2/3/2024
Ricky Thornton Jr
RTJ double dips at Ocala and All-Tech, holds LOLMDS lead
Ricky Thornton Jr. visited Victory Lane twice last week with 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.
He snared a thrilling Tuesday night win at Ocala Speedway before wiring the field on Friday night at All-Tech Raceway to increase his early-season win total to three.
“We had a really good week last week. We got wins there at Ocala (Speedway) and All-Tech (Raceway), and then we added a fourth-place finish. Really our only bad luck was the last night at All-Tech Raceway, when I got into the wall and broke the J-bar. Even then though, we were still really fast until we broke,” Thornton Jr. shared. “We’re looking forward to another solid week at East Bay, and we thank everyone who supports our team and makes it all possible.”
Back with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) on Tuesday at the newly refreshed Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, Ricky Thornton Jr. took the SSI Motorsports No. 20RT Late Model into battle at the Florida oval for the two-day Winter Nationals.
With a heat race victory placing him on the second row for the feature, Ricky tracked down late pacesetter Tyler Erb on lap 38 of the 40-lapper and went on to claim his second win of the season and the $10,000 payday. He finished ahead of Erb, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, and Mike Marlar.
On Wednesday, Thornton’s third-place finish in his heat race pinned him on the sixth row for the $10,000-to-win Winter Nationals finale. Moving forward seven spots on a track that saw limited passing, Ricky rolled to a fourth-place finish.
Joining a stacked field of 48 LOLMDS entries on Friday at All-Tech Raceway (Lake City, Fla.), Ricky topped his 25-car group in time trials before picking up a heat race victory. Leading flag-to-flag in the 50-lap feature, Thornton steered to his 31st career LOLMDS victory ahead of Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, Tyler Bruening, and Jimmy Owens. The $10,000 triumph marked his third win of the young 2024 season.
Thornton's weekend drew to an early close on Saturday at All-Tech after breaking a J-bar on lap 42 of the A-Main after driving from 10th up to third, relegating him to 19th in the finishing order.
Ricky holds a 10-point advantage over Hudson O'Neal atop the LOLMDS point standings.
Full results from the events are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
The 2024 LOLMDS Speedweeks continues this Monday – Saturday at East Bay Raceway Park (Gibsonton, Fla.) with the 48th-and-final Wieland Winter Nationals.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson image
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