Another year of racing has finally begun for Robbie Murphy. After four weeks of rain and canceled races, we got perfect weather to spend the day at the race track. This was the first of four planned races that we'll run this year. We arrived at our home track, Seekonk Speedway, ready to roll.

Because of rule changes this year, the intake manifold needed to be replaced. After spending close to eight hours replacing it last week, and having the race canceled, Robbie was anxious to get out on the track and give it a test run.

We started the heat race in last position. Once that green flag fell, Robbie quickly passed the first car and was gaining on the next. After trying a time or two to get under that car, he decided to go high and made a beautiful clean pass on the outside. The heat race is only 12 laps long and although he caught the next group of cars, there weren't enough laps to make a move.

The feature race was exciting as always. Robbie started in 20th position in a field of 24. This put him in the outside groove. In almost a repeat performance of the heat race, Robbie immediately passed the two cars in front of him.

After several laps behind the #36 of Ron St. Pierre, Robbie ended up bumping into the rear end of the car, and the bumpers locked. After two laps, looking like what some called "a chariot race," they separated the cars.

Unfortunately for Robbie, it meant that his bumper, nose and part of a fender were destroyed and hanging off the side of the car. He had to leave the track and head into the pits. The guys in the pit made quick work of pulling off the damaged pieces and getting the #13 back out on the track before the next green flag fell.

Starting in the back of the pack, with no bumper, Robbie patiently made his way around several cars and had worked his way back up to 20th position when an accident in the front of the pack caught up half the field. Robbie managed to get by the wreckage on the inside and came out of it in a top 10 position for the restart.

When the leaders jumped the start, they threw out the caution and caused contact among several of the cars as some stopped more quickly than others. When the race got underway, we were in ninth and looking for eighth, when slowly we started to lose ground.

Two cars managed to pass us before the smoke started to billow from the left front tire area. Apparently we had suffered some damage in that crunch fest. Robbie had to head to the pits four laps before the end of the race, giving us an 18th place finish for the night.

It was rough and tumble and just like Seekonk. Some things never change. But we're very much looking forward to our next trip to the races.

Cyndi Lagasse is the sister of BI's Robbie Murphy who races the red #13 car.