By Ben Shelton – Northport, Alabama (02/05/13) – A racing trip that wasn’t even planned until the last minute resulted in Ronny Lee Hollingsworth claiming three wins in five events, and the RockAuto.com Speedweek Championship at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida) with the NeSmith National Late Model Series.
“Our deal came together at the last minute to take our #18 Sparks Motorsports/Barry Wright Race Car to Bubba Raceway Park for the NeSmith Speedweek,” notes Hollingsworth. “We had never seen the place before and to come out of there with three wins and a Speedweek title was unbelievable. We are really excited about heading to East Bay next week for the Lucas Oil Late Model Series races there!”
Below is a blog-style recap of the week’s festivities at Bubba Raceway Park:
January 29th, 2013 – Ronny Lee opened his 2013 season with a bang on Tuesday evening by scoring the $2,000 victory in the opener for the NeSmith Late Model Series at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida)! A stellar field of 67 entries entered the event, and Hollingsworth began his evening by qualifying third fastest in his group to lock into the third starting spot for the first heat race. He quickly found his way into the lead in the heat and went on to claim the heat win to earn the pole starting spot for the 40 lap feature with Jonathan Davenport joining him on the front row. Hollingsworth snagged the lead at the drop of the green flag and went on to lead all 40 laps on his way to his first win of the 2013 season in his #18 Sparks Motorsports/Barry Wright entry! He was followed across the finish line by Kyle Bronson, Jonathon Davenport, Justin McRee, and Jeff Mathews.
January 30th, 2013 – Call it two-for-two as Ronny Lee Hollingsworth claimed his second win in as many nights in the RockAuto.com Speedweek at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida) for the NeSmith National Late Model Series. The $2,000-to-win event drew another stacked field of 66 Super Late Models to the 1/3 mile oval, and Hollingsworth began his night by blazing to fast time honors in his group and overall as the only second in the fourteen second bracket. Via his qualifying effort he earned the pole position for the third heat and raced to the win to lock into the redraw for the feature, where he was the recipient of the third starting spot for the 40 lap feature. As the feature race went green Ronny Lee battled in the top five before mounting a charge to the front, which saw him pass Walker Arthur for the second spot on lap 11. One lap later the leader, Brad Smith, would spin from contention as Hollingsworth inherited the lead. Once out from he cruised to the win, which came by over two second on the field. He was followed across the line by Arthur, Justin McCree, Shan Smith, and Chase Washington.
January 31st, 2013 – Ronny Lee was going for his third win in as many nights on Thursday evening at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida) with the NeSmith Late Model Series, but unfortunately his bid at the feat would come up short after contact late in the feature wounded his entry. Sixty-two Super Late Models were on hand for the $2,000-to-win event, and he started the night by once again setting fast time honors in not only his group but also overall. He went on to win his heat race from the pole and drew the second starting spot alongside pole-sitter, Kyle Bronson. As the 40 lap feature went green Bronson snagged the lead with Hollingsworth in pursuit. Ronny Lee would stalk the leader through traffic before taking over the top spot on lap 15. Hollingsworth led until a lap 29 restart, when contact with Justin McRee brought his night to a disappointing early end in the twenty-fifth position.
February 1st, 2013 – The team looked to bounce back from the heartache from Thursday night’s event on Friday evening, and they would find just the redemption that they were seeking as Ronny Lee scored another $2,000 win at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida) during the RockAuto.com Speedweek. Fifty-seven entries took to the speedway for the event, and in time trials Hollingsworth recorded the fastest time in his group to earn the pole position for the fourth heat race. He went on to win the fourth heat, which locked him into the redraw for the feature, where he was the recipient of the fifth starting spot for the 40 lap finale. As the race went green Ronny Lee began working his way forward, and on lap six he rocketed from the third position to the lead, and once out front never looked back on his way to the victory, which was his third of the season. He was followed across the stripe by Jonathan Davenport, Ronnie Johnson, Tait Davenport, and Ivedent Lloyd Jr.
February 2nd, 2013 – The five race stand at Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, Florida) concluded on Saturday evening with a $3,000-to-win race at the facility, which was sanctioned by the NeSmith Late Model Series. After starting his night by setting fast time around the oval, Ronny Lee won his heat race and drew the one pill to earn the pole starting spot for the 50 lap finale. He was joined on the front row by Justin McRee, and as the race went green it was McRee, who grabbed the lead. Hollingsworth ran second during the early stages of the event before ultimately slipping to a fourth place finish at the checkered flag behind race winner, Ronnie Johnson, McRee, and Walker Arthur.
Despite not winning the race Hollingsworth was honored afterwards for winning the RockAuto.com Speedweek title. He received a $2,000 check as well as multiple product certificates for his efforts. Full results from the event are available at www.NeSmithRacing.com.
Ronny Lee now turns his attention to his first-ever laps at East Bay Raceway Park (Gibsonton, Florida) during the annual Winternationals in February with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS). With six big events held during the February 11th-16th window Hollingsworth hopes to add to his early season win tally. For more information on the events please visit www.LucasDirt.com .
Keep track of Ronny Lee Hollingsworth and his 2013 adventures at www.HollingsworthMotorsports.com . A redesigned website will be launched in the coming weeks.
Ronny Lee Hollingsworth would like to thank all of his sponsors including Sparks Motorsports, NXS Powerline, PJH Enterprises, Ellis Certified Welding, Pioneer Roofing, Xtreme Graphics by J-Rod, Kelly Electrical Contractors, Ohlins, Stealth Carburetors, Tiger Rear Ends, Bell Helmets, Hooker Harness, PRC, TWM, Peterson, Brake Man, Etheride Race Parts, Wiles Drive Shafts, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services..
For more information on Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, please visit www.HollingsworthMotorsports.com .