OCALA, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL survived a wild NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap main event on Thursday night to win the Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering event at Bubba Raceway Park. Bronson swapped the lead on several occasions before taking the $2,000 win driving the Brandon Ford Warrior.

Bronson led the first 14 laps of the race before dropping back to the fourth spot, but he rallied back to survive a tangle in front of him between the top two cars. That incident led to Bronson reclaiming the lead on lap 32.

Bronson then held off a challenge from two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN to take his first series career win with a 1.216 second margin of victory. Bronson finished second in the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering event on Tuesday night.

“There were slid jobs being thrown all over the place tonight, so when I saw how we were going to race, I got in there with them,” Bronson said. “There is some great competition here, so it feels great to win and we’re looking forward to the rest of the week.”

Gentry finished second in the Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior to give the Knoxville-based chassis manufacturer a one-two finish. Gentry also took over the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point lead after the first three races of the 2013 season. Gentry had a ninth-place finish on Tuesday night and an eighth-place finish on Wednesday night.

National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN took the third spot after a high-riding late-race charge in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special. Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV had his best finish of the week with a fourth-place effort in the Mainland Transport Warrior.

Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, FL drove the Harrod Logging Special to a fifth-place finish, and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA started 23rd and finished sixth in the AES Racing Special to claim the Hedman Husler Hard Charger of the Race Award. Davenport moved up to second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series standings, two points behind Gentry.

NASCAR Trucker and Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter of Concord, NC was seventh in the
Wolfpack Racing Rocket, and Ryan Montgomery of Fairmont, WV took the eighth spot in the Central Supply Warrior. Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS finished ninth in the Billy Riels Racing GRT, and Jason Welshan of Maryville, TN rounded out the top ten in the Competition Racing Equipment Special.

Bronson drew the pole position for the main event after winning the sixth ten-lap heat race. At the drop of the green flag, Bronson took the lead followed by Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL in the Sparks Motorsports Special, Horton, Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL in the High Roller Race Cars Special, and Darren Peters of Fort Erie, ON Canada in the Billy Bones Bar-B-Que Rocket.

Horton was the early race mover and shaker, as he passed Hollingsworth for the second spot coming off the fourth turn on lap two. Horton chased down Bronson on lap seven and began to challenge for the lead when the lead duo reached the cars on the tail of the lead lap on the eighth tour.

The lead was exchanged on lap 12 when Horton drove under Bronson in turn one, but Bronson came off the second turn with a run on Horton to reclaim the point going down the backstretch. While Bronson tried to work lapped traffic on the bottom groove of the track, Hollingsworth went to the outside and got a run on the lead duo.

Hollingsworth sailed around the outside of Horton for second on lap 14 in turn three, and on lap 15, the high-flying Hollingsworth went around Bronson in turn four to take the lead in quest of his third straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win at Bubba Raceway Park.

McRee picked up his pace on lap 17 when he dove under Horton in turn three to take the third spot, One lap later, McRee got by Bronson for the second position, and Horton also got by Bronson, dropping him back to fourth. The first of four caution flags came out on lap 19 when John Over of Uniontown, PA nosed the K2 Engineering Warrior into the front straightaway wall.

Hollingsworth led the doubled up McRee, Horton, Bronson, and Gentry back to green flag action. Bronson passed both Horton and McRee on the restart to move back up to the second spot, but McRee would take the position back on lap 20 by passing Bronson going down the backstretch. Horton was still in the fight, as he passed Bronson for third on lap 28.

The second caution flag of the race came out on lap 29 when defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA stalled the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Special in turn four. The double-file restart order saw Hollingsworth leading McRee, Horton, Bronson and Gentry back to the green flag, and lead quartet would get busy in short order.

McRee challenged Hollingsworth for the lead going into turn one on lap 31, but they tangled coming off turn two, and Hollingsworth spun to the infield on the backstretch. That brought out the caution flag and gave McRee the lead. Gentry moved up to the second spot for the restart followed by Bronson, Horton and Coulter.

Bronson turned up the wick on the restart by getting around Gentry for the second spot, and moved right up to challenge McRee for the lead. Larry Harrod of Plains, GA stalled the Harrod Logging Special in turn four on lap 32 to bring out the fourth and final caution flag.

While the field circled the track under caution, something broke on McRee’s race car and forced him to give up the lead and head to the pit area. This misfortune earned McRee the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Bronson was once again in the lead followed by Gentry, Horton, Lloyd, Coulter and Johnson.

Johnson was ready to put on a show to heat up a chilly evening when the field went back to green flag racing for a nine lap dash to the finish. Johnson went to the outside and passed Coulter for the fifth spot on the restart. Lap 33 saw Johnson sail around the outside of Lloyd for the fourth spot, and he made the same move on Horton for third on lap 37.

Meanwhile at the front of the pack, Gentry tried to get inside Bronson to challenge for the lead in the closing laps of the race, but Bronson would pull away with five laps to go, and hang on for the win.

In preliminary action, Hollingsworth out-qualified the 62-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 Horton, Peters, Hollingsworth, Montgomery, McRee and Bronson. The three 12-lap B-Main races were won by Lloyd, Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS in the Custom Spraying GRT, and Lee. Over won the ten-lap Last Chance Race.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rock Auto.com Speedweeks Presented By Racecar Engineering at Bubba Raceway Park continues on Friday night with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap main event.

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 3 AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 1/31/13:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL 40 $2,000
2. 8 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 40 $1,000
3. 16 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $700
4. 3 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 40 $550
5. 19 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr. Ocala, FL 40 $500
6. 23 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA 40 $525
7. 7 2c Joey Coulter Concord, NC 40 $375
8. 6 12 Ryan Montgomery Fairmont, WV 40 $350
9. 21 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 40 $325
10. 24 29 Jason Welshan Maryville, TN 40 $300
11. 15 51 Mack McCarter Gatlinburg, TN 40 $275
12. 11 54 Dalton Myers Riverview, FL 40 $250
13. 9 11k Austin Kirkpatrick (R) Ocala, FL 40 $225
14. 14 7 Jason Fitzgerald Middleburg, FL 40 $200
15. 26 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $175
16. 20 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS 40 $150
17. 5 1p Darren Peters Fort Erie, ON CAN 40 $140
18. 25 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 40 $125
19. 10 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 39 $125
20. 18 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 38 $125
21. 17 3 Phillip Pittman Vidalia, GA 37 $125
22. 4 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL 31 $125
23. 13 19 Josh Atkins (R) Talladega, AL 31 $125
24. 12 1c Mike Pegher Jr. Cranberry, PA 30 $125
25. 2 18 Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL 29 $125
26. 27 K2 John Over Uniontown, PA 17 $125
27. 22 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL 11 $125

ENTRIES: 62
SMILEY’S RACING PRODUCTS FAST QUALIFIER: Hollingsworth, 14-774 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Harrod and Stokes
LEAD CHANGES: 3
LAP LEADERS: Bronson, 1-14; Hollingsworth, 15-29; McRee, 30-31; Bronson, 32-40
LAPS LED: Bronson, 23; Hollingsworth, 15; McRee, 2
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE: Davenport (started 23rd and finished 6th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Kirkpatrick
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: McRee
PRC JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Tait Davenport
RACECAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Lloyd
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Davenport
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Coulter
RACECAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Montgomery
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Welshan
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: McCarter
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Myers
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD: Kirkpatrick
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD: Fitzgerald
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD: Stokes
AR BODIES 16TH-PLACE AWARD: Barrett
CAUTIONS: 4
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.216 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 31 Minutes and 34.045 Seconds

SMILEY’S RACING PRODUCTS QUALIFYING:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV Warrior 15.433 15.365 15.365
2 2c Joey Coulter Concord, NC Rocket 16.065 15.561 15.561
3 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL TNT 15.621 15.657 15.621
4 19 Josh Adkins – R Talladega, AL Barry Wright 15.623 16.084 15.623
5 25B Greg Belyea Frankford, ON CAN Rocket 15.693 15.644 15.644
6 K2 John Over Uniontown, PA Warrior 15.835 15.689 15.689
7 27L Michael Lake Uniontown, PA Warrior 16.143 15.691 15.691
8 14 Johnny Collins Jacksonville, FL Mastersbilt 15.826 15.777 15.777
9 33s Sid Scarbrough Florence, MS Barry Wright 16.272 15.842 15.842
10 D2 Noland Dalton Morgantown, WV Warrior 16.004 15.882 15.882
11 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Rocket 16.040 16.054 16.040

GROUP 2:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 1p Darren Peters Fort Erie, ON CAN Rocket 15.122 15.696 15.122
2 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN Warrior 15.750 15.274 15.274
3 C11 Cliff Williams Star, MS Trak-Star 15.452 15.312 15.312
4 7f Jason Fitzgerald Middleburg, FL GRT 15.375 15.333 15.333
5 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN Bloomquist 15.350 15.424 15.350
6 38 Chase Washington Houlka, MS Barry Wright 15.386 15.508 15.386
7 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr. Ocala, FL Scorpion 15.550 15.505 15.505
8 18d Tait Davenport Benton, KY Longhorn 15.875 15.682 15.682
9 7k Jak Kicklighter Savannah, GA Barry Wright 15.907 15.712 15.712
10 97 David McDonald Brighton, ONT Can Rocket 16.317 15.926 15.926
11 22 Cecil Eunice Blackshear, GA Snow Bros. 16.159 16.036 16.036

GROUP 3:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 18h Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL Barry Wright 15.015 14.774 14.774
2 11k Austin Kirkpatrick – R Ocala, FL Barry Wright 15.249 15.161 15.161
3 51 Mack McCarter Gatlinburg, TN CVR 15.729 15.391 15.391
4 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS GRT 15.450 15.487 15.450
5 311 Kenneth Monahan – R Lakeland, FL CVR 15.696 15.451 15.451
6 2s Andrew Satterlee Rochester Mills, PA Rocket 15.631 15.534 15.534
7 21m Cody Martin – R Christiana, TN Warrior 15.809 15.547 15.547
8 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL Warrior 15.592 15.582 15.582
9 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA Bloomquist 15.712 15.624 15.624
10 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 15.712 15.732 15.712

GROUP 4:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 12 Ryan Montgomery Fairmont, WV Warrior 15.337 15.056 15.056
2 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS GRT 15.218 15.205 15.205
3 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA Mastersbilt 15.243 15.278 15.243
4 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 15.610 15.304 15.304
5 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 15.395 15.424 15.395
6 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA Warrior 15.786 15.455 15.455
7 9 Ches Chester Twin City, GA Barry Wright 15.829 15.522 15.522
8 51p John Polasini Leland, MS Mastersbilt 15.666 15.681 15.666
9 33 Jeff Mathews Valrico, FL Warrior 15.667 15.882 15.667
10 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA Scorpion 15.974 15.922 15.922

GROUP 5:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL HRRC 14.838 14.924 14.838
2 3 Phillip Pittman Vidalia, GA Rocket 15.259 15.095 15.095
3 54 Dalton Myers Riverview, FL Snow Bros. 15.927 15.213 15.213
4 11p Jorden Peters Fort Erie, ON CAN Rocket 15.527 15.284 15.284
5 73 Greg Robertson Waynesboro, VA Rocket 15.319 15.630 15.319
6 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS GRT 15.524 15.366 15.366
7 24 Mark Tice Avon, MS Mastersbilt 15.606 15.558 15.558
8 4g Bob Gardner Metamora, IL Rayburn 15.620 16.152 15.620
9 1s Jeremy Shaw – R Millport, AL Trak-Star 15.840 15.889 15.840
10 68 Brad Smith Clemmons, NC Lazer NT NT NT

GROUP 6:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 1c Mike Pegher Jr. Cranberry, PA Rocket 15.292 14.989 14.989
2 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL Warrior 15.192 15.147 15.147
3 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA Stinger 15.721 15.268 15.268
4 29 Jason Welshan Maryville, TN Mastersbilt 15.433 15.324 15.324
5 R1 Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN Mastersbilt 15.358 15.955 15.358
6 94 Wendell Chavous – R Hephzibah, GA Barry Wright 15.714 15.631 15.631
7 19m Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 15.891 16.022 15.891
8 91 Billy Tedford Thaxton, MS Trak-Star 15.903 16.119 15.903
9 72 Frank Wilson Harold, FL Trak-Star 16.899 16.061 16.061
10 7h Billy Holmes Groveland, FL Mastersbilt 18.078 18.255 18.078

HEAT RACES (10 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Horton; 2. Coulter; 3. Adkins (R); 4. Over; 5. S. Smith; 6. Belyea; 7. Lake; 8. Collins; 9. Cooper; 10. Scarbrough; 11. Dalton.

2ND HEAT: 1. D. Peters; 2. Gentry; 3. Fitzgerald; 4. Lloyd; 5. Williams; 6. Teague; 7. Washington; 8. T. Davenport; 9. Kicklighter; 10. Eunice; 11. McDonald.

3RD HEAT: 1. Hollingsworth; 2. Kirkpatrick (R); 3. McCarter; 4. Blount; 5. J. Davenport; 6. Satterlee; 7. Martin (R); 8. Monahan (R); 9. Stokes; 10. Knowles.

4TH HEAT: 1. Montgomery; 2. Edge; 3. Johnson; 4. Barrett; 5. Mathews; 6. Harrod; 7. Chester; 8. Polasini; 9. J. Smith; 10. Arthur.

5TH HEAT: 1. McRee; 2. Myers; 3. Pittman; 4. Lee; 5. J. Peters; 6. Robertson; 7. Tice; 8. Gardner; 9. Shaw (R); 10. B. Smith DNS.

6TH HEAT: 1. Bronson; 2. Pegher; 3. Turner; 4. Hickman; 5. Welshan; 6. Tedford; 7. Holmes; 8. Minga; 9. Wendell Chavous (R) DNS; 10. Wilson DNS.

B-MAINS (12 Laps – Top 2 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Lloyd; 2. S. Smith; 3. Over; 4. T. Davenport; 5. Collins; 6. Williams; 7. Kicklighter; 8. Belyea; 9. Lake; 10. Cooper; 11. McDonald; 12. Teague; 13. Scarbrough; 14. Dalton; 15. Eunice; 16. Washington.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Barrett; 2. J. Davenport; 3. Blount; 4. Harrod; 5. Satterlee; 6. Martin (R); 7. Monahan (R); 8. J. Smith; 9. Stokes; 10. Chester; 11. Mathews; 12. Polasini DNS; 13. Knowles DNS; 14. Arthur DNS.

3RD B-MAIN: 1. Lee; 2. Welshan; 3. J. Peters; 4. Gardner; 5. Tedford; 6. Wilson; 7. Holmes; 8. Hickman; 9. Shaw (R); 10. Tice; 11. Robertson DNS; 12. Minga DNS; 13. Chavous (R) DNS; 14. B. Smith DNS.

LAST CHANCE RACE (10 Laps – Winner Transfers To Main Event): 1. Over; 2. J. Peters; 3. Blount; 4. Collins; 5. Gardner; 6. Satterlee; 7. Davenport; 8. Monahan (R); 9. Tedford DNS; 10. Williams DNS; 11. Martin (R) DNS; 12. Wilson DNS.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 1/31/13:

1. 56 David Earl Gentry – 262
2. 49 Jonathan Davenport – 260
3. 18 Ronny Lee Hollingsworth – 252
4. 40b Kyle Bronson – 248
5. 25 Justin McRee – 242
6. 21 Ivedent Lloyd – 230
7. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 230
8. 17ss Shan Smith – 224
9. 11 Doug Horton – 224
10. 12 Ryan Montgomery – 220
11. 33 Jeff Mathews – 208
12. 110 Brent Barrett – 204
13. 10 Matthew Turner – 198
14. 51 Mack McCarter – 196
15. 87 Walker Arthur – 194
16. 11k Austin Kirkpatrick (R) – 190
17. 29 Jason Welshan – 190
18. 47 Shannon Lee – 190
19. 117 Jake Teague – 186
20 7 Jason Fitzgerald – 186

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.