Richard Kelly grabs Florida Mini Stock Challenge Opener at Bronson
By Rick Warren
The Florida Mini Stock Challenge Series rolled into the high banks of Bronson Motor Speedway Saturday, to begin the season with a 50 lap Race. After the original season opener was rained out, thedrivers were more than ready to compete.
Qualifying was exciting, as the top ten qualifiers all posted times in the 14 second bracket, with Richard Kelly setting fast time @ 14.318 seconds. Second fastest was Robbie Storer at 14.501 seconds, followed by Chris Hooker with a lap of 14.607. After the top qualifiers cleared tech, Kelly drew for the inversion, and pulled a 5.
The field lined up for the 50 lap feature with Cody Blair and Jonathan Camp filling the front row. The second row consisted of Chris Hooker and Robbie Storer, followed by Kelly, Dustin Perez, Jesse Henley, Scotty Sharpe, Don Faunce, and Chris Zimmerman filling out the top ten.
The inside line had proved to be quicker all night, and when the green flag waved, Camp and Blair raced into turn one together, with Camp
Gaining advantage off turn 2, and taking the lead. Blair slipped high in turn 3, allowing Hooker and Kelly to take over second and third spots. Lap 3 saw Kelly and Hooker make contact in turn 4, bringing out the caution. The field was quickly reset for the restart with Camp out front, followed by Storer, Blair, Faunce and Henley in the top 5. Hooker and Kelley restarted from the rear of the field.
When the green was waved, Camp tried to pull away from the field, but Storer was having none of that. Storer kept pressure on Camp, and Camp was giving Storer a run for his money. Storer was able to get under Camp a couple of times, but Camp was able to fend off the challenge every time. Meanwhile, Kelly was shredding the field, making his way back toward the front of the pack. Lap 29 saw Storer and Kelly both making life hard for Camp. As the leader exited turn 4, Camp buzzed his tires, and spun coming off the turn. Storer and Kelly both dodged the spinning car, with Kelly coming out in front.
The race resumed with Kelly out front, and Storer running hard in second. Kelly went on to claim the victory, followed by Storer and Jesse Henley.
After the top finishers cleared tech, the race was declared official.
Final Results
Florida Mini Stock Challenge – 50 Laps – Bronson Motor Speedway