BRANDON, S.D. — Ricky Thornton Jr. came from his sixth-starting spot to grab the lead from Jonathan Davenport on lap 19 and win the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Go 50 Thursday night at Huset’s Speedway.
Thornton, the current series points leader picked up his 13th series win of the season as he crossed the finish line ahead of Bobby Pierce, Davenport, Chad Simpson and Tim McCreadie.
Thornton who now has collected more than $300,000 in winnings and bonuses so far this season in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series held steady on the bottom over the last half of the race to score his 18th career series win.
“Man, that was wild there. I don’t know I was really good right through the middle of one and two,” Thornton said. “It wasn’t clean, but there was just enough traction where you could really get through it. I feel like this is a really big sprint car place and it’s really cool to win here. Bobby’s [Pierce] been really good probably the last two or three months. I know JD [Davenport] has been really good lately too. I think I started 12th here last year and got to the lead. I knew I had to get a really good start and not get mired back in the pack.”
Pierce came in second to Thornton.
“Yeah, I know I got a pretty slow run there through one and two on the bottom and at that time our car wasn’t as good as his [Thornton]. He got that middle going there and after that I knew it would be hard to pass him back,” Pierce said. “It was a fun race though you know being the first time here and these guys have a race up on me here so we’ve got kind of a notebook now heading into the big race on Saturday we’ll see what we can do.”
Davenport rounded out the podium.
“I don’t think it was a disadvantage to lead early on tonight,” he said. “I was just too tight there and I was just having to get too bent there. I gave my guys a little bit of body work to do. I think they need a little practice. I guess Ricky [Thornton] was just a little better and he could move around. I heard Bobby [Pierce] on the inside of me and so I didn’t want to chop him and wreck us both getting into turn one.”
Zach Oliver won the street stock feature.
The finish:
Feature (50 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr (6); 2. 32-Bobby Pierce (2); 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport (1); 4. 25-Chad Simpson (3); 5. 39-Tim McCreadie (8); 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard (12); 7. 58-Garrett Alberson (7); 8. 18D-Daulton Wilson (10); 9. 76-Brandon Overton (4); 10. 40B-Kyle Bronson (5); 11. 46-Earl Pearson Jr (9); 12. 1T-Tyler Erb (16); 13. 7-Ross Robinson (14); 14. 1H-Hudson O’Neal (17); 15. 11-Spencer Hughes (11); 16. 14M-Morgan Bagley (13); 17. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck (15); 18. 99-Devin Moran (23); 19. 66C-Matt Cosner (19); 20. 111B-Max Blair (24); 21. 16-Tyler Bruening (25); 22. 157-Mike Marlar (18); 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr (22); 24. 18-Chase Junghans (20); 25. 199-Jesse Sobbing (21).