Story By: JEREMY PETERS / RICKY THORNTON JR. RACING – MOUNT AIRY, NC – After a challenging weekend at Volusia Speedway Park, Ricky Thornton Jr. rebounded with a pair of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victories in the Wieland Winternationals at All-Tech Raceway aboard his Ultimate Towing & Recovery / Elite Ready Mix / Coltman Farms Racing / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
The Koehler Motorsports pilot kicked off the tripleheader event with a dramatic last-lap victory over Devin Moran on Thursday, followed by a commanding 50-lap triumph in Friday’s feature.
Thornton’s $12,000 payday on Friday night elevated his weekend earnings to $22,000.
“I thought it was an awesome racetrack,” Thornton said. “You could run around the bottom, the middle, or even Hail Mary around the top. You could do whatever you wanted. Big thanks to Bobby and Jessica Koehler for the opportunity, without them none of this would be possible.”
Thornton and the Koehler Motorsports team were back in action on Thursday afternoon for the opening round of the Wieland Winternationals at All-Tech Raceway (Lake City, Fla.).
Against 44 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) entries, Thornton qualified second-fastest in his qualifying group before placing second in his heat. Starting the feature in eighth, Thornton made progress early, but it was a lap-30 restart that proved to be pivotal for the Arizona native. He went fifth-to-second on the restart and quickly tracked down pole-starting Devin Moran. When Moran suffered a flat tire on the final lap, Thornton pounced into the lead and drove away with his first win of the season.
The $10,000 triumph marked Ricky’s 43rd career LOLMDS victory.
Recording his second win in as many nights on Friday, Ricky blasted ahead of early leader Spencer Hughes on lap 29 of the feature and paced the final 22 circuits to claim the $12,000 top prize.
Thornton’s quest for a weekend sweep fell short on Saturday night when he clipped an infield tire on lap 49. After leading laps 10-12 and 17-42, Ricky’s late-race mishap relegated him to 19th in the finishing order.
Full results from the weekend at All-Tech can be found at www.LucasDirt.com.
Thornton is set to return with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series this week for the Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway. The five-night stretch of racing begins on Wednesday, with the $25,000-to-win finale wrapping up the action on Saturday at the 3/8-mile oval.