7/29/2023
Ricky Thornton Jr
Ricky Thornton banks $100,000 XR payday at Off Road; rallies to PDC triumph
Challenging track conditions, a super-talented field of foes, and even a mechanical failure couldn’t slow Ricky Thornton Jr.’s pursuit of his first-career Prairie Dirt Classic title on Saturday night.
Thornton Jr. rebounded from a broken crank trigger that knocked him out of the lead with 21 laps remaining to score the $61,500 victory aboard his SSI Motorsports / Coltman Farms / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Dyno One Inc. / Excel Floor Covering / Sub-Surface of Indiana/ Longhorn Chassis/ Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.
The triumph was paired with a thrilling $100,000 victory earlier in the week in the XR Super Series sanctioned Elk Horn 100.
“We broke a crank trigger there in turn three, and I’m freaking flipping switches and everything else. Then it finally came back to me. I didn’t think I was that far back. We just had a little motivation. After that, I said, ‘Screw it. If we aren’t going to win, we’re going to tip it over’,” Thornton Jr. said in Victory Lane on Saturday night.
“It’s all my crew. My job is easy,” Thornton Jr. continued. “We have a good enough car where I don’t have to run hard the whole time. … Bobby [Pierce] was really good there. Then once we got to traffic, I was a little better than he was. I just knew once we got to traffic and if we’d have a really long run, we’d have a really good shot. It worked out for us. I figured the whole right side was going to be killed on this thing. After I went to the back, it was whatever it takes to get it done. It was pretty awesome. I have to thank all these great fans here for stopping by.”
Ricky Thornton Jr. was back in action on Monday afternoon at Off Road Speedway (Norfolk, Neb.) aboard the SSI Motorsports No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis Late Model for the opening leg of the two-day Elkhorn 100.
Drawing 28 XR Super Series entries for a pair of prelims leading up to Tuesday’s $100,000-to-win main event, Thornton outdueled fellow front-row starter Dennis Erb Jr. in his heat to pick up the eight-lap victory. With $5,000 on the line in his preliminary feature, Ricky chased race-long pacesetter Dalton Wilson to the checkers in the 25-lap affair with Dennis Erb Jr. coming in third.
With Monday’s finish locking him on the second row for Tuesday night’s Elkhorn 100 A-Main, Ricky led at two different stages in the first half of the race before a charging Bobby Pierce stole the top spot amid lapped-traffic. Hitting his marks and remaining within striking distance, Thornton regained the lead on lap 81 and led the remainder of the 100-lapper to capture the $100,000 top prize and his 22nd overall win of the 2023 season. He collected his second career six-figure payday ahead of Pierce, Kyle Bronson, Brandon Sheppard, and Daulton Wilson.
Next, the mega weekend for the 33rd annual Illinois State Rifle Association Prairie Dirt Classic opened at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway on Friday evening with 62 World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series entries on hand for opening round action. The field was divided into four $5,000-to-win prelim programs, and Ricky earned the fourth-starting spot for his 25-lap qualifying feature via time trials. He moved into the second position late in the feature before overtaking Hudson O’Neal for the top spot on the final circuit to snare the win, which moved him into Saturday’s redraw for the main event.
Receiving the third-starting spot for the 100-lap finale atop a track surface that was left aggressive after persistent weekend rain, Thornton Jr. ran in the Top 5 throughout the first half of the feature before overtaking Bobby Pierce for the lead for the first time on lap 61. Pierce retook control on lap 62 before Ricky retook the top spot on lap 71.
He looked to be on his way to a comfortable win before the crank trigger broke on the 80th circuit. He was able to switch to a backup but not before the caution flew for him. Via the blend rule he was realigned sixth for the restart. With added inspiration in his corner he worked his way back to the front on the 87th circuit and went on to pace the remainder of the feature for the $50,000 win.
He received an additional $11,500 for lap leader money as his take on the night elevated to $61,500. He now holds 24 victories on the season.
Full results from last week’s events are available at www.XRSuperSeries.com and www.WoOLMS.com.
Four nights of World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series action dots this weekend’s landscape for the Arizona native. Action opens with a $15,000-to-win program at Boone (Iowa) Speedway. From there the 2023 edition of the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway (New Richmond, Wisc.) comes to life with a $6,000-to-win program on Thursday followed by prelims for the $50,000-to-win edition of the crown jewel on Friday followed by the finale on Saturday.
Full details on the week’s slate are available at www.WoOLMS.com .
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