Kimmel Racing Hosting Open House for Fans Friday

el Racing Hosting Open House for Fans Friday

With the third race on ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule approaching, it seems only appropriate that with the event being hosted at Salem Speedway, nearby Kimmel Racing plans to take full advantage of the opportunity to host a grand re-opening of the team's ARCA shop. The team will also host a fan appreciation celebration in a night destined to be full of food, music, friends, and racers. The scenery completely changed when the curtain opened on the 2012 season. With Frank Kimmel's departure to another operation, Kimmel Racing was left without a driver and with only a skeleton budget, but aspirations of a championship. Bill Kimmel, owner of Kimmel Racing, isn't a man to go down without a fight, and with the support and talent of his son and new driver Will Kimmel, the two have quickly delivered a message to the competitors - that despite their limited resources, they can still compete. The Clarksville, Ind.-based team was dubbed as one of the Cinderella stories from the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, where Kimmel cleverly drafted his No. 68 Ford Fusion to a stout third-place finish. A few weeks later, another top-10 appeared to be easily in the clutches of the family-owned operation, but a mechanical failure within the final 10 laps of the event left the operation with a sour finish - but still plenty to be proud about. With the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 set for Sunday, April 29 at a place where the younger Kimmel has mounted thousands of laps, netted a track championship, and earned his career-best ARCA finish of second last September, the team is eager to welcome the ARCA "family" into their territory with a little pleasure and relaxation on Friday, April 27 before getting down to business. From 6-10 p.m., Kimmel Racing will host music from country music songwriter and artist Hali Hicks. Further entertainment will also be provided from Blue Collar 40. The team will also host an autograph session with race fans, set to include the Kimmel clan, ARCA Racing Series drivers Sean Corr, Korbin Forrister, and Chad Hackenbracht, NASCAR icon Charlie Glotzbach, and others. Food will be provided by Ann's by the River. "We're all about family and ARCA to us is our extended family, so we wanted to do something nice but also show everyone that we are alive and kicking," said Bill Kimmel. "We're hard at working on sponsorship for other races and we'll have a new addition to our family to announce soon, so things are looking up, but we just wanted to provide a night where the shop is open to anyone that wants to stop by and have a great time with us." Not only will the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers continue as the title sponsor of the first of two ARCA races held at Salem Speedway, but the local group has also latched onto Kimmel Racing and will sponsor the No. 68 entry, allowing the Indiana-based team to continue their quest for an ARCA championship. "I can't begin to thank everyone associated with the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers for stepping up and helping us race at Salem," said Will Kimmel. "We're hyped and excited about our chances and look forward to having a spectacular run." Kimmel Racing is located at 201 East Lewis & Clark Parkway, Clarksville, Indiana 47129. The shop is located between Morrison Chiropractic and Clarksville Schwinn. From arcaracing.com