Story By: BEN SHELTON / RICKY THORNTON RACING – MARTINSVILLE, IN – Ricky Thornton Jr. made history last week with a $100,047 Stock Car Victory at 300 Raceway in the XR Stock Car Rampage event aboard the Peyton Taylor Racing No. 20RT Cadillac Chassis.
Thornton’s win came the hard way on Friday evening, rallying from the 25th-starting spot to win his 25th feature of the 2024 campaign.
“I got to thank Brandon Simon with Simon’s Trucking and Simon’s Cattle Company, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come. I also want to thank Jack Sullivan with Cadillac Chassis. Those guys build an awesome piece and thanks to Peyton Taylor, who had a big part in putting this deal together. Our Mullins Race Engine ran flawless all weekend too,” Thornton Jr. said. “Overall, just a really good weekend for us.”
Ricky Thornton Jr.’s race week kicked on Tuesday afternoon with a visit to 300 Raceway (Farley, Iowa) to pilot the Peyton Taylor-owned No. 20RT Cadillac Chassis Stock Car for the XR Stock Car Rampage.
With prelims set for Tuesday through Thursday, Thornton followed up the 20th-fastest qualifying effort on Tuesday afternoon with a 10th-to-3rd showing in his heat race on Wednesday evening.
Starting on the front row of his qualifying feature, Ricky outran Maguire DeJong in the 30-lapper to secure the $5,000 preliminary payday.
Back at the 3/8-mile oval on Friday, Ricky raced his way into the XR Stock Car Rampage finale with a fifth-place finish in his heat race. Making his way to the front from the 13th row, Thornton passed 24 cars in the 60-lap affair to claim the massive $100,047 payday. He led the final 10 circuits en route to his 25th win of the 2024 campaign.
With the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) doubleheader that was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday washed out by wet weather, Thornton concluded his Labor Day weekend on Sunday with the Baltes Classic at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH). Serving as a test session for the upcoming World 100 weekend, Ricky rolled to a fourth-place finish in the $5,000-to-win main event aboard the Koehler Motorsports No. 20RT Super Late Model.
Ricky Thornton Jr. and Koehler Motorsports will return to Eldora Speedway this Wednesday – Saturday for four days of racing. Action opens on Wednesday with a $20,000-to-win Castrol FloRacing Night in America event presented by Kubota.
On Thursday and Friday the field will be divided into twin $12,000-to-win prelims for the 54th World 100, while Saturday’s finale posts a $57,000 top prize along with the coveted globe trophies.