DU QUOIN - If it hadn't been for a late caution flag, Frank Kimmel's victory in Monday's Federated Car Care Southern Illinois 100 might have been as easy as it looked.

For 98 laps, Kimmel seemed to toy with the field.

The 46-year-old from Clarksville, Ind., always seemed to be at least a quarter-mile ahead of Patrick Sheltra, Ken Schrader, Dexter Bean or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The quartet jockeyed for second place throughout most the 100 mile race.

On the 65th lap, Kimmel's lead was nearly half a lap. From the grandstand, it appeared as if Kimmel was out enjoying a Monday drive.

"No, not really," he said. "You work hard every lap. We had to worry about blistering tires."

Kimmel ran so far ahead of the field his crew was urging him to back off to preserve his tires.

"I was just kind of cruising," he said. "There were telling me I was pretty far ahead and not to push it, but I didn't think I was hurting the tires."

Kimmel started in the outside spot on the front row. Stenhouse earned the pole, but Kimmel passed him on the second lap. Kimmel held the lead until the 26th lap when James Buescher passed him.

After passing Buescher on the 31st lap, Kimmel never relinquished the lead.

Despite running well ahead of the field all day, Kimmel had to win a pair of sprints in the final 13 laps.

He had about a straightaway lead when a caution flag came out on the 89th lap. He rebuilt that lead by the 95th lap. However, another caution flag bunched the field for a three-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

After each stoppage, Kimmel quickly regained the lead on the re-start.

"It's really important to get a good jump," he said. "I just had a better race car today."

Kimmel drove a Ford Fusion to the victory. He held the lead for 96 of the 102 laps.

He held off Sheltra's late challenge. Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., finished .31 seconds behind Kimmel. Schrader, the two-time defending champion finished third, followed by Bean and Stenhouse Jr.

Kimmel has five victories in the Southern Illinois 100. He won in 2001, 1002, 2004 and 2005. The five wins ties him with Dean Roper. Roper's last victory was in 1994.

The win was the 72nd in Kimmel's career, but just his second in 16 starts this year.

"We've struggled this year," he said. "To just get back on dirt and run well, and it is by far the best field ARCA has had here in Du Quoin."

Following the race, Kimmel and Sheltra took a dip in the pond located in the Magic Mile's infield.

"Me and Frank made a deal before the race," Sheltra said. "If he won the race, I'd jump in with him and if I won the race, he'd jump in with me. It worked out pretty good to finish first and second."

The time of the race was 1:13:16. The average speed was 83.53 miles per hour. Five caution flags caused 25 laps to be run under the yellow flag.

In the preliminary race, a UMP modified 20-lap feature, John O'Neal of Platte City, Mo., passed Robinson's Jesse Snyder on the 17th lap to earn the victory.

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com/ 351-5088