Freak Accident Knocks a Team Out Before Track Appearance, Leaving Fans Exposing ARCA’s Fatal Flaw

The ARCA Menards Series is rolling into the Kansas Speedway this weekend for the Tide 150. Originally, 26 drivers were set to rev their engines for this fifth race of the season, all needing to qualify unless there were last-minute changes to the roster. But now, the lineup has shrunk to 24. Who won’t race?

Kimmel Racing just dropped a bombshell—they’re bowing out of the Tide 150 after hitting a block with both of their cars at the same time. You’d think fans would be scratching their heads wondering how both cars could be out of commission, but instead, this hiccup has peeled back the curtain on some of the deeper issues within the ARCA Series and its racing teams.

Will Kimmel’s much-anticipated comeback hit a break due to car troubles?

ARCA Menards Series vet Will Kimmel was all set to jump back into the driver’s seat this Saturday at the Tide 150, steering his #68 Ford. His last run at Kansas in 2022, stepping in for the injured Scott Melton, earned him a respectable sixth-place finish. But now there’s a small change in the plan: not only will Kimmel’s #68 Ford be missing from the lineup, but Scott Melton’s #69 won’t either. And why so?

The team had a bit of a mishap with their cars and hauler, leading them to decide to pack up and head home early. “One of the cars came loose in the trailer and tore up both of them. Bumpers, rear quarters, crush panels, etc. were damaged. It was just not a good day,” explained Bill Kimmel, the head honcho at Kimmel Racing.

This leaves a bunch of noteworthy drivers still in the mix for the race, including Andres Perez, Lavar Scott, Kris Wright, Marco Andretti, Tanner Gray, Tony Breidinger, Connor Mosack, Dean Thompson, Andy Jankowiak, and locals Mandy Chick and Kevin Hinckle.

It’s a bummer that both cars from a single team ended up in such rough shape that they can’t race anymore, but fans know this is just part of the deal with ARCA. In fact, this isn’t the first time it’s happened this year. Cook Racing Technologies, which runs Marco Andretti’s #17 and #42 cars, had a similar mishap on their way to Phoenix. Luckily for them, the damage was minor, and both cars managed to make it to the starting line.

Fans are pretty ticked off with how ARCA teams handle mishaps

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When word got out about the Kimmel Racing team’s mishap, fans didn’t hold back, pointing out that this kind of thing seems all too common in ARCA. Comments flew like, “Only in ARCA could somebody tear up 2 race cars without ever setting a wheel on the track,” “That’s the most arca thing to arca in the history of arca,” ““ARCA car in an ARCA hauler tied down with ARCA straps. ARCA,” and “Arca is the only series where your cars can get totalled without even touching the asphalt.”

Yet, some fans gave props to the Joe Gibbs Racing team for their careful approach, noting,  “This is why JGR uses 4 haulers.“ 

Others joked about the notorious ARCA brakes: “ARCA brakes don’t even work when the cars are literally tied down 😬🤣,” “ARCA Brakes applies at all times. Nobody is safe, a wild ARCA car can strike anywhere at anytime. Watch your backs people,” and “ARCA brakes: hauler edition.”

One frustrated fan couldn’t help but question the teams’ basic practices, saying, “How can you not make sure that the cars are secured properly with the tie downs is beyond me!!!! Isn’t that like hauling race cars 101. Before you leave the shop make sure that all cars are secured correctly so you don’t have any damage when hauling them?”

So, what’s your take on these frequent blunders in the ARCA Series?