Dirt on Dirt - Thornton wins $12,000 Silver Dollar opener

July 20

Huset’s Speedway,

Brandon, SD

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Go 50) - $12,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated July 21, 4:48 pm)

Thornton wins $12,000 Silver Dollar opener

Go 50

Ricky Thornton Jr.
Bobby Pierce
Jonathan Davenport
Chad Simpson
Tim McCreadie
Brandon Sheppard
Garrett Alberson
Daulton Wilson
Brandon Overton
Kyle Bronson
Earl Pearson Jr.
Tyler Erb
Ross Robinson
Hudson O'Neal
Spencer Hughes
Morgan Bagley
Daniel Hilsabeck
Devin Moran
Matt Cosner
Max Blair
Tyler Bruening
Mike Marlar
Dennis Erb Jr.
Chase Junghans
Jesse Sobbing

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Ricky Thornton Jr. takes the checkers for his $12,000 victory.

What won the race: Wrestling the lead from race-long leader Jonathan Davenport on the 19th lap, series points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., led the rest of Thursday’s caution-free Go 50 on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to capture the $12,000 Silver Dollar Nationals weekend opener at Huset’s Speedway, the event’s new home. The sixth-starting Thornton took the checkers 0.579 of a second ahead of Bobby Pierce while Davenport settled for third at the third-mile oval which took over the event from the now-closed I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.

Quotable: "Man it was wild there," Thornton said. "I was really good right through the middle of (turns) one and two. It was like — it wasn't clean — but there was just enough traction where you could kind of get through it."

Key notes: Thornton notched his 10th full-field victory of the season with the series. ... He has 14 career Lucas Oil victories. ... Jonathan Davenport, who saw his two-race winning streak end, got into the turn-four wall and sustained right-rear damage just as Thornton made the winning pass. ... Runner-up Bobby Pierce took second from Davenport on the 32nd lap in his Huset's debut. ... Passing was at a premium in the second half of the race with most drivers running single-file in the low groove. ... … The feature ended at 9:39 p.m. ... In prelims, Devin Moran relinquished the pole in the second heat when he pulled into the infield with a broken driveshaft. ... Hudson O'Neal hit the turn-one wall during time trials, leaving him with front-end damage that prevented him from logging a qualifying lap.

On the move: Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., started 12th and finished sixth.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements engine and sponsored by Dyno One, Hoker Trucking, Certified Inspection Service, High Performance Lubricants, Big River Steel, Van Meter Insurance Group, Murty Farms, D&E Outside Services, West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein Shocks, FK Rod Ends, Allstar Performance, Barnes Pumps, Performance Bodies, Winters Performance, Strange Oval, Accu-Force, Quickcar, Sunoco Race Fuels and Sub-Surface of Indiana.

Points chase: After Huset's Thursday: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (5,330); 2. Hudson O’Neal (5,000); 3. Brandon Overton (4,765); 4. Jonathan Davenport (4,740); 5. Tim McCreadie (4,665); 6. Devin Moran (4,595); 7. Daulton Wilson (4,250); 8. Max Blair (4,225); T9. Tyler Erb (4,195); T9. Earl Pearson Jr. (4,195); 11. Spencer Hughes (4,075); 12. Garrett Alberson (3,995).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 77°F

Car count: 36

Fast qualifier: Jonathan Davenport

Time: 12.905 seconds

Polesitter: Jonathan Davenport

Heat race winners: Jonathan Davenport, Chad Simpson, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Overton

Consolation race winners: Hudson O'Neal, Mike Marlar

Provisional starters: Devin Moran, Max Blair, Tyler Bruening

Next series race: July 21, Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD) $53,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

BRANDON, S.D. (July 20) — Updates and results from Thursday’s 50-lap preliminary race sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series, an event highlighted by a $12,000-to-win feature for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Wrestling the lead from race-long leader Jonathan Davenport on the 19th lap, series points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., led the rest of Thursday’s caution-free Go 50 on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to capture the $12,000 Silver Dollar Nationals weekend opener at Huset’s Speedway, the event’s new home. The sixth-starting Thornton took the checkers 0.579 of a second ahead of Bobby Pierce while Davenport settled for third at the third-mile oval which took over the event from the now-closed I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Chad Simpson, Brandon Overton
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 4: Garrett Alberson, Tim McCreadie
Row 5: Earl Pearson Jr., Daulton Wilson
Row 6: Spencer Hughes, Brandon Sheppard
Row 7: Morgan Bagley, Ross Robinson
Row 8: Daniel Hilsabeck, Tyler Erb
Row 9: Hudson O'Neal, Mike Marlar
Row 10: Matt Cosner, Chase Junghans
Row 11: Jesse Sobbing, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 12: Devin Moran, Max Blair
Row 13: Tyler Bruening

Consolation results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation finish: Hudson O’Neal, Matt Cosner, Jesse Sobbing, Jake Timm, Andrew Kosiski, Bill Leighton Jr., Jake Neal, Ben Sukup, Junior Coover, Devin Moran.

Second consolation finish: Mike Marlar, Chase Junghans, Dennis Erb Jr., Shane Clanton, Dillon McCowan, Max Blair, Tyler Bruening, Blair Nothdurft, Boom Briggs, Tad Pospisil.

Heat results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat finish: Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Earl Pearson Jr., Morgan Bagley, Matt Cosner, Jesse Sobbing, Andrew Kosiski, Ben Sukup, Junior Coover.

Second heat finish: Chad Simpson, Garrett Alberson, Spencer Hughes, Daniel Hilsabeck, Jake Timm, Hudson O’Neal, Bill Leighton Jr., Jake Neal, Devin Moran.

Third heat finish: Bobby Pierce, Ricky Thornton Jr., Daulton Wilson, Ross Robinson, Chase Junghans, Dennis Erb Jr., Shane Clanton, Max Blair, Tyler Bruening.

Fourth heat finish: Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Erb, Mike Marlar, Dillon McCowan, Blair Nothdurft, Tad Pospisil, Boom Briggs.

Time trials

First group
1. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 12.905
2. Chad Simpson (25), Mount Vernon, Iowa, 13.140
3. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 13.146
4. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 13.219
5. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 13.237
6. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 13.290
7. Matt Cosner (66C), Ridgeley, W.Va., 13.337
8. Daniel Hilsabeck (22H), Adel, Iowa, 13.350
9. Ben Sukup (07), Norfolk, Neb., 13.369
10. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 13.375
11. Jesse Sobbing (199), Malvern, Iowa, 13.384
12. Jake Timm (49T), Winona, Minn., 13.385
13. Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, 13.450
14. Bill Leighton Jr. (24), Omaha, Neb., 13.665
15. Andrew Kosiski (53), Omaha, Neb., 13.724
16. Jake Neal (14J), Omaha, Neb., 13.746
17. Junior Coover (10C), Norfolk, Neb., 14.518
18. Hudson O’Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., no time
Second group
1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20RT), Chandler, Ariz., 13.046
2. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 13.144
3. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 13.288
4. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 13.289
5. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 13.300
6. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., 13.310
7. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 13.323
8. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 13.412
9. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 13.419
10. Brandon Sheppard (b5), New Berlin, Ill., 13.441
11. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 13.486
12. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 13.491
13. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 13.502
14. Blair Nothdurft (76), Sioux Falls, S.D., 13.676
15. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 13.686
16. Tad Pospisil (04), Norfolk, Neb., 13.695
17. Max Blair (111B), Centerville, Pa., 13.767
18. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 13.840

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)
2 p.m. - Pits open
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
6 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Street stock hot laps
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model qualifying (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Street stock heat races (8 laps)
- Super Late Model heat races (8 laps)
- Street stock consolation races (if needed)
- Super Late Model consolation races (10 laps)
Feature events
- Street stocks (20 laps)
- Super Late Models (50 laps)