| Florida Pro Series Banquet Celebrates 2003 Champion | By Dave Westerman
The Florida Pro Series held its 2003 banquet on Sunday afternoon in Ocala and young Jay Middleton of Lake City, FL was crowned 2003 Series Champion.
Left to right Patrick Williams,Rich Pratt,Steve Lamb, Jay Middleton,Mike Faulk, Doyle Boatwright
For Middleton, it was his first title of any kind in racing and a solid stepping stone to a career that he hopes will eventually will lead to the ASA and possibly NASCAR.
Consistency was Middleton's key to the championship as he scored eight top five finishes in the ten races that were run including his first Florida Pro Series win in November at Charlotte County Speedway.
Another young racer, Mike Faulk of Gainesville, finished second in the overall standings and also took the 2003 Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year title. Faulk battled Middleton all year as they exchanged the point lead on a couple of occasions with Faulk scoring back to back wins at Citrus County Speedway and Columbia Motorsports Park.
However late season mechanical woes relegated him to second in the points, but a fine effort nonetheless for his low budget family operation that used a car borrowed from the stable of Indiana veteran Ray Skillman.
Faulk finished well ahead of the rest of the rookie field with another young hotshoe from Live Oak, Fain Skinner, placing second and South Florida's Chris Turner, a long time Modified driver who made the move to Super Late Models in 2003, finishing third in the rookie standings.
Doyle Boatwright of Starke had another solid season including a win at Columbia Motorsports Park to take third in points in Henry Hodge's machine.
Despite some tough luck during the year, Miami driver Steve Lamb ended the season fourth in points. Never one to complain, even though his team drove twice from Miami to Lake City to race only to break in warm-ups both times, Lamb was chosen as recipient of the 2003 Ray Christman "Sportsman of the Year" award.
Brian Finney, the racing schoolteacher from Merritt Island had an up and down year but still scored a win and took fifth in points.
Hollywood's Craig Seewald was sixth in the standings with Wayne Anderson, Rich Pratt, David Hodges, Jr. and Patrick Williams rounding out the top ten in points.
The "Best Supporting Award" for 2003 was given to the families of the two top drivers and were accepted by Scott and Patti Middleton and Lee and Amby Faulk.
Byron Koury Racing Engines received the "Champion Engine Builder of the Year" award.
A tentative schedule for 2004 was released although Florida Pro Series Director Bert Ashelman indicated he may have a few "surprises" for the drivers in the next couple of weeks.
Ashelman also indicated that the two major Super Late Model Racing Series in Florida, Florida Pro and FASCAR Sunbelt, would be doing their best to bring schedules into line as well as work toward running under the same rules in an effort to increase car counts and make it easier for teams to compete in both Series as well as Desoto Speedway's All American Challenge Series too.
The first event for the Florida Pro Series in 2004 will be March 6th at Columbia Motorsports Park near Lake City.
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