LOCUST GROVE, Ark. — Ricky Thornton Jr. led the final 14 laps of the 30-lap preliminary A-Main on Friday night at Batesville Motor Speedway.
The victory tied Thornton with Scott Bloomquist for the most wins in a season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Jonathan Davenport led the first 16 laps until Thornton charged around him to take over the top spot on the 17th circuit. Tim McCreadie made a late-race charge to finish in second followed by Davenport, Dale McDowell, and Devin Moran.
Thornton had to withstand a one-lap shootout after a caution appeared with 29 laps scored. After a solid restart, Thornton crossed the line .327 seconds ahead of McCreadie, the 2008 COMP Cams Topless 100 winner.
Davenport had built a good lead until he encountered traffic as Thornton and then McDowell were able to stay close to the defending COMP Cams Topless 100 winner. Thornton moved to the top of the three-eighths-mile oval which propelled him to the lead on lap 17.
Thornton will be seeking his first COMP Cams Topless 100 win on Saturday night and will start on the Terminal Maintenance and Construction pole for the $50,000-to-win finale.
“I actually got a really good run off of four and I was just going too fast, and I couldn’t slow down,” Thornton said. “I’m glad it’s as minor as it is I thought it was really going to be bad there for a second. Overall, it was a really good car we were kind of worried when we went out late there in qualifying and we were really good. At the start JD [Davenport] and Dale [McDowell] really took off and I didn’t take off as good as they could. We got about 10 laps in and I kind of felt like they slowed down, and my stuff picked up.”
McCreadie, who started sixth came home in second to the current championship points leader and was pleased with his effort.
“We were really quick for a few laps and then it [the car] just didn’t maneuver right. That’s the beauty of it at least we are there at the front our car was really balanced tonight. I think I overtightened it and did some things, but it’s nice to still have a car that can run good when you mess it up as a driver.”
Davenport coming off a Thursday night win in the SRX Series at Lucas Oil Speedway is looking to become the first driver in the 31-year history of the COMP Cams Topless 100 to win back-to-back years.
“I think he [Thornton] was just feeling sorry for me, and he let me lead a few laps. He’s been really good. We need to figure out a way to like make him start in the pits or something then we might have a chance,” Davenport said. “Congratulations to them guys they have been really good. Timmy’s [McCreadie] getting better and so are we. We just wasn’t as good as we needed to be tonight, and it don’t take much to be second or third or tenth with these guys everybody’s so close anymore.”
The finish:
Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Dale McDowell, Devin Moran, Jared Landers, Stormy Scott, Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Spencer Hughes, Garrett Alberson, Daulton Wilson, Garrett Smith, Cade Dillard, Brandon Sheppard, Hunter Rasdon, Billy Moyer Jr., Logan Martin, Morgan Bagley, Billy Moyer Jr., Scott Crigler, Brian Rickman, Brandon Overton, Tyler Erb.