COLUMBUS, MS – The independent lab results of the tires confiscated from drivers Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport after qualifying for the Magnolia State 100 on September 24 at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS have confirmed the tires were altered by chemical enhancement, and identified the chemicals that were used for this performance enhancement.
The tires of Hollingsworth and Davenport were checked by a device known as a sniffer which determined the presence of chemicals inside the tires that were five times over the normal reading of a tire that is known not to have been enhanced by chemicals. Both Hollingsworth and Davenport were disqualified from the event.
Magnolia State 100 Promoter Dewitt Singleton had the two tires tagged and bagged and took possession of them at the time of the disqualification.
“I only promote one race a year, and after hearing all of the accusations by the two drivers and their fans, I decided to send the tires off to an independent lab for my own satisfaction,” Singleton said. “I believed in the sniffer, its operator, and its reading of the two tires at the time decision was made to disqualify Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport. The sniffer was right, and the lab report confirms that the right decision was made at the time it was made.”
For this year’s Magnolia State 100, Singleton brought in Mike Vaughn and Tim Sims from the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, a Cartersville, GA-based Crate Late Model Series to handle the race direction and the technical direction.
“I made the decision to bring in the crew from the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, an independent sanctioning body, for the 2010 Magnolia State 100,” Singleton said. “I knew that they did not have history with any super late model teams, or any axes to grind with any super late model teams. This sanctioning body has been using the sniffer to detect chemically altered tire for two seasons. I choose them because of their experience and consistency in using this device. The sniffer is simply a measuring tool just like the scales that measure a car’s weight, or a ruler that measures spoiler height.”
The sniffer is used to detect if chemicals are present in a tire that wasn’t there when the tire was manufactured; specifically chemicals than can enhance a tire’s performance. There is a pre-set determined range that is determined to be “normal.” The device is used to check a tire in specific areas and determines whether or not there are chemical enhancements in that specific area. The operator of the device cannot alter the readings of the sniffer.
If a chemical enhancement is detected the sniffer is allowed to re-set itself, and another reading is taken. Again both tires had readings five times above what is known to be “normal” both times readings were taken. All tires checked with the sniffer were removed from the race cars, checked in the same physical area, with the same tech process and only two tires failed inspection.
Singleton said he made the decision to use the sniffer to check the tires of the top two qualifiers in each group for two reasons after talking to many drivers prior to the Magnolia State 100.
“In talking to over 100 drivers and car owners leading up to the race inviting them to participate, one thing that they were concerned about became clear,” Singleton said. “They wanted to know if I was going to police chemically altered tires because number one, they could not compete on a level playing field against chemically altered tires, and secondly, but more importantly, they did not want to be exposed to the health hazards these chemicals that are being used lead to.”
The drivers were told in the drivers meeting that their tires would be checked by the sniffer after qualifying, and if a tire on a driver’s race car was found to be chemically enhanced, the car and driver would be disqualified from the event. They were also told if they were using wheels that had previously had a chemically treated tire mounted on them; they needed to thoroughly clean the wheel, replace the valve stem, or use another clean wheel because the sniffer would detect the residue from prior use.
“The tech crew checked over 80 tires during the weekend with this device in this manner, and the only tires, the tires of Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport, exceeded the range of an untreated tire,” Singleton said. “The readings of both tires were five times above the reading of the rest of the tires that were checked from the inside of the tire. There were several other tires that were checked between Hollingsworth and Davenport, and they checked within the normal range.”
After the first reading that found the tires five times above the normal reading, Singleton said the sniffer was zeroed, and each tire was rechecked. The second readings for both tires were also five times above the reading of the rest of the tires that were checked from inside the tire.
“The decision to disqualify Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport was pretty clear cut,” Singleton said. “There was no hair-splitting determination as to the findings of the sniffer. In doing my research of this sniffer, I found that there was no need to send these tires off to an independent lab for confirmation of its finding because every time the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series has sent a tire that is that far above the range of normal to an independent lab, the results have come back from the lab showing chemical enhancement of the tire 100 percent of the time. “
Singleton said while he doesn’t like to disqualify anyone, he is a man of his word, and feels like he did what he said he would do in an effort to retain the integrity the Magnolia State 100 has always had.
“I like both Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport, and I didn't like disqualifying them, but when their tires checked positive for chemical enhancement, I had no choice but to honor my word that I had made to all of the drivers at the drivers meeting by disqualifying them,” Singleton said. “Neither one of these drivers can give any reason why I would want to disqualify either of them. I can give a reason why I would not want to. Ronnie Lee has a large fan base in this area and this no doubt cost me spectators because he could not run. As for Jonathan there was a local fan that paid for his entry fee and two pit passes. This fan did not get to see him race.”
The tires of Hollingsworth and Davenport were checked by a device known as a sniffer which determined the presence of chemicals inside the tires that were five times over the normal reading of a tire that is known not to have been enhanced by chemicals. Both Hollingsworth and Davenport were disqualified from the event.
Magnolia State 100 Promoter Dewitt Singleton had the two tires tagged and bagged and took possession of them at the time of the disqualification.
“I only promote one race a year, and after hearing all of the accusations by the two drivers and their fans, I decided to send the tires off to an independent lab for my own satisfaction,” Singleton said. “I believed in the sniffer, its operator, and its reading of the two tires at the time decision was made to disqualify Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport. The sniffer was right, and the lab report confirms that the right decision was made at the time it was made.”
For this year’s Magnolia State 100, Singleton brought in Mike Vaughn and Tim Sims from the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, a Cartersville, GA-based Crate Late Model Series to handle the race direction and the technical direction.
“I made the decision to bring in the crew from the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, an independent sanctioning body, for the 2010 Magnolia State 100,” Singleton said. “I knew that they did not have history with any super late model teams, or any axes to grind with any super late model teams. This sanctioning body has been using the sniffer to detect chemically altered tire for two seasons. I choose them because of their experience and consistency in using this device. The sniffer is simply a measuring tool just like the scales that measure a car’s weight, or a ruler that measures spoiler height.”
The sniffer is used to detect if chemicals are present in a tire that wasn’t there when the tire was manufactured; specifically chemicals than can enhance a tire’s performance. There is a pre-set determined range that is determined to be “normal.” The device is used to check a tire in specific areas and determines whether or not there are chemical enhancements in that specific area. The operator of the device cannot alter the readings of the sniffer.
If a chemical enhancement is detected the sniffer is allowed to re-set itself, and another reading is taken. Again both tires had readings five times above what is known to be “normal” both times readings were taken. All tires checked with the sniffer were removed from the race cars, checked in the same physical area, with the same tech process and only two tires failed inspection.
Singleton said he made the decision to use the sniffer to check the tires of the top two qualifiers in each group for two reasons after talking to many drivers prior to the Magnolia State 100.
“In talking to over 100 drivers and car owners leading up to the race inviting them to participate, one thing that they were concerned about became clear,” Singleton said. “They wanted to know if I was going to police chemically altered tires because number one, they could not compete on a level playing field against chemically altered tires, and secondly, but more importantly, they did not want to be exposed to the health hazards these chemicals that are being used lead to.”
The drivers were told in the drivers meeting that their tires would be checked by the sniffer after qualifying, and if a tire on a driver’s race car was found to be chemically enhanced, the car and driver would be disqualified from the event. They were also told if they were using wheels that had previously had a chemically treated tire mounted on them; they needed to thoroughly clean the wheel, replace the valve stem, or use another clean wheel because the sniffer would detect the residue from prior use.
“The tech crew checked over 80 tires during the weekend with this device in this manner, and the only tires, the tires of Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport, exceeded the range of an untreated tire,” Singleton said. “The readings of both tires were five times above the reading of the rest of the tires that were checked from the inside of the tire. There were several other tires that were checked between Hollingsworth and Davenport, and they checked within the normal range.”
After the first reading that found the tires five times above the normal reading, Singleton said the sniffer was zeroed, and each tire was rechecked. The second readings for both tires were also five times above the reading of the rest of the tires that were checked from inside the tire.
“The decision to disqualify Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport was pretty clear cut,” Singleton said. “There was no hair-splitting determination as to the findings of the sniffer. In doing my research of this sniffer, I found that there was no need to send these tires off to an independent lab for confirmation of its finding because every time the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series has sent a tire that is that far above the range of normal to an independent lab, the results have come back from the lab showing chemical enhancement of the tire 100 percent of the time. “
Singleton said while he doesn’t like to disqualify anyone, he is a man of his word, and feels like he did what he said he would do in an effort to retain the integrity the Magnolia State 100 has always had.
“I like both Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth and Jonathan Davenport, and I didn't like disqualifying them, but when their tires checked positive for chemical enhancement, I had no choice but to honor my word that I had made to all of the drivers at the drivers meeting by disqualifying them,” Singleton said. “Neither one of these drivers can give any reason why I would want to disqualify either of them. I can give a reason why I would not want to. Ronnie Lee has a large fan base in this area and this no doubt cost me spectators because he could not run. As for Jonathan there was a local fan that paid for his entry fee and two pit passes. This fan did not get to see him race.”
