Frank Kimmel

Kimmel made his first racing appearance at the age of fifteen, driving a street stock. He progressed to late model cars seven years later and won three late model championships before ever turning a lap in the ARCA Racing Series. His father, Bill Kimmel Sr., was also an ARCA competitor and race winner, making the Kimmels one of the sport's notable racing families. Frank resides in Borden, Indiana.

Kimmel's first ARCA start came in 1990. His debut full season was 1992, driving the No. 02 Indiana Steel Co. Pontiac for Wallace Racing, and he earned Rookie of the Year honors that season. After joining Shirley Racing in 1993, he claimed his first ARCA race win at Toledo Speedway in 1994 and finished second in the points standings.

In 1996 Kimmel joined Steve Rauch Racing on a part-time basis, winning three races despite limited starts. He returned full-time in 1997 and again finished second in points. The major breakthrough came in 1998 when Kimmel joined Clement Racing in the No. 46 Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet, winning nine races to capture his first ARCA championship.

After finishing runner-up in 1999, Kimmel achieved one of American short-track racing's most remarkable streaks: eight consecutive ARCA championships from 2000 through 2007. During this run he broke Iggy Katona's previous record for most championships in ARCA history and became the first ARCA driver ever selected to compete in the International Race of Champions (IROC) series, doing so in the 2006 edition where he placed seventh in points. His brother Bill Kimmel Jr. served as his crew chief during the 2006 championship campaign.

After ten seasons and 63 wins with Clement Racing, Kimmel departed to form his own operation, Kimmel Racing, in 2008, running the No. 44 car with his brother Bill as partner. The team faced sponsorship challenges but still won three races and finished second in points. Ansell and Menards came aboard as sponsors the following season, a partnership that continued until Kimmel's retirement from driving.

Kimmel moved to ThorSport Racing for the 2012 season. On June 30, 2013, at Winchester Speedway, he tied Katona's all-time wins record at 79. On October 4, 2013, he clinched his tenth ARCA championship at Kansas Speedway, then won the race to surpass Katona and become the all-time ARCA wins leader outright. He subsequently drove for Win-Tron Racing in 2014, retaining his No. 44, before making his final career start in 2016.

Kimmel holds ARCA all-time records for starts, wins, and poles.

Outside of ARCA, Kimmel made seven NASCAR Cup Series starts, five of them with Travis Carter Motorsports in 2002, with a best finish of 26th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also made one NASCAR Busch Series start and two top-ten finishes in twelve NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts through 2010, along with starts in the 2011 and 2013 Camping World Truck Series season finales at Homestead-Miami Speedway for ThorSport Racing.

In the 2006 IROC season (IROC XXX), Kimmel became the first ARCA driver ever to receive an IROC invitation. He placed seventh in the four-race series with a best finish of third.

After his driving career concluded, Kimmel returned to Venturini Motorsports from 2017 through 2019 as a crew chief and driving coach, working with drivers including Leilani Munter, Gavin Harlien, and Hailie Deegan. In December 2019 he was hired as team general manager by KBR Development. He subsequently took on the crew chief role for Jason Kitzmiller and CR7 Motorsports, which fields the No. 97 Chevrolet in the ARCA Series.

Frank Kimmel's ten championships and 80 wins in the ARCA Racing Series represent totals that no other driver in the series' history has approached. His dominance from 1998 through 2013 redefined what sustained excellence looked like at the top level of American short-track-based oval racing, and his selection for IROC underscored the respect his achievements earned beyond the ARCA paddock. He is widely regarded as the greatest driver in ARCA history.