by Debbie Hutto

Robbie Yoakam started 2004 in grand style as he won the season opener for the FMSC Racing Series.

Yoakam was offered an extra $500.00 bonus from track owner Billy Hooker to start from the rear of the field. Yoakam and fast qualifier Robbie Storer both took Hookers challenge and started at the rear of the field.

Over 44 cars were there for the 1st event of the 2004 season. The top 20 cars would be locked into the feature after qualifying, which would make a 21 car consi race for 21 laps.

The top 6 from the consi and 2 provisionals would transfer to make up a 30-car field for the 50-lap event feature. Many cautions in the consi made track officials throw the checkered flag after only 9 laps of racing. The feature lineup would see #94X Lee Davis and #7 Clint Foley on the front row for the start of the race.

Davis jumped out front with Foley in tow. Caution would fly on lap 2 for #60X Greg Valdez and #5X Jeff Barnes which retired both cars for the night. A total of seven cautions in this 50-lap event gave everyone a chance to get used to the new restart procedures. The FMSC Series will use double file restarts in 2004.

The double file restarts definitely helped the 2 fast qualifiers of Storer and Yoakam get to the front. Storer would work his way from the 27th starting spot to 7th place before having a transmission problem on his #9 Dodge, which put his $500.00 bonus chance to an end on lap 22. Yoakam on the other hand would finish second to Davis when the checkered flag fell.

Davis would later be disqualified for failure to tear down his motor according to FMSC tech official, Jerry Wilt.

Second place Yoakam and third place #1X Chris Hooker both passed tech. Yoakam was awarded the victory. The next event for the Florida Mini Stock Challenge will be March 27, 2004 at Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City, FL.



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