Story By: BEN SHELTON / SSI MOTORSPORTS – MARTINSVILLE, IN – Ricky Thornton Jr. made history over the weekend with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS). He became the first driver to win back-to-back years in the Firecracker 100 presented by Big River Steel.
Thornton Jr. started his weekend at Lernerville Speedway with a $5,000 triumph in preliminary action on Thursday before dominating Saturday’s finale to snare the $50,000 top prize with his SSI Motorsports / Coltman Farms / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Dyno One Inc. / Excel Floor Covering / Sub-Surface of Indiana / Longhorn Chassis / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.
Ricky won by over 12 seconds in the 100-lap affair.
“There was a few times I would get to a lapped car and could never drive hard enough to get by him, and it would really slow my pace down. One time I tried to slow down in three and four and actually about went off the top, so I got into a good rhythm from there on. When this track is fast it’s really fast, but once it’s slick it’s probably slicker than East Bay (Raceway Park),” Thornton Jr. said in Lucas Oil Victory Lane on Saturday night. “It kind of reminds me of All-Tech, where for some reason we are really good there. I think our package suits this style of racetrack once it gets super clean and really slick and it got it done for us.”
Ricky Thornton Jr. rejoined the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) on Thursday at Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, Pa.) as the 18th annual Firecracker 100 presented by Big River Steel got underway with prelims on Thursday and Friday leading up to Saturday’s finale.
With the 53-car field separated into two groups, Thornton’s third-to-first run in his heat race placed him on the pole for his preliminary. Setting sail on the drop of the green flag, Ricky rolled to his 18th win of the season in the 25-lapper, taking the checkers ahead of Mike Marlar, Garrett Alberson, Michael Norris, and Jimmy Owens. He earned a $5,000 winner’s payday.
Following a third-place result in Friday’s prelim feature, Ricky raced into Saturday’s Firecracker 100 with a 10-lap heat race triumph. Seeking a repeat victory in the finale after picking up the five-figure payday in 2023, Thornton regained the lead from Mike Marlar on lap 45 and cruised to the 100-lap, $50,000 triumph. He won by more than a 12-second margin over Devin Moran with Marlar joining the podium.
The historic back-to-back victory marked Ricky’s 19th win overall of the season.
Thornton increased his lead over Jonathan Davenport atop the LOLMDS point standings to 225 points.
Ricky now has a busy week of racing in front of him that begins Monday evening with the opening round of the National Open Wheel (NOW) 600 Series Indiana Micro Week at Miami County Raceway (Peru, Ind.). From there Thornton Jr. will tentatively enter the Indiana Micro Week events at U.S. 24 Speedway (Logansport, Ind.) and Bartholomew County Fairgrounds (Columbus, Ind.) on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to Super Late Model action on Friday and Saturday at Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, Tenn.) with a $50,000-to-win event.