OCALA, FL – Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL returned to familiar ground on Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park as he pulled his Sparks Motorsports Special into victory lane for the third time in four nights after winning the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering 40-lap main event.
Hollingsworth started fifth and worked his way to the front of the pack to take the lead on the sixth lap. Right Foot Ronny then held off a late race challenge from Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA to take the $2,000 victory.
“We’ve been good here since we unloaded for practice on Monday, and tonight we just tried to stay out of trouble in the early laps,” Hollingsworth said. “Once we took the lead we were committed to the bottom of the race track. I got into Davenport one time, and I apologize for that, but I guess that’s just part of racing trying to hold your ground.”
Davenport took the second spot in the AES Racing Special for his best finish in four NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering races this week. Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN finished third for the second straight night in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special.
Tait Davenport of Benton, KY claimed the fourth spot in the Murtco Special. Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, FL started 17th and finished fifth in the Harrod Logging Special to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award. Joey Coulter of Concord, NC was sixth in the Wolfpack Racing Rocket.
John Over of Uniontown, PA drove the K2 Engineering Warrior to a seventh-place finish and Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL took the eighth spot in the High Roller Race Cars Special. Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS finished ninth in the Lamar Auto Salvage GRT, and Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL rounded out the top ten in the Brandon Ford Warrior.
The early laps of the race were wild and action-packed with two first-lap multi-car tangles necessitating two complete restarts. The first accident took place in turn four that sent the Outlaw Race Parts TNT driven by Shan Smith of Dade City, FL and the Custom Spraying GRT driven by Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS to the pit area.
The second pile-up coming off the fourth turn on the complete restart sent Jeff Smith of Chatsworth, GA in the Bilstein Shocks Warrior and Walker Arthur of Forest, VA in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special to the sidelines and out of the race.
The field went green for the third time and polesitter Mike Pegher Jr. of Cranberry, PA in the 1 Cochran Rocket took the lead followed by Tait Davenport, Coulter and Hollingsworth. On lap two, Hollingsworth moved up to the third spot getting around Coulter. The third caution flag of the race came out on lap three when Jeff Mathews of Valrico, FL spun the CURS Warrior in turn four.
The caution was brought out for the fourth time on the restart when Jason Fitzgerald of Middleburg, FL in the M&M Transport Refrigeration GRT, Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL, and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion and point leader coming into the race, David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN tangled in turn four.
Fitzgerald and Smith were done for the night, and Gentry lost five laps in the pit area making repairs to the Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior. Gentry came back and salvaged an 18th-place finish, but he lost the point lead. That misfortune earned Gentry the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
The double-file restart was waved for the next restart, but the single-file order didn’t slow Hollingsworth down in his mission to the front of the pack. On the sixth lap, Hollingsworth passed Tait Davenport for the second spot going into turn one, and then grabbed the lead from Pegher coming off the fourth turn.
Johnson was also on the move, as he moved up to the second spot on lap seven, and began to chase down Hollingsworth, as the leader began to encounter lapped traffic on lap nine. Jonathan Davenport had moved up to fourth from his tenth starting spot by lap ten, and passed Pegher for third on lap 17.
Jonathan Davenport got inside Johnson in turn one on lap 22 to take over the second spot, and Tait Davenport moved past Johnson on lap 24 to take over the third spot. Jonathan Davenport closed to within one car length of Hollingsworth on lap 29, and on the next lap tried to get inside of the leader in turn one.
Hollingsworth shut the door on Davenport, who had to slam on the brakes to keep from getting into the back of Hollingsworth, who pulled out to a four car-length advantage going down the backstretch.
The caution light was turned on for the fifth time on lap 33 when Pegher and Mack McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN in the McCarter Lumber CVR, who were battling for the sixth spot, tangled on the front stretch. Pegher was done for the night, and McCarter was ticketed for the caution. McCarter was able to rally back for a 12th-place finish and the Rookie of the Race Award.
Ryan Montgomery of Fairmont, WV took over the sixth spot for the restart after starting 23rd in the Central Supply Warrior. Montgomery brought out the final caution flag of the race when he spun in turn four on the restart. Montgomery would hustle back through the field and salvage an 11th-place finish.
The line-up for the eight-lap dash to the finish saw Hollingsworth leading Jonathan Davenport, Tait Davenport, Johnson, Coulter, Lloyd, Over, McRee, Blount, and Mathews down to the green flag. Johnson would get to the inside on Tait Davenport going down the front straightaway on lap 34 to reclaim the third spot.
With five laps to go, Hollingsworth held a five car-length advantage over Jonathan Davenport, and he would go on to take the win with a .697 margin of victory. Lloyd got by Coulter for the fifth spot on the final lap, and Bronson would charge up into the top ten.
In preliminary action, Coulter out-timed the 57-car field with a lap in 14.774 seconds to take the Smiley’s Racing Products Fast Time Award. The six ten-lap Heat Races were won by Pegher, Adkins, Coulter, Hollingsworth, Tait Davenport, and Johnson.
The three 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN in the Wade’s Body Shop Special, McCarter, and Bronson. Greg Robertson of Waynesboro, VA won the ten-lap Last Chance Race in the Wynbridge Rocket.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering finale will take place at Bubba Raceway Park on Saturday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win main event. The $10,000 Speedweeks point fund that will reward the top 30 drivers in points will also be decided.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing. Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 2/1/13:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 5 18h Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL 40 $2,000
2. 10 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA 40 $1,000
3. 4 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $700
4. 2 18d Tait Davenport Benton, KY 40 $550
5. 17 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr. Ocala, FL 40 $600
6. 3 2c Joey Coulter Concord, NC 40 $425
7. 8 K2 John Over Uniontown, PA 40 $375
8. 7 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL 40 $350
9. 14 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 40 $325
10. 21 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL 40 $300
11. 23 12 Ryan Montgomery Fairmont, WV 40 $275
12. 20 51 Mack McCarter (R) Gatlinburg, TN 40 $250
13. 25 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $225
14. 22 33 Jeff Mathews Valrico, FL 40 $200
15. 19 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN 40 $175
16. 18 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 39 $150
17. 12 110 Brent Barrett (R) Cleveland, MS 37 $140
18. 15 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 35 $125
19. 1 1c Mike Pegher Jr. Cranberry, PA 32 $125
20. 26 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 30 $125
21. 24 11k Austin Kirkpatrick (R) Ocala, FL 30 $125
22. 27 73 Greg Robertson Waynesboro, VA 8 $125
23. 16 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL 3 $125
24. 13 7 Jason Fitzgerald Middleburg, FL 2 $125
25. 6 19 Josh Adkins (R) Talladega, AL 2 $125
26. 9 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA 0 $125
27. 11 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA 0 $125
ENTRANTS: 57
SMILEY’S RACING PRODUCTS FAST QUALIFIER: Coulter, 14.774 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Turner and Edge
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Pegher, 1-5; Hollingsworth, 6-40
LAPS LED: Hollingsworth, 35; Pegher, 5
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE AWARD: Lloyd (started 17th and finished 5th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: McCarter
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Gentry
PRC JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Chase Washington
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Lloyd
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Coulter
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Over
RACECAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: McRee
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Blount
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Bronson
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Montgomery
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: McCarter
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD: Mathews
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD: Teague
AR BODIES 16TH-PLACE AWARD: Harrod
CAUTIONS: 6
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .697 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 51 Minutes and 2.530 Seconds
SMILEY’S RACING PRODUCTS QUALIFYING:
GROUP 1:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL HRRC 15.390 15.048 15.048
2 1c Mike Pegher Jr. Cranberry, PA Rocket 15.505 15.337 15.337
3 7f Jason Fitzgerald Middleburg, FL GRT 15.576 15.392 15.392
4 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN Bloomquist 15.528 15.517 15.517
5 73 Greg Robertson Waynesboro, VA Rocket 15.705 15.561 15.561
6 11p Jorden Peters Fort Erie, ON CAN Rocket 15.588 15.664 15.588
7 21k Kelly Walker Moultrie, GA Mastersbilt 15.752 15.930 15.752
8 D2 Noland Dalton Morgantown, WV Warrior 15.780 15.980 15.780
9 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 15.899 15.869 15.869
10 33 Jeff Mathews Valrico, FL Warrior 16.097 16.105 16.097
GROUP 2:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 19 Josh Adkins – R Talladega, AL Barry Wright 15.131 15.041 15.041
2 K2 John Over Uniontown, PA Warrior 15.569 15.350 15.350
3 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS GRT 15.963 15.672 15.672
4 21f Todd Frank Mellen, WI Rocket 16.029 15.764 15.764
5 38 Chase Washington Houlka, MS Barry Wright 15.870 15.772 15.772
6 14 Johnny Collins Jacksonville, FL Mastersbilt 15.821 15.915 15.821
7 4g Bob Gardner Metamora, IL Rayburn 16.725 15.868 15.868
8 27L Michael Lake Uniontown, PA Warrior 16.137 16.306 16.137
9 91 Billy Tedford Thaxton, MS Trak-Star 16.668 17.056 16.668
GROUP 3:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 2c Joey Coulter Concord, NC Rocket 15.103 14.774 14.774
2 7k Jak Kicklighter Savannah, GA Barry Wright 15.015 14.928 14.928
3 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA Mastersbilt 15.279 15.059 15.059
4 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN Warrior 15.397 15.205 15.205
5 21m Cody Martin – R Christiana, TN Warrior 15.529 15.238 15.238
6 68 Brad Smith Clemmons, NC Lazer 15.408 15.312 15.312
7 12 Ryan Montgomery Fairmont, WV Warrior 15.317 15.491 15.317
8 2s Andrew Satterlee Rochester Mills, PA Rocket 15.427 15.383 15.383
9 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 15.469 15.511 15.469
10 24 Mark Tice Avon, MS Mastersbilt 15.582 15.504 15.504
GROUP 4:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 18h Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL Barry Wright 14.930 14.909 14.909
2 1p Darren Peters Fort Erie, ON CAN Rocket 15.303 15.171 15.171
3 54 Dalton Myers Riverview, FL Snow Bros. 15.535 15.338 15.338
4 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA Barry Wright 15.762 15.463 15.463
5 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL TNT 15.559 15.916 15.559
6 C11 Cliff Williams Star, MS Trak-Star 16.139 15.575 15.575
7 51 Mack McCarter – R Gatlinburg, TN CVR 15.732 NT 15.732
8 19m Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 16.032 15.796 15.796
9 311 Kenneth Monahan – R Lakeland, FL CVR 15.843 15.898 15.843
GROUP 5:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 18d Tait Davenport Benton, KY Longhorn 15.246 15.217 15.217
2 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr. Ocala, FL Scorpion 15.443 15.219 15.219
3 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA Warrior 15.461 15.227 15.227
4 11k Austin Kirkpatrick – R Ocala, FL Barry Wright 15.303 15.262 15.262
5 29 Jason Welshan Maryville, TN Mastersbilt 15.611 15.338 15.338
6 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV Warrior 15.624 15.371 15.371
7 25B Greg Belyea Frankford, ON CAN Rocket 15.466 15.558 15.466
8 2 Marty Hardy Biloxi, MS GRT 15.756 15.648 15.648
9 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS GRT 15.809 15.906 15.809
10 97 David McDonald Brighton, ONT Can Rocket 16.174 15.857 15.857
GROUP 6:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 110 Brent Barrett – R Cleveland, MS GRT 15.482 15.311 15.311
2 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL Warrior 15.401 15.312 15.312
3 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 15.345 15.489 15.345
4 22 Cecil Eunice Blackshear, GA Snow Bros. 15.486 15.596 15.486
5 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Rocket 15.623 15.552 15.552
6 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA Scorpion 15.672 15.711 15.672
7 3 Phillip Pittman Vidalia, GA Rocket 15.819 15.748 15.748
8 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA Stinger 16.220 15.998 15.998
9 72 Frank Wilson Harold, FL Trak-Star 16.952 18.342 16.952
HEAT RACES (10 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. Pegher; 2. McRee; 3. Fitzgerald; 4. Teague; 5. Mathews; 6. Robertson; 7. Dalton; 8. Edge; 9. J. Peters; 10. Walker.
2ND HEAT: 1. Adkins (R); 2. Over; 3. Blount; 4. Washington; 5. Frank; 6. Gardner; 7. Collins; 8. Lake; 9. Tedford.
3RD HEAT: 1. Coulter; 2. Arthur; 3. Gentry; 4. Tice; 5. Martin (R); 6. Stokes; 7. B. Smith; 8. Montgomery; 9. Kicklighter; 10. Satterlee.
4TH HEAT: 1. Hollingsworth; 2. J. Davenport; 3. S. Smith; 4. McCarter (R); 5. Williams; 6. D. Peters; 7. Myers; 8. Minga; 9. Monahan (R).
5TH HEAT: 1. T. Davenport; 2. J. Smith; 3. Lloyd; 4. Kirkpatrick (R); 5. Horton; 6. Lee; 7. Belyea; 8. Welshan; 9. Hardy; 10. McDonald.
6TH HEAT: 1. Johnson; 2. Barrett; 3. Harrod; 4. Turner; 5. Bronson; 6. Cooper; 7. Pittman; 8. Eunice; 9. Wilson.
B-MAIN RACES (12 Laps – Top 2 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST B-MAIN: 1. Teague; 2. Mathews; 3. Washington; 4. Robertson; 5. Gardner; 6. Collins; 7. Dalton; 8. Lake; 9. Edge; 10. Walker; 11. Frank; 12. J. Peters; 13. Tedford DNS.
2ND B-MAIN: 1. McCarter; 2. Montgomery; 3. D. Peters; 4. Martin (R); 5. Myers; 6. Williams; 7. Stokes; 8. Monahan (R); 9. Tice; 10. B. Smith; 11. Minga; 12. Kicklighter DNS; 13. Satterlee DNS.
3RD B-MAIN: 1. Bronson; 2. Kirkpatrick (R); 3. Lee; 4. Welshan; 5. Belyea; 6. Eunice; 7. Cooper; 8. Pittman; 9. Wilson; 10. Turner; 11. Horton; 12. Hardy; 13. McDonald.
LAST CHANCE RACE (10 Laps – Winner Transfers To Main Event): 1. Robertson; 2. Welshan; 3. Washington; 4. Myers; 5. Lee; 6. Belyea; 7. Gardner; 8. D. Peters; 9. Martin (R) DNS; 10. Collins DNS; 11. Williams DNS; 12. Eunice DNS.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 2/1/13 (Based On Best 3 of 4 Races):
1. 18h Ronny Lee Hollingsworth – 300
2. 49 Jonathan Davenport – 278
3. 40b Kyle Bronson – 276
4. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 276
5. 25 Justin McRee – 270
6. 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr. – 266
7. 56 David Earl Gentry – 262
8. 12 Ryan Montgomery – 250
9. 33 Jeff Mathews – 244
10. 17ss Shan Smith – 228
11. 51 Mack McCarter (R) – 226
12. 117 Jake Teague – 226
13. 11 Doug Horton – 224
14. 2c Joey Coulter – 222
15. 87 Walker Arthur – 216
16. 10 Matthew Turner – 212
17. 18d Tait Davenport – 212
18. 11k Austin Kirkpatrick (R) – 212
19. 110 Brent Barrett (R) – 210
20. 7 Jason Fitzgerald – 210
ROCK AUTO.COM SPEEDWEEKS PRESENTED BY RACECAR ENGINEERING POINT STANDINGS AFTER 4 OF 5 RACES:
1. 49 Jonathan Davenport – 356
2. 18h Ronny Lee Hollingsworth – 352
3. 40b Kyle Bronson – 328
4. 56 David Earl Gentry – 326
5. 25 Justin McRee – 326
6. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 324
7. 21 Ivedent Lloyd – 320
8. 12 Ryan Montgomery – 298
9. 17ss Shan Smith – 280
10. 33 Jeff Mathews – 280
11. 10 Matthew Turner – 272
12. 51 Mack McCarter (R) – 272
13. 110 Brent Barrett (R) – 270
14 2c Joey Coulter – 268
15. 11 Doug Horton – 258
16. 117 Jake Teague – 256
17. 27 Larry Harrod – 252
18. 18d Tait Davenport – 252
19. 11k Austin Kirkpatrick (R) – 248
20. 87 Walker Arthur – 246
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain and Performance Dealer six years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hedman Hedders is the Official Hedder of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and the Hedman Husler Award sponsor. Bilstein Shocks is the Official Spec Shock of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Old Man’s Garage is the sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Old Man’s Garage Weekly Racing Series. RockAuto.com and VP Racing Fuels are Official Sponsors of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2013 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC, Stealth Racing Carburetors, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Schoenfeld Headers, J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment, Kinser Air Filters, AR Bodies, Velocita Racewear, and Performance Rod & Custom. 2013 Chassis Sponsors are Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, Stinger Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars.
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PHOTO CUTLINES:
Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL celebrates his third NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win in four nights in the Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering on Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL. (Trace Crisp Photo)
