Venturini Drivers at Chicagoland Speedway are eyeing one goal. Photo – Courtesy VMS
Chicagoland is ‘home’ to Venturini Motorsports, now based in Concord, NC and this weekend is a homecoming for those leading the organization. Their drivers at Chicagoland Speedway include, Frank Kimmel, Cody Coughlin and Daniel Suarez. Together they all have one goal this weekend and that’s to bring home a victory for a Venturini hometown crowd.
The winningest driver in the ARCA Racing series, Frank Kimmel was at one time a fierce rival of Venturini Motorsports and now, he’s their lead driver and mentor for their driver development program. What seems an unrealistic relationship has turned into a great partnership. And when asked to join with Venturini Motorsports Frank Kimmel didn’t hesitate.
“People have made a lot more of it than I even thought about,” says Kimmel. “When I was told about the program we were going to do this year, I didn’t give it a second thought. I had no problems at all with it. …They’re your competitors and you race cars against one another, but I always respected that the (No.) 25 car was good. They were always fast and the reason you want to beat them is because you know they’re one of the fastest cars. And that’s okay and it’s gone very well.”
Looking at their history Kimmel has a clear perspective of where he’s been as a competitor of the Venturini’s and where they are today working together.
“Big Bill was kind of like top of the line, and I was just trying to get started. So we really didn’t race against each other a lot. And then Billy, we were a little bit like oil and water. We raced hard against one another. I would win a lot and he was wanting to win a lot. So, I can understand where that was going. But, I havent’ been treated any better, I mean these guys have treated me really well. They bring great race cars, and they understand the position I am in my career. It’s been very very good. It’s probably been as good of a working relationship as I have ever had in racing.”
It’s been a good relationship with benefits for all involved, including young drivers coming up within the sport of racing. With 80 wins during his career in the ARCA Racing Series, Kimmel’s advice is highly valued and given respect by Venturini drivers looking to advance their careers.
“Anytime you have an 80 time champion on your side, it’s obviously a bank of knowledge that’s priceless,” says Cody Coughlin who is racing the No. 55 on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. “He (Kimmel) gives great advice, I think we have a good relationship and it’s fun to race with him. He’s really good obviously.”
Both Kimmel and Coughlin are looking to win at Chicagoland Speedway as is Daniel Suarez who’s doing double duty with both ARCA (with Venturini Motorsports) and NASCAR XFINITY Series (with Joe Gibbs Racing) events. They all know how special it is for Venturini to bring home a victory from their hometrack.
“I’m coming into this race probably more confident as I ever been at any race this year.” Says Kimmel. “They (Venturini) want to run well…their family and friends are here and that’s pressure, but I’ve raced the way I race and I’ll probably not change that a whole lot. If we have a winning car, I want to win.”
Cody Coughlin is also feeling good about being with Venturini Motorsports this weekend at Chicagoland.
“It’s great working with them (the Venturini’s),” says Coughlin. “They’re a very big name in the ARCA Series and to be in their hometown, their backyard so to speak, it’s really special. I happen to like Chicagoland Speedway. We ran well here last year, had one of the fastest cars on the track coming up on the end there with a fifth. I think it would be an awesome time to get my first ARCA win here. I’ve had a limited run with only 15 or so races, I think we have a really good shot. My goal is to win as many races as I can. My ultimate goal is to hopefully get to NASCAR someday, the Sprint Cup Series. So I’ll run as many laps as I can and be as successful as I can be. And I think I have a good shot to do that with Venturini.”
The Scott 150 from the Chicagoland Speedway is broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 Saturday, June 20th at 6:00 pm ET.