.

ARCA Insiders Reflect on 2000-2009: ARCA Racing during the Frank Kimmel Decade

Frank Kimmel, Justin Allgaier and Justin Lofton Crowned Champs

Ron Drager: President of ARCA:

"Indisputably the Kimmel Decade, in the new millennium the ARCA Series experienced dominance never before seen in the series' previous 50 seasons by car owner Larry Clement, driver Frank Kimmel and crew chief Bill Kimmel. Kimmel broke records once considered untouchable, most notably Iggy Katona's 6 driving championships, with 8 consecutive driving titles from 2000-2007 and 9 overall adding his '98 crown. His dominance in 2001 recorded the largest championship points margin in history at 1180, the greatest single season winnings of $496,368 and 10 victories that season alone. Kimmel's supremacy on-track saw him lead the series over the 10-year stretch by leading the most laps 6 times, winning the most poles 3 times, leading the series in victories 7 times, and winning 4 Superspeedway Challenge championships. He recorded 57 of his 74 career wins during the decade while posting an average points finish of 1.3. Other notable accomplishments include being the only ARCA driver invited to race in the IROC Series, leading Ford to 5 consecutive ARCA Manufacturer Championships, rocketing to the top of the all-time career earnings list at over $4 million, and establishing himself as the all time lap leader in series competition, surpassing the 10,000 laps-led mark in 2009. Far from resting on his laurels, Kimmel rallies on in Fords he and his brother Bill field from their Indiana race shop in pursuit of further accomplishments, particularly in two categories: Kimmel has 74 career wins to Katona's 79, his 21 superspeedway victories trails only Tim Steele at 24, and his 18 straight top-10 points finishes is just short of Katona's 21.

Making Kimmel's accomplishments during the '00s even
more impressive is that it was arguably the most competitive period in series history, averaging 11 different winners per season and setting a record for greatest number of different winners, 17, in 2006. And the list of drivers posting wins during the decade is impressive, among them Tracy Leslie, Kerry Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, Steele, Blaise Alexander, Jason Jarrett, Billy Bigley, Ken Schrader, Bobby Gerhart, Jeff Fultz, Fred Campbell, Chad Blount, Damon Lusk, Casey Atwood, Tony Stewart, Kirk Shelmerdine, Paul Menard, Mario Gosselin, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Scott Riggs, Blake Feese, Ryan Hemphill, Kraig Kinser, Travis Kvapil, David Ragan, Steven Wallace, Stephen Leicht, Justin Allgaier, David Stremme, Chase Miller, Cale Gale, Brian Keselowski, Brad Coleman, Michael McDowell, Erik Darnell, Chad McCumbee, Michael Annett, Bryan Clauson, Scott Lagasse Jr., Matt Hawkins, Scott Speed, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano, Matt Carter, Justin Lofton, Parker Kligerman and Sean Caisse.

Youth was served in the decade as 16-year-old James Buescher became the youngest winner in series history at Lakeland in '07, 17-year-old Kyle Busch was the youngest superspeedway pole winner at Nashville in '03 and 17-year-old Shelby Howard became the youngest superspeedway race winner at Kansas in '03. On the opposite end of the age scale, 62-year-old Vern Slagh became the eldest superspeedway pole winner at Kentucky in '02 and James Hylton finished 15th in driver points at age 75 in '09. Female drivers made their presence known when Shawna Robinson had the highest points finish of 6th in '00, Deborah Renshaw posted the best short track qualifying run of 3rd at Salem in '03 and Erin Crocker won 5 poles and finished 2nd three times from 2005-2007 in superspeedway races. Crocker's 2007 superspeedway performance earned her and car owner Ray Evernham the Superspeedway Challenge championship, the only national title won by a female in ARCA's 58-year history.

Also in the 2000-2009 period: Bill Kimmel collected 8 straight Crew Chief of the Year awards, as his son Will became a 3rd generation ARCA Series driver in '09. Rookies of the Year in the decade included Ross, Jarrett, Blount, TJ Bell, McDowell, Carter and Kligerman. Toyota joined the on-track competition with Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. A record sixteen superspeedway races were conducted in 2001. Roger Penske coined the driver development term "ABC Plan" as a reference to ARCA-Busch-Cup. A breakout of newly constructed speedway facilities made ARCA Series races part of their debut seasons including Chicagoland (2001), Kansas (2001), Kentucky (2000), Iowa (2006), Nashville (2001) and Gateway (2001). Andy Hillenburg rescued Rockingham Speedway from decay and reopened with a series race in '08. RE/MAX entered the decade with series title sponsorship in 2001 and remained through the 2009 season. The Series' relationship with Speed Channel TV brought its races to tens of millions over the decade. ARCA celebrated its 50th anniversary during the decade which saw the series earn credibility as NASCAR Cup team owners Penske, Jack Roush, Chip Ganassi, Petty Enterprises, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress, Evernham, Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs enter their equipment and personnel in series races.

It has been a long and interesting journey since Buckie Sager won the 200-lapper at Dayton Speedway in Ohio on May 10, 1953 through Parker Kligerman's season-closing victory at Rockingham October 11, 2009. Even more compelling will be the future of the resilient series, its determined participants and its ever-evolving position in the motorsports industry. Buckle up, hang on and keep diggin'."


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