By Ben Deatherage
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 29, 2025) — Florida racer Robbie Throop capped a breakout 2025 campaign by claiming the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite Rookie of the Year title, the culmination of a season built on determination, family effort, and redemption. The 22-year-old from West Palm Beach opened the year with a devastating crash during a Georgia event that destroyed his race car before the season had even begun in earnest. But the setback only fueled the drive of the Tuff Solutions/Anthony Long Fence Contracting/Smokin Joe’s Race Engines no. 55 Joker Chassis team.
Backed by his mother Wendy, father Steve, cousin Andrew, uncle Scott, and grandfather Ronnie, the Throop family rallied to rebuild the car in time for the Sugar Bowl Nationals at Hendry County Motorsports Park, Robbie’s home track.
“This was a great season even though it started off rough,” Throop said. “We were able to bounce back, keep our heads up, and just keep working. The people around me never gave up, and that made all the difference.”
Throop’s early-season perseverance set the tone for a year that would see him visit victory lane five times and earn podium finishes in 14 of 28 starts, along with 19 top-five finishes and 24 top-tens across his rookie campaign.
His success came primarily on familiar Florida clay, where he built dominance at Hendry County Motorsports Park and Ocala Speedway. He collected three wins at Hendry County, on January 18, April 19, and May 3, and two more at Ocala, on May 31 and August 9, sweeping Hendry’s spring program and capturing the track championship at both venues.
Between April and early July, Throop went on a nine-race top-five streak, a run that included podiums at Clayhill Motorsports Park, where he finished second and third on July 4–5, and another at Tennessee National Raceway. His consistency extended across the Southeast, with additional podiums at Clarksville Speedway on June 29, Duck River Raceway Park on August 1, and a strong second-place finish in his Hendry County finale on September 27.
The 2025 season also carried a sentimental twist. Robbie’s older brother, Stevie Throop, earned the same Rookie of the Year honor in 2023 before stepping away to pursue medical studies at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Robbie and Stevie remain the only Floridians to have ever captured the national rookie title since the division joined Speedway Motors IMCA sanctioning in 2021.
The 2025 campaign was one to remember for Throop, who captured track championships at both Hendry County Motorsports Park and Ocala Speedway, along with the Florida State IMCA Championship and the National Rookie of the Year crown, finishing sixth in the national standings.
“None of this would’ve happened without my family,” Throop said. “They’ve been behind me since the beginning, whether it was late nights in the shop or long tows to races. We kept learning every week and just tried to get better every time out.”
Feature Wins 5
Total Top Five’s 19
Total Starts 28
His Crew: dad Steve, mom Wendy, Scott Purdy
His Sponsors: Tuff Solutions, Joker Chassis, Anthony Long Fence Contracting, Smokin Joes Race Engines, Crutchfield Performance, Property Transfer Title Services Inc., Checkmark Collections, and Advantage Benefits Team