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Sentinel Morning Update: Friends remember local driver Bill Kimmel as the "ultimate underdog"
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Article RatingFriends remembered Mechanicsburg native and race car driver Bill Kimmel as a down-to-earth, lovable friend whose blue-collar style and underfunded race car team made him a fan favorite.
Kimmel was killed in an accident at the Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg on Sunday night.
Kimmel, 27, was flown via Life Lion to Harrisburg Hospital after the accident, where he was pronounced dead at 11:51 p.m., according to the hospital. The hospital said Kimmel was alive at the scene, but crews had to begin CPR while he was in flight.
Kimmel was on lap 24 of the 25-lap 410 Sprint car feature when the accident occurred. He lost control of his No. 47 sprint car in the fourth turn of the speedway, hitting the wall and landing in the path of oncoming traffic. Drivers Michael Carber and Jeff Shepard both smashed into Kimmel's disabled car -- the second hit igniting Kimmel's car into flames.
Sprint cars are smaller, high-powered racing vehicles that often race on dirt. The cars feature "wings" on their roofs, a three-sided piece of metal with sides that point toward the sky.
"It's a sad holiday weekend for everyone associated with Williams Grove Speedway," said Morgan Hughes, owner of the speedway. "Unfortunately, spring car racing can be a violent and unforgiving sport, but that does nothing to lessen the loss of a member of our Williams Grove family."
Kimmel's friends described him as a down-to-earth, lovable friend whose blue-collar style and underfunded race car team made him a fan favorite.
"If anybody could define the term 'underdog,' that was Bill," said Gregg Obst, a racing enthusiast who knew Kimmel.
Along with more on this story from Sentinel reporters Alex Roarty and Brad Vores, here's what else to look for in today's print and on-line editions:
Carlisle contestant gears up for pageant -- Brooke Bailey spent most of her summer the same as any other year. She worked at Kindercare Learning Center in Carlisle for a few extra dollars, but mostly for the experience in child care, and took an August vacation to Florida.
The only difference this year is that the Kutztown University student has also been spending time preparing for the Miss Pennsylvania USA Pageant.
Even though pageants may seem to require a childhood background in modeling or years of experience on the stage, Brooke's actual entry was a bit of a fluke.
"My one friend did it last year, so I decided to see what would happen if I entered," said Brooke, 20, of Carlisle. "I thought it would be fun to see how far I could go."
The entry itself seemed simple to Brooke. Go to the Web site, print out the application, fill it out and send a picture. She didn't really anticipate anything going much further than that. At least, until she got a phone call.
"I was nervous when they called," Brooke said. "They do this interview over the phone. They asked me three words to describe myself, what hobbies I had, what high school I went to and what activities I was involved in. I think I said responsible, kind and I don't remember the last one - may be it was organized. I was so nervous."
West Pennsboro plans zoning meeting -- Residents of West Pennsboro Township who haven't yet weighed in on a controversial new zoning plan will have at least one more chance to do so before the board of supervisors votes on the matter.
West Pennsboro supervisors are scheduled to meet Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. in the township building on Newville Road to continue discussion on the plan, which requires land to be set aside for open space and promotes "clustering" of new homes.
No vote is expected to be taken on the issue, according to Supervisor Dave Twining.
The ordinance sets aside mandatory open space in many zones. For example, a 20-acre parcel in the agriculture zone would be required to include 12 acres of open space, with a maximum of 10 dwelling units. In the residential 2 zone, that same parcel would yield a maximum of 120 homes, with five acres set aside as open space.
An entirely new zone -- termed "rural residential" -- is proposed for areas with a mix of agriculture and residential. As written, the ordinance would permit 1.5 houses per acre in the rural residential zone.
This weekend's most-viewed stories on www.cumberlink.com
1. Penn State football: Lions pounce on Panthers
2. Residents barely escape arson fire
3. Local race car driver killed in accident
4. Penn State Football: King, Sargeant control the corners
5. Fish and Game Association burglarized
This weekend's most-emailed stories on www.cumberlink.com
1. Sometimes to get ahead you have to go back -- to school
2. Local race car driver killed in accident
3. Afghan raid kills Perry native
4. Carlisle state trooper killed in Afghanistan
5. Ohio high school student suspended for tricking rival fans into insulting themselves (breaking news)
