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Aiming for fast lane
By JOEL POILEY
© St. Petersburg Times, ZEPHYRHILLS -- If ambition, bloodlines and dedication were all it took to advance to the upper echelon of auto racing, Robbie Storer would have been working the corners in his Dodge Daytona at Bristol and Pocono long ago. But in a sport where money talks as much as talent, Storer continues to dominate the Modified Mini Stock class each Saturday night at Auburndale Speedway while working toward sponsorship and higher levels of racing. Earning the mid-season championship with nine feature victories at the quarter-mile track is old hat to Storer, who at 29 has nearly 100 feature wins. Still, it keeps his engine running toward the larger Sportsman division -- part of a statewide circuit often seen on TV. "To get to NASCAR, it would take a lot of the right people with big money," the laid-back Storer said. "Some guys make it because of their family name. Guys like me have to work our way up." It helps having a wife who understands racing as a family business and serves as manager as well as life partner. Storer found such a woman five years ago at Lakeland Interstate Speedway. Kim Storer, 27, came from a racing family that was a regular at Sunshine Speedway in Pinellas Park. Her uncle, Jimmy Cope, is well-known in local circles. She married a racer, but when it didn't work out, swore never again. "I stopped going to the races for about two years and was miserable," she said. "But Robbie was different. He used to joke with me about my uncle because he was one of his favorite racers, and we just hit it off. "One (her first husband) took all the money, and he (Storer) makes sure the money's there before we do anything. He considers his family first." They married three months after they met and became a permanent team in 1997. Kim Storer recently left her job as a part-time accountant to watch their children, Brooke, 3, and Chase Robbie, 3 months. Brooke helps as well, when not chasing her black hamster, Earnhardt. While Chase's name suggests he'll follow in dad's footsteps, for now he's content to be Storer's good luck charm -- with dad winning every time he's been at the track. Robbie Storer works as a salesperson with McKesson Drug Company, handling accounts in Plant City and Brandon, but racing is what this duo is about. They work on the cars together during the week, and Kim is the one in the pits steering him from harm's way during races. She keeps lap times to see how Storer and his opponents are running, as well as spreadsheets on tire pressure and temperature. "We don't go out, but we enjoy spending time with our family and being around the track. That's our entertainment," Kim said, smiling. "Our neighbors work on their garden, we work in the garage on the car. That's where we make our money." She also serves as a marketing agent, sending potential sponsors a profile with Storer's accomplishments and what he could do for their business. The slumping economy hasn't helped in their search for a sponsor. But they're confident Storer's break will come if he keeps appearing in the winner's circle. So is Wayne Reutimann, another familiar name in local racing. Reutimann taught Storer in transportation technology -- the modern term for auto shop -- at Zephyrhills High School. He found Storer to be a willing and able student. "Robbie was one of my best students," said Reutimann, who at 56 drives sprint cars for the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association. "He's a real level-headed kid. I've watched him his whole career in Mini Stocks. With the right equipment and somebody with money behind him, he could go all the way. "He was really interested in knowing the mechanical aspects of the car," Reutimann said. "That helps when you move up the ladder so you can tell the crew chief what's wrong with the car. Cars are so much more technical than they used to be." One sponsor has shown interest, says Kim Storer. That would help toward joining the higher-profile Sportsman limited late model class in 2002. It also would help defray the cost of the $20,000 engine needed for his 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix. It costs about $60,000 a year to run a car in the 100-lap Sportsman series, compared to $10,000 in the 25-lap Mini Stocks. But the money is better: $2,000 for winning a Sportsman series race versus $225 for Mini. "Sponsorship is the hardest thing to find," Kim Storer said. "There have been so many companies that have been burned. We know people that have gotten sponsorship money and don't even have race cars." Storer has shown well during limited exposure in the Sportsman class, winning the Coca Cola 100 in '99 at Auburndale. Storer was among only three local racers, yet he won the first-place prize of $2,100. That, and defeating Lakeland legend Joe Nemechek in 1987, are the moments that drive Storer when money is low and the big boys seem far ahead of the field. It's an enthusiasm for racing Storer has had since his father, Bob, put him and Storer's brother, Bryan, in a go-kart at 8. Reutimann said if Storer can make a splash in the Sportsman class, it could be a stepping stone. "He can get noticed at that level because you're more visible," Reutimann said. "That's all he needs."
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