Story By: JEREMY PETERS / RICKY THORNTON JR. RACING – MOUNT AIRY, NC – Ricky Thornton Jr. opened the Jackson 100 weekend with a $10,000 victory in Friday’s C.J. Rayburn Memorial at Brownstown Speedway aboard Ultimate Towing & Recovery / Capital Waste / Coltman Farms Racing / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
A runner-up finish in Saturday’s 45th annual Jackson 100 finale elevated Thornton atop the latest Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standings heading into the series finale this weekend at Eldora Speedway.
“It’s awesome to win a race with C.J.’s name on it,” Thornton said. “He was a pioneer in the sport. It’s super hard to be patient in traffic. I almost felt like I was in a better spot than Bobby because I could slow down and see him move out to get around a lapped car. He would pass a lapped car but never really get out, so I knew there, towards the end, I got behind a couple of really good cars around the bottom. I felt like if I followed them and finished the race, they would have to be really good around that middle. It worked out for us. The car was pretty awesome all night.”
Ricky Thornton Jr.’s pursuit of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) title continued this past weekend at Brownstown (IN) Speedway for the rescheduled Jackson 100 weekend.
With Friday’s third annual C.J. Rayburn Memorial kicking off the doubleheader event, Thornton followed up the overall fast time honors with a heat race victory. Rolling off on the front row for Friday’s 40-lap preliminary, Ricky snuck past pole-starting Bobby Pierce late amid lapped traffic to capture his 26th win of the 2024 campaign. He pocketed the $10,000 payday ahead of Mike Marlar and Pierce.
Back at the quarter-mile oval on Saturday, Ricky’s runner-up heat finish positioned him on the third row for the $50,000-to-win Jackson 100. Capping off the weekend with another successful outing, Thornton improved four spots in the 100-lap affair to register a second-place finish.
On the heels of the strong weekend, Thornton moved into the lead in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship point standings.
Thornton and the Koehler Motorsports team are gearing up for the LOLMDS season finale at Eldora Speedway this weekend. Ricky joins three other drivers chasing the $200,000 points title and the $100,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship crown jewel.