Burroughs-Thornton reunion formalized
Anthony Burroughs has signed on with Koehler Motorsports to serve as Ricky Thornton Jr.’s crew chief, rekindling a driver-mechanic pairing that enjoyed vast success during a previous stint of nearly three years.
A 52-year-old Alabama native and former Dirt Late Model racer, Burroughs (above right) is reuniting with Thornton (above left) after spending the 2025 season overseeing the Riggs Motorsports Longhorn Factory Team program for driver Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., who announced Nov. 25 that he will continue racing for the Riggs team in ’26 but not as Longhorn Chassis’s flagship effort.
Thornton, 35, of Chandler, Ariz., developed into a Dirt Late Model superstar under the guidance of Burroughs, who joined Thornton at Morgantown, Ind.-based SSI Motorsports in August 2021. They went on to win 58 races together — including a spectacular 34-victory, million-dollar campaign in ’23 — before SSI owner Todd Burns released Thornton from the team in early July 2024 and Burroughs stayed in his position for the remainder of the season with new driver Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.
Burroughs’s year with the Longhorn Factory Team had him working in China Grove, N.C., so he’ll remain in the Tar Heel State with his move to Mount Airy, N.C.-based Koehler Motorsports. He'll bring along crew member Justin Tharp, who worked with Thornton at SSI Motorsports in 2024, while Zach Frields, who was Thornton’s head wrench in 2025, is staying with Koehler Motorsports to give Thornton a trio of experienced mechanical hands. the DirtTrackr Daily podcast reported the reunion last week.
“We are all happy and ready for the future,” said Thornton, who signaled the return of Burroughs and Tharp with a social media post that simply showed a screen shot of Koehler Motorsports letterhead with the phrase “the reunion tour begins now.”
Burroughs and Tharp are expected to make their first racetrack appearance with Thornton during this weekend’s Kubota Gateway Dirt Nationals at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo.
