Frank Kimmel’s 75th career ARCA victory comes in 75th attempt since his last

This is exactly what I meant by “NASCAR should have never left IRP,” a sentiment delivered in my preview for Friday’s Messina Wildlife 300, a race won by Frank Kimmel.

It was ultimately the race we all expected, a high-impact and close-quarters racing duel between some of the best in the business.

Perhaps one day NASCAR will realize their folly and return to the famous short track with at least the Camping World Truck Series in tow. While a convincing case could be made to move the Nationwide Series to the Brickyard, the Truck Series was taken away because the Sanctioning Body wanted to ensure that maximum attention was firmly planted onto the hallowed halls of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That in itself is a flawed way of thinking, one of many mistakes NASCAR has made it its treatment of IRP over the years. Raceway Park did nothing but boost the excitement level for the main event at the Speedway. It provided the bulk of the entertainment labor before a generally lifeless affair on Sunday in the Brickyard 400.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll see more of the same lifeless racing with two follow-the-leader parades instead of exciting racing throughout the week, leading to the uneventful but still meaningful Brickyard. It’s a shame that it has to be this way, but let’s hope that tonight’s ARCA IRP main event was the reminder that NASCAR needs to at least maintain some presence at one of the more exciting tracks ever built for stock cars.

That reminder was on full display tonight as Kimmel had to use every bit of short track experience gained in 20 years of ARCA racing in a fierce three-way battle for the lead with Chad Hackenbracht and Mason Mitchell. Kimmel emerged with the lead on lap 158 and never looked back.

A full-field rundown, news and notes can be found after the jump.

The race was tossed into brief doubt with seven laps to go when Korbin Forrester was spun into the front stretch retaining wall, and welcomed Mitchell and a host of others onto the nine-time champ’s back bumper on a restart with three to go.
Mitchell, making just his second career start, spun the tires and Kimmel was left unchallenged.
“It’s hard to get here some times,” Kimmel said. “I’ve got to thank this team and sponsors Ansell and Menards. I’d like to take a lot of that credit but we had a good handling race car. I could turn and cut into traffic and run into the flat, whatever I needed at the end. That made the difference. This is a hard place to drive around and a really hard place to pass people. That’s what makes it special.”

Tom Hessert finished second and Kevin Swindell was third. Brennan Poole finished fourth, just ahead of Mason Mitchell. Points leader Chris Buescher finished seventh.

Kimmel’s victory, combined with a Alex Bowman accident and Chris Buescher slapping the wall late in the race really shook up the championship standings. The top three, (Buescher, Poole, and Kimmel) are now separated by just 65 points.
With five of the final seven races on short or dirt tracks, the championship has to be considered wide-open.
The ARCA Racing Series returns to Pocono for a second time this season on August 4 for a 3:00 p.m. EST matinee. The race is scheduled for a SPEED television broadcast with Rick Allen on play-by-play.

Official ARCA lap-by-lap race recap.