HOLLINGSWORTH USES EXPERIENCE FOR NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS COLUMBUS WIN

               COLUMBUS, MS – Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL used his experience of “The Baddest Bullring In The South” on Saturday night to win the GM Performance 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Columbus Speedway in the Hollingsworth Motorsports Mastersbilt.  Hollingsworth picked the right groove at the right time to post the win.

               High riding Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga , TN pressed Hollingsworth hard right down to the checkered flag, but had to settle for second spot in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior. 

               “I’ve got a million laps around this place, and I’ve learned how to read the track to know when to get in what groove,” Hollingsworth said.  “I ran the first ten laps on the high side, and then went to the bottom.  I knew somebody was challenging me on the outside, and I knew they had to be good to run up there.”

               Johnson came through the pack from the ninth starting spot using the high side of the race track to take over the second spot on lap 32.  A couple of late-race caution flags erased the full straightaway lead of Hollingsworth, and Johnson made a couple of challenges for the lead, but Hollingsworth got off the bottom of the turns strong enough to stay in front.

               Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, FL finished third in the Coggin Land Services Warrior, and Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS took the fourth spot in the Carquest Auto Parts Mastersbilt.  Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was fifth in the McLeod Construction TNT to earn the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award, and move up from the fifth spot in points to second place.

               Eddie Rickman of Columbus, MS drove the Rickman Trucking Mastersbilt to a sixth-place finish, and Cliff Williams of Star, MS was seventh in The Strength Center GRT.  Josh Putnam of Killen, AL finished eighth in the Texas Roadhouse Rayburn.

               Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA took a provisional to start 23^rd in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt, and finished ninth to earn the Circle H Concrete Hard Charger Award, and the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.  Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS rounded out the top ten in the Tiffin Motorhomes Mastersbilt.

               Hollingsworth took the lead at the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting spot, followed by polesitter Boutwell, Rick Rickman, Tom Maddox of Centre, AL in the Cherokee Timber Barry Wright, and point leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT.

               Brindle brought out the first two caution flags on laps two and 12 respectively.  The first was for a spin in turn four while running fifth, and second when he stalled in turn two.  Brindle retired after the second caution flag and finished 24^th to earn the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.

After having a 64-point lead coming into the event, Brindle still maintains a 34-point lead in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings over Boutwell.

The lap 12 restart saw Hollingsworth leading Rick Rickman, O’Connor, Boutwell, Eddie Rickman, and Maddox.  On lap 13, O’Connor drove under Rick Rickman for the second spot in turn two, and Maddox passed Eddie Rickman for the fifth spot,   Maddox charge to the front was derailed on lap 15 when he spun in turn four.

On the restart, Johnson began his charge to the front, as he passed Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba , MS for the sixth spot.  Maddox spun for the second time on lap 22 and he was done for the evening.  The next restart saw most of the cars go to the bottom of the track with the exception of Johnson.

With each passing lap, Johnson would pick off cars on his way to challenge for the lead.  On lap 25 Johnson passed Eddie Rickman for fifth.  On lap 26 the “ Chattanooga Flash” got by Boutwell for fourth.  On lap 31, the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame inductee sailed around the outside of Rick Rickman for the third spot.

Johnson drove around the outside of O’Connor for second spot on lap 32, but Hollingsworth by then had pulled out to a full straightaway lead.  That lead was erased on lap 33 when Scott Knowles of Lanett , AL spun the Meadows Racing GRT down the backstretch. 

In the closing laps of the race, Hollingsworth hugged the inside groove taking the short way around, while Johnson tried to use high riding momentum to challenge for the lead.

Johnson could get a run on Hollingsworth coming off the corners, but Hollingsworth would slide up from the bottom groove at the halfway point of the straightaways in front of Johnson forcing him to lift off the throttle.  That’s all Hollingsworth needed to post his first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series career win.

In preliminary action, Boutwell was the fast qualifier among the 37 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.781 seconds.  The two 15-lap Qualifying Races were won by Keeton in the Boland Performance GRT and Mark Stokes of Steens, MS in the Kountry Kitchen Trak Star.

The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be the two-day $5000-to-win Red Top Auto Auctions 75 at Fort Payne Motor Speedway in Fort Payne, AL on Thursday night, July 3, and Friday night, July 4.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 9 AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS , MS ON 6/21/08 :

POS       STRT     CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON 
1.            2             00           Ronny Hollingsworth     Northport, AL                   40           $2,500
2.            9             5             Ronnie Johnson                Chattanooga , TN              40           $1,250
3.            5             17           Chris O’Connor                              Cantonment, FL                              40               $850
4.            4             86           Rick Rickman                   Columbus, MS                  40           $700
5.            1             58           Larry Boutwell                Baker, FL                          40           $650
6.            8             68           Eddie Rickman                 Columbus, MS                  40           $550
7.            15           4             Cliff Williams                  Star, MS                             40           $500
8.            7             212        Josh Putnam                     Killen, AL                          40           $450
9.            23           12           Hunter Peacock (R)         Macon, GA                        40           $500
10.          18           33c         Eric Cooley (R)                Fulton , MS                         40           $375
11.          10           21m       Ben McCreary                  Baldwyn, MS                     40           $350
12.          14           87           Derrick Rainey                 Powder Springs, GA       40           $300
13.          12           2             Mark Stokes                      Steens, MS                         40           $280
14.          13           8             Chris Tays                          Corinth , MS                      40           $260
15.          22           41           Ted Lackey                        Munford, AL                     40           $250
16.          24           2h           Jason Hiett (R)                 Lincoln, AL                        40           $240
17.          21           33           Justin Carter                    Marietta , MS                    40           $220
18.          16           5e           Shawn Edwards                Louisville , MS                  33           $200
19.          11           22           Lucky Keeton                    Toomsuba, MS                  32           $200
20.          19           68x         Brian Rickman                 Columbus, MS                  32           $200
21.          20           82           Jason Sanderford             Pheba, MS                          30           $200
22.          17           31           Scott Knowles (R)            Lanett, AL                          30           $200
23.          3             19           Tom Maddox                     Centre, AL                          21           $200
24.          6             38c         Chip Brindle                     Chatsworth , GA                               11           $200

ENTRIES:  37
FAST QUALIFIER:  Boutwell, 14.781 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Peacock and Hiett
LEAD CHANGES:  None
LAP LEADER:  Hollingsworth, 1-40
CIRCLE H CONCRETE HARD CHARGER:  Peacock (started 23^rd and finished 9^th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Peacock
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Brindle
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD:  Boutwell
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD:  Putnam
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD:  Peacock
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS TENTH-PLACE AWARD:  Cooley
CAUTIONS:  7
TIME OF THE RACE:  30 Minutes, 17.483 Seconds

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Qualifiers Transfer To Main Event):