INVERNESS - In its 21/2-year existence, the Florida Mini Stock Challenge series has gained a reputation as the ultimate clash between the division's titans.
Saturday's inaugural series 50-lap race at Citrus County Speedway was worthy of high expectations. Points leader Robbie Yoakam was going for his fourth straight series victory. Despite the veteran driver's best effort, he simply was outmatched by Gulfport's Richard Kelley Jr., who held off Yoakam at the finish line.
"It was a great win," Kelley said. "I came in knowing that it's (Yoakam's) home track and he's going to run me hard here. I just felt like I had the fastest car all night."
Kelley, who captured the runner-up spot in qualifying, drew the sixth-place pill to start one row ahead of Yoakam's No. 8 machine.
Because of an unusually large 28-car field, momentum proved to be hard-earned throughout the night. The caution flag flew nearly six times before the race reached the halfway point, slowing the pace considerably.
Pole-sitter Chris Hooker took the early point. For a while, he looked to have a tight reign, but by lap 20 Yoakam and Kelley had worked their way up to challenge the young Inverness racer.
Both were able to underneath Hooker's machine in Turn 1. Yet it was Kelley who found the most advantage, winning the lead from Yoakam before the next turn.
With Kelley's No. 61 firmly out front, Yoakam could do nothing but hope for a restart to attempt a challenge. Though there were opportunities, Kelley simply clamped tighter to his lead in the final laps.
Yoakam's runner-up performance enabled him to put some cushion in his series points lead over Robbie Storer, who placed third. Ten more races remain in the series, which concludes in November.
FIRST WIN: Fifteen-year-old Hobby Stock sophomore driver Curtis Neumann convincingly outran points leader and two-time champion Richie Smith to the finish line to pick up his first career feature victory.
Neumann, the son of Late Model veteran Herb Neumann Jr., began driving last winter, just weeks after becoming old enough to compete. The win enabled Neumann to move to within 10 points of Smith, who finished fifth.
