Catchfence

Soddy Daisy, TN: Veteran Larry Hollenbeck will be behind the wheel of the #23 SWAT Fitness Chevrolet fielded by Hixson Motorsports when the ARCA RE/MAX Series rolls into Daytona International Speedway for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. The 59 year old Kalamazoo, Michigan driver has three Top 10 finishes in 26 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts since 2001, with a career best 8th place run at Michigan International Speedway. Hollenbeck is looking to improve on that as the team prepares to head to Daytona.

“I am really looking forward to Daytona,” Hollenbeck said Wednesday from his office in Michigan. “We are confident that we have a strong car and engine package. This is a Joe Gibbs car, and it’s the same one we ran at Talladega last fall. We were definitely moving up through the pack before the big wreck happened. If we can stay out of trouble early, and be there at the end, we will have an excellent shot for a great finish. Everyone knows how these restrictor plate races work. Anything can happen.”

In fact, after qualifying 30th at Talladega, Hollenbeck had moved well into the top 15 in less than 10 laps prior to the multi car accident that put him in the garage. And although Hollenbeck has only made 3-5 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts per year, he does have a lot of experience at the two biggest tracks on the circuit. In addition to his ARCA starts, Hollenbeck has raced three times at Daytona and twice at Talladega in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, with a best finish of 10th at Talladega in 2003. At the age of 54, Hollenbeck even qualified for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie license, becoming one of the oldest drivers to ever receive rookie status, but his under funded team only made one race attempt at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“I love racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series,” Hollenbeck added. “The Series has changed drastically since I started 8 years ago. There are so many more well funded teams now than there used to be, and that just shows how much the series has grown. To show up at the track and be competitive with the big teams is almost a victory in itself. I am looking forward to working with Wayne Hixson and his team. Wayne has been doing this for a long time and has a lot of experience in getting the best finishes possible while being outspent two to one, or even three or four to one.”

Hollenbeck, a Real Estate Developer away from the track, is never far from racing. When he is not competing in ARCA, Hollenbeck frequently runs a Sportsman class car at his hometown Kalamazoo Speedway, as well as racing on his personal Go-Kart track that he built at his home. Hollenbeck is also a veteran of off shore power boat racing and hydroplane boat racing. Whether on land or sea, Hollenbeck enjoys the thrill of strapping in and going fast. Next week, he gets another chance.

Larry Hollenbeck and Hixson Motorsports are looking for marketing partners for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. If you are interested in having your company or product advertised to a national television audience, contact us.

Hixson Motorsports, Press Release