crusapr
02-02-2013, 04:11 AM
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.
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.