Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MADISON, Ill. - As dreary and gray as the day was, 25-year-old ML Motorsports driver Jason Jarrett found a bright spot in Saturday's 150-mile ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Gateway International Raceway.
With rain shortening the 120-lap race to 64, Jarrett's No. 67 Mary Louise Miller-owned Pontiac crossed the line seventh.
"It could be a blessing in disguise," Jarrett said of the rain. "Ten laps before they called the race, something happened to the car. It's a little disappointing, but it could be a blessing. We weren't as fast as the 46 (Frank Kimmel) and the 16 (Tim Steele), but I was holding my own. I kind of wish we could've finished it. We were lucky to get in what we did."
Near the 50-lap mark, Jarrett told crew chief Scott Eldridge over the radio that something was wrong with the engine, possibly the carburetor. Despite the problem, Jarrett, who qualified second, was still fast enough to hold off some charging cars and bring home his fourth top-10 finish in six career ARCA starts.
Kimmel, the current series points leader, took the checkered flag for his 25th career ARCA victory. Mike Swaim Jr., pole sitter Steele and Ed Berrier finished second, third and fourth, respectively, while NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran Rick Carelli rounded out the top five.
Steele led the first 16 laps and then was passed by Kimmel, who led the pack the remaining 48 laps around the 1.25-mile track.
Caution flags came out on lap 26 for debris on the track, and with the exception of Kimmel, the majority of the lead-lap cars opted for pit road. Kimmel chose to stay on the track, and 38 laps later, his gamble payed off as the rains began to fall.
"It's a little disapointing, but if you look at the other end of it, there's nothing wrong with a top-10 finish," Eldridge said. "It's not the way we wanted to end the race. When you post a race for 120 laps, then run a 120 laps. If this was Winston Cup or Busch, they would have dried the track off and finished the race."
Had the rains subsided and the track been dried, Kimmel would have been hung out to dry as the majority of the top-10 cars had fresh tires and were full of fuel.
"With 64 laps already on the board, he's gotta pit sometime," Eldridge said. "I'd say 72 laps is the max here. Ten more laps and he would have had to come in."
By gaining 20 bonus points for qualifying second, and then a seventh-place finish, Jarrett holds a stronghold on third place in the season-point standings.
Kimmel, the only two-time winner this year, leads in points with 1,445, followed by Steele at 1,290 and Jarrett at 1,190. Andy Belmont, who was five points ahead of Jarrett entering this weekend, finished the race 23rd, 18 laps down, and fell to fourth in the points.
The next stop on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule is Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.
ARCA RE/MAX SERIES
Gateway ARCA 150
Gateway International Raceway
Saturday in Madison, Ill.
120 laps (1.25-mile)
Top 10
1. Frank Kimmel (Jeffersonville, IN) Ford
2. Mike Swaim Jr. (High Point, NC) Chevy
3. Tim Steele (Coopersville, MI) Ford
4. Ed Berrier (Winston-Salem NC) Chevy
5. Rick Carelli (Englewood, CO) Chevy
6. Robert Burroughs (Laurel, MS) Pontiac
7. Jason Jarrett (Hickory, NC) Pontiac
8. Billy Venturini (Concord, NC) Chevy
9. Chad Blount (Walkerton, IN) Chevy
10. Joe Cooksey (Centralia, IL) Chevy
Season Points Standings
(After Saturday's Gateway ARCA 150)
1. Frank Kimmel 1445
2. Tim Steele 1290
3. Jason Jarrett 1190
4. Andy Belmont 1095
5. Ron Cox 1035
6. Joe Cooksey 1005
7. Billy Venturini 980
8. Todd Bowsher 940
9. Chuck Weber 930
10. Rick Markle 905
