Magnolia Motor Speedway
Hollingsworth rules Magnolia in new BWRC
By Jonathan Joiner
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala., heads to victory. (photobyconnie.com)
COLUMBUS, Miss. (April 13) — Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala. hit the ground running in his new Barry Wright Race Car Friday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway, picking up a $2,000 victory during night one of the 3/8-mile oval’s inaugural Spring Throwdown.
Starting from the fourth position, Hollingsworth moved to second on lap two and later used a slide job in lapped traffic to pass race-long leader Rodney Wing of Meridian, Miss. on lap 11. The two cars made heavy contact and nearly ended up in the turn-four wall before both drivers corrected and continued on. | Slideshow
Hollingsworth led the final 19 laps of the unsanctioned race and held off a late-race charge from fast qualifier Klint Byars of Calhoun City, Miss. to score his first victory in as many starts since adding the Barry Wright car to his stable. Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., rallied from his 12th starting spot to finish third, while Wing and Jason Cliburn of Star, Miss. rounded out the top five finishers.
Following a frustrating start to the year, Hollingsworth’s victory Friday night gives him plenty of momentum heading into Saturday’s Spring Throwdown finale, which ups the winner’s purse to $8,000 for the unsanctioned, 50-lap feature.
“My year’s been up and down but thanks to (car builders) Lance and Barry (Wright) we’re back on track. I’m really excited with it.” Hollingsworth said of the new race car he picked up from Wright’s Cowpens, S.C., shop the previous week. “I can’t wait for tomorrow night now. I haven’t had a race car this good for a year and a half. I felt back at home just setting up in there doing my job and driving around this thing.”
Wing dominated the early portions of the race after starting from the outside pole, but faded after suffering substantial cosmetic damage to his Rocket Chassis from the contact with Hollingsworth. Wing was disappointed with the final outcome, but didn’t hold the contact against Hollingsworth.
“It's aggravating it turns out like that,” Wing said. “It’s the nature of the beast when you’re rim-riding like that. I ain’t wanting to kill nobody or nothing. Everything’s all right.”
Feeling that the contact between the two drivers wasn’t his fault, Hollingsworth also didn’t see anything wrong with the pass for lead.
“I had him cleared, he fueled up and hit me in the right rear corner panel,” said Hollingsworth. “It’s just racing he’d of done it to me like I done it to him.”
Magnolia Motor Speedway: (1) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, (2) Klint Byars, (3) Bub McCool, (4) Rodney Wing, (5) Jason Cliburn, (6) Chris Wall, (7) Scott Dedwyler, (8) Morgan Bagley, (9) Josh Putnam, (10) B.J. Robinson, (11) Neil Baggett, (12) Dane Dacus, (13) Eric Cooley, (14) Hunter Rasdon, (15) Tanner English, (16) Dylan Ames, (17) Brian Rickman, (18) Jimmy Cliburn, (19) Rick Rickman, (20) Cliff Williams, (21) Greg Fore, (22) Jamie Tollison, (23) Ray Moore, (24) Bo Gordon. Fast qualifier (among 35 cars): Byars, 13.421 seconds.
