Will Kimmel Racing News

It’s been a busy week at Kimmel Racing as the team prepares for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway on Sunday. Even with inclement weather looming over the rolling hills of Indiana, Will Kimmel stays positive. Not just about the chances of racing; but about his car.

“This is the best I’ve felt about my car in a long time. It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of work, but it feels good. Real good.”

Salem Speedway is a homecoming of sorts for the Sellersburg, IN native. Will’s career best finishes in the ARCA Racing Series are at Salem (2^nd in the 2011 fall race and a pair of 3rd place finishes in 2013 and 2015). Throw in a Late Model Championship in 2007 at the famed high banked half mile and Kimmel has found more success at Salem than any driver in the field. But as most competitors, Kimmel is greedy for more.

“When I look at previous ARCA races here, and the big street stock races (Firecracker 200 and Halloween 200), I see a few missed opportunities. Chances we had for a big win where we just fell short. Honestly, it’s races like those that push us to get back to victory lane.”

Most fans of ARCA know the spring race at Salem is run on a Sunday and the fall race is run on a Saturday night underneath the lights. And as most of us know there have been years where the fall race is run in warmer weather than the spring, and other years the spring race is bordering on 90°.

“The setup from spring to fall isn’t really different. Surprisingly, if you look at qualifying times over the years, we’re faster in the spring. You wouldn’t think that, but we are.”

In a world where everything is, “better than ever”, Kimmel promises that his optimism about this weekend isn’t just conjecture. “I’ve been over every inch of this car. We’ve torn it down and built it back up more than a few times. We will be really good on the long runs, something we've seen a lot of recently at Salem.” In the last four Salem races, ARCA has seen 11 long runs of 35+ laps; three of those four races ended on runs of 35+ laps.

Kimmel Racing has had quite a few sponsors jump on board for this race: FASS Diesel Fuel Systems, E3, Extreme Trailer Service Inc, Longhorn, Fab Shop, Eddie Gilstrap Motors, J & A Auto Electric, BK Used Cars, Interstate Fuel Injection, Scott’s Sanitation, Klotz, and Dawn Accounting Services.

"Our plan is to go out this weekend, have a great showing and make these sponsors proud. They've all come together to help us at our home track; a lot of them are local and their impact has been huge. Not only for our team but for the local community. If we can return the favor with a great race, it's a win-win for everyone."

The weekend for the race team kicks off Friday night with the Kimmel Racing Fan Appreciation Night at the race shop. They'll have live music, food and drinks as well as a car show and meet & greet with ARCA drivers and local racing legends. It goes from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Address is 201 Lewis & Clark Pkwy, Clarksville, IN 47129.

The following schedule is pending any changes due to weather; practice is Saturday afternoon starting at 11:30 a.m. with qualifications for the Lucas Oil Great American Stocks set for 2:45 p.m., followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying for the ARCA Racing Series. 

Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 raceday festivities get underway Sunday morning with the First Harrison Bank on-track autograph session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by the Great American Stock feature event at 1:00. Pre-race ceremonies, ARCA driver introductions and the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 follow.