2013-07-02

Rookie Ryan Blaney Looking for ARCA Career Win No. 1 at Chicagoland; Veteran Frank Kimmel Looking for Record 80th

For Immediate Release:

Monday, July 1, 2013 

 

(TOLEDO, Ohio) - Several ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards story lines will accompany the 13th annual Ansell ActivArmr 150 at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday, July 21, including an opportunity for veteran Frank Kimmel to surpass Iggy Katona's all-time win mark, and for rookie Ryan Blaney, who looks for his career-first win on the ARCA tour.

 

Blaney, under the Penske Racing driver development program, will be at the helm of the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge at Chicagoland. In his most recent series starts, the third-generation driver finished second at Michigan Int'l Speedway and fifth on the Road America road course.

 

"I am really excited to rejoin Cunningham Motorsports at Chicagoland," Blaney said.

 

"Again it will be my first time seeing this race track. Like the last two races that I ran with the Cunningham organization, MIS and Road America, I am looking forward to having a really fast car and getting a lot of experience at the track in preparation for my return to these tracks in Camping World Trucks and Nationwide."

 

If Blaney is victorious at Chicagoland, he'll join a growing list of notable winners on the 1.5-mile Joliet, Illinois speedway, including Kimmel, who won at Chicagoland in 2003.

 

Kimmel made big headlines at Winchester Speedway last Sunday, where the nine-time series champion tied Iggy Katona in all-time series victories, each with 79.

 

"This is really something to enjoy," Kimmel said. "There were some family and friends here. It's Indiana, my home state. Any win at Winchester is great, but this one I'm really going to enjoy."

 

Kimmel admitted that the possibility of tying Katona as the all-time series win leader crossed his mind during the race.

 

"It crossed my mind, but then I told myself not to think about it too early," Kimmel said. "When I saw the checkered flag, it was a sort of a flood of emotion. It is a big deal."

 

If Kimmel were to win at Chicagoland, he would become the only repeat ARCA winner there.

 

Former ARCA Chicagoland winners also include Ed Berrier, who won the inaugural race in 2001, Steve Wallace, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon, and Kevin Swindell, the defending race winner.

 

In addition to no repeat winners, there have been no repeat pole winners either. Chad Blount (2002), Kimmel, Wallace (2006), McDowell (2007), and Swindell won from the pole. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. also won the pole in 2008. Three-time series champion Tim Steele, the all-time series superspeedway winner with 24, won the pole for inaugural race in 2001, but never won a race at Chicagoland.

 

The Ansell ActivArmr 150 will follow the same-day NASCAR Nationwide Series STP 300 on Sunday, July 21 at 5:00 p.m. local central time, live on SPEED. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will accompany raceday activities at noon. Practice for the Ansell ActivArmr 150 will take place on Saturday from 4:10 through 6.

 

ARCAracing.com will also feature live timing and scoring of all ARCA Racing Series on-track activity.

 

CONTACTS: 

Don Radebaugh, ARCA

 

ARCAracing.com
ARCAnation.com 

Facebook.com/arcaracing 

Follow on Twitter @ARCA_Racing 

 

 

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 2.7.13

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