1990-1999: ARCA Driver Development
TOLEDO, Ohio (November 18,
2009)-Building off a superspeedway racing trend that started in the
1980s, ARCA grew in its roll as a developmental series for up-and-coming
NASCAR drivers and teams in the 1990s as speedway races became even more
prominent on the national tour's schedule. At the same time,
second-generation ARCA racers such as Bobby Bowsher and Frank Kimmel
became regular competitors in the series along with Michigan's Tim
Steele, who dominated the 1990s by setting several records that still
stand today. The stars of the 1990s, along with champions from each of
ARCA's 56 years, will be honored at the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship
Awards Banquet in Covington, Kentucky, on Saturday evening, December 5.
From the Series' inaugural race at Dayton Speedway in Ohio on May 10,
1953, to the 2009 Championship race at Rockingham Speedway in North
Carolina on October 11, 2009, it's the stars of ARCA that have formed the
most memorable racing moments in ARCA's history. In the 1990s, those
stars included Bob Brevak, Bill Venturini, Bobby Bowsher, Tim Steele,
Andy Hillenburg, Bill Baird, and Frank Kimmel, who would go on to become
ARCA's all-time franchise player in the next decade.
A group of ARCA's expert insiders will provide their opinion and analysis
for each of ARCA's six decades, beginning with the inaugural 1953 season
and ending with 2009. ARCA Insiders include history buffs Ron Drager, the
current president of ARCA, Bill Kimmel, Jr., crew chief of the No. 44
Ansell-Menards Fusion driven by Frank Kimmel, and SPEED commentator Phil
Parsons, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for this year's
Championship Awards Banquet.
ARCA Insiders Reflect on 1990-1999: ARCA Driver Development
Bob Brevak, Bill Venturini, Bobby Bowsher, Tim Steele, Andy Hillenburg,
Frank Kimmel and Bill Baird Crowned Champss
Ron Drager: President of ARCA:
Ron Drager "The ARCA Series schedule became much more consistent in the
1990s, as venues like Springfield, DuQuoin, Atlanta, Michigan, Pocono and
Kil Kare joined Daytona, Talladega and Toledo to become annual stops for
the tour throughout the decade.
Superspeedway racing became even more prevalent, fostering the growth of
the influence and flavor of NASCAR Winston Cup team participation in the
ARCA Series. New Jersey modified champion Jimmy Horton drove in both
series and established an all-time ARCA record with 5 consecutive
superspeedway wins in 1990 at Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega and Pocono
twice. Charlie Glotzbach and Ron Hornaday drove Richard Childress
Chevrolets to victories, Dick Trickle won in Junior Johnson equipment,
Greg Trammel and Ron Barfield drove Bill Elliott Fords to victory lane,
Robby Gordon won a pole and Mike Wallace a number of races for Junie
Donlavey, Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader fielded their own winning
rides, Jeff Purvis scored multiple victories for James Finch, Kenny Irwin
won for Robert Yates and Adam Petty won at Charlotte in a Petty
Enterprises car, matching his father Kyle's feat of winning in his very
first career ARCA start.
Michigan driver Tim Steele won championships in 1993-1996-1997 and moved
to the top of the all-time leader charts in superspeedway wins, poles and
laps led. Steele matched Harold Smith, Jack Bowsher and Bruce Gould's
feat of 5 consecutive wins in '97 to become only the 4th driver in ARCA
history to accomplish the feat and piled up 11 wins in '96 then added 12
more in '97. Bobby Bowsher drove Fords fielded by his father Jack Bowsher
to win driving championships in 1992 and 1994, as he became the only 2nd
generation driver in series history to join his dad as driving champion.
Wisconsin's Bob Brevak, Indiana native Andy Hillenburg and Kentuckian
Bill Baird each won single driving titles in the '90s. Bill Venturini
scored his 2nd crown and Frank Kimmel's 1998 championship was a precursor
of his impending unprecedented dominance in the 2000s.
Rookies of the Year included Glenn Brewer whose brother Tim Brewer was
Junior Johnson's Cup crew chief, Kimmel in '92, Jeremy Mayfield in '93,
Blaise Alexander in '96 and Ron Cox in '99.
Counted among Superspeedway Challenge champions were Brevak whose wife
Shelly was car owner and Venturini with car owner and wife Cathy, Bob
Keselowski and his brother and car owner Ron Keselowski, car owner Harold
Steele and son Tim, Kerry Scherer and driver Mark Gibson, Kimmel and car
owner Larry Clement and Baird and car owner Ken Schrader.
The decade produced an impressive lineup of Crew Chiefs of the Year with
Gary Bowsher, Ron Keselowski, Ron Crooks, Bob Dotter, Tom Sokoloski, Chad
Cummings, Jeff Lemons and Keith Strunk all honored.
Dean Roper became the oldest driver to win a short track race at age 55
in 1994 at DuQuoin, Shawna Robinson established the highest finish for a
female in a superspeedway race of 2nd at Daytona in '99, Nebraska and
Colorado became the 24th and 25th different states to host an ARCA Series
race in the '90s and Tim Steele became the first ARCA driver to post over
$1 million in career earnings.
In 1994, ARCA founder John Marcum was inducted posthumously into the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega along with '68-69
Series champ, '73 Winston Cup champ and '75 Daytona 500 winner Benny
Parsons. 1996 saw an auto accident on the grounds of Talladega
Superspeedway claim the life of ARCA President Bob Loga. Permatex entered
the decade as the series title sponsor and Bondo/Mar-Hyde closed the
decade out in that role. As the decade closed in '99, Toledo Speedway
came under ownership and management of ARCA after a 20-year absence."
Bill Kimmel, Jr: Crew Chief of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Fusion:
Bill Kimmel "As far as the Kimmel family's racing goes the 1990s was a
pretty busy decade. Racing for us had really picked up. Our family
business-a parts store in Clarkesville-was doing really well at the time
and our kids were born at that point so life was really good for
everyone.
Frank won the championship at Louisville in 1990 and finished second in
the NASCAR Winston Racing Series as well. Around this same time he
started to talk to Jack Wallace about running some ARCA races and Jack
put Frank in about four or five races in 1991. Then Frank came back and
won rookie of the year in 1992. Frank's racing career was really picking
up. I personally was happy just staying home and racing at Louisville
every weekend. Everybody was going to Louisville at the time and I wanted
to do well there so that's what I set out to do. It worked out well for
both of us but Frank had a tough go of it at first because Jack Wallace
did not have the funding to get where Frank needed to be, even though
just putting him in an ARCA car was a huge step and a great gesture.
Terry Shirley had owned Frank's late models and he stepped up into ARCA
with Frank. Then our Uncle Paul bought a car and the three of them put
forth a big effort in helping Frank advance his ARCA career. ARCA was
really growing at this time, with enhanced television, so it was really
an exciting time for me and everyone at home to watch Frank progress.
I started to gain success at Louisville Speedway from 1993 on and with
the help of some car owners that owned the car that I drove we won
championships in the mid-90s and also finished second in NASCAR Winston
Racing Series points. We started to run a series that toured the area at
tracks like Louisville and Whitesville and won a Late Model race at
Salem, which may have seemed minor, but it was a big deal in our family
because it was the first time anyone in the Kimmel family had been able
to win at Salem Speedway. So at this time Kimmel Racing was doing well
both locally and nationally with Frank and I both racing.
During the 1990s Frank's big nemesis in ARCA was Tim Steele and every
week Frank would come back from the ARCA races and I would get to hear
about this Tim Steele guy. For me, my favorite thing about Tim Steele was
his cars. They were immaculate and they were usually red, which was
always one of my favorite colors.
I also remember how meticulous Jack Bowsher was and how beautiful his
cars were. During the 1960s you couldn't talk to Jack Bowsher at the
racetrack because he was so hard to be around. His goal was to win at
whatever cost and he could be difficult to be around sometimes but you
had to respect him for what he did on the racetrack. I remember in the
1990s when Frank started ARCA racing and I started coming around to more
races how good it was to be able to have him in the garage area. Some of
the stories he could tell you would make the hair on the back of your
hand stand up. He had such good stories. Out of all of the people who
have come and gone through ARCA, he might have been the best I have ever
seen, both as a driver and car owner. While my hero growing up was Jack
Bowsher, Frank's hero was Benny Parsons. When we were little kids mom
would score for dad at Salem Speedway and the officials would always give
Frank a fake scoring card so that he could pretend he was scoring for
Benny.
In 1998 I won my last championship at Louisville and Frank won his first
ARCA Championship. Frank's crew chief decided to go work for Jack Bowsher
and Frank's ARCA team was moved from Dayton, Ohio to here. I was planning
on running some NASCAR all-pro races but then they asked me to be Frank's
crew chief and for some reason I said yes. It was just a good fit. I was
41 years old at the time and everyone thought it was weird that I would
win a late model championship then quit but I was ready. Bob Teters had
just put my son Will in a Mini Car and you could see the excitement on
that kid's face. I knew my days were numbered as a driver anyways so I
quit racing and started helping Will and Frank and I have been doing it
ever since.
1999 was my first year as Frank's crew chief in ARCA. My very first race
as an ARCA crew chief was at Daytona in 1999 and we went to the race with
a new car that we purchased from the Petty family. It was really fast but
the cars then were a lot different than they are today-very bumpy and
they had a lot of vibrations when you raced them. I asked Frank if we
could shut off the shock rebound adjuster just for one lap to try and
make the car faster and he said he could handle it but he lied to me
because he woke up at Halifax Medical Center. Knocked him right out. That
was the start to me and Frank running ARCA together. We ended up running
second to Bill Baird that year. It was a real learning curve for both me
and ARCA."
Phil Parsons: SPEED Commentator and Master of Ceremonies for the 2009
ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Awards Banquet:
Phil Parsons "The 1990s continued the momentum that the 1980s had in
terms of ARCA becoming a comparable series to NASCAR as far as
superspeedways were concerned. More and more people were noticing the
high profile nature of the ARCA Series and the fact that so many races
were held in conjunction with the Cup Series. Many drivers that wanted to
get indoctrinated into NASCAR tried to use ARCA as a stepping stone.
The thing I especially liked about ARCA racing during the 1990s was that
during the middle part of the decade we saw a familiar name make a return
to ARCA and dominate. Bobby Bowsher, son of Jack Bowsher, won the 1992
and 1994 ARCA Championships with his brother Gary serving as crew chief.
Gary, of course, had success in the series a few years earlier.
Personally, it was great to see Jack back in the garage on a regular
basis because he was one of my heroes growing up.
Much like the previous decade, we talk about the guys who wanted to come
into ARCA and get noticed on their way to NASCAR but at the same time
there were other drivers who made long term investments in the Series,
such as Mark Gibson, Andy Belmont, Joe Cooksey, Bob Schacht, Bob Brevak
and others, who are still involved with ARCA today. Tim Steele made a
lasting impression in the 1990s with his superspeedway dominance. Many of
the records he set still stand today and others have just recently been
broken.
By the end of the decade a second generation racer earned his first
championship and it provided a glimpse as to what the next decade would
hold. Who would have guessed then that Frank Kimmel would go on to
dominate the 2000s."
The Stars of ARCA, 1953-2009, will be honored at the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX
Series Championship Awards Banquet in Covington, Kentucky on Saturday
night, December 5. The banquet is open to the public and tickets are
available by contacting Shalene Williams at the ARCA Office (734)
847-6726.
-credit: arcaracing
