Will Kimmel To Nationwide With Tri-Star Motorsports

ARCA Racing Series star Will Kimmel will drive the No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Toyota Camry on the 33-race Nationwide Series this season. Ingersoll Rand will serve as primary sponsor in five races – beginning at Phoenix International Raceway on March 1 – and as an associate backer for the remainder of the schedule.

Kimmel, the nephew of 10-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel, has enjoyed a relationship with Ingersoll Rand since 2012. Racing for his family owned Kimmel Racing organization, Kimmell scored seven Top-5 and 19 Top-10 finishes in six seasons of competition in the ARCA Racing Series. Phoenix will mark Kimmel's second career Nationwide Series start and his first at the desert oval.

"To say I'm excited is an understatement," said Kimmel. "I greatly appreciate the opportunity Ingersoll Rand and TriStar Motorsports have presented to me. I look forward to continuing the Kimmel family impression in racing, now in the NASCAR community.  

TriStar Motorsports owner Mark Smith said, "I greatly appreciate Ingersoll Rand coming back on board this year. I can attest to the impressive quality of their tools, I use them both in our race shop and at Pro Motor Engines. Ingersoll Rand, as an organization, has been great to work with and I look forward to this season's partnership." Smith continued, "I also admire how Ingersoll Rand builds relationships with rookie drivers and help give them an opportunity of a life time. I am honored TriStar Motorsports can be a part of that."

"We look forward to renewing our partnership with TriStar Motorsports as they take their program to the next level," said John Evans, President of Power Tools at Ingersoll Rand. "TriStar allows us the opportunity to support rookie drivers and provide them with performance tools that can help them win both on and off the track. We were happy with our partnership last year and look forward to growing our programs together this year." 

After Kimmel's first Nationwide Series race at Phoenix in March, he will tackle the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks later. His remaining three Nationwide Series starts are still to be determined and will be announced at a later date.