Jimmy Kite, the driver of the Ethanol car, #91, Hemelgarn Racing, had his best race finish this weekend in the Toyota Indy 400.
According to one of the car sponsors, the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, “Kite started 19th on the grid but quickly moved through the field getting as high as 8th at one point during the race. Unfortunately for driver Jimmy Kite the team experienced a wheel gun failure during their second pit stop costing them a lap and a legitimate shot at a top-10 finish. Despite the 13th place finish, team owner Ron Hemelgarn was happy with the day, as well as the way the season ended.
“This was our best race all year. We made huge gains on handling. We could run with anybody today. I wish we could have another race.” “We had a good race car today,” said driver Jimmy Kite. “I’d almost say that it was the best car I’ve had all year. The guys gave me great stops all year, so I can’t complain about one bad stop. I’m very happy with the car I had today; we were able to run with the leaders all day.”