Dirt on Dirt - Thornton steals Tuesday's $10,000 opener at Ocala

January 30

Ocala Speedway,

Ocala, FL

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Winter Nationals) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kyle McFadden, series and track reports (last updated January 30, 11:48 pm)

Thornton steals Tuesday's $10,000 opener at Ocala

Winter Nationals

Ricky Thornton Jr.
Tyler Erb
Devin Moran
Jonathan Davenport
Mike Marlar
Tim McCreadie
Garrett Alberson
Hudson O'Neal
Drake Troutman
Earl Pearson Jr.
Tanner English
Jimmy Owens
Brian Shirley
Clay Harris
Max Blair
Brandon Sheppard
Blair Nothdurft
Spencer Hughes
Boom Briggs
Daulton Wilson
Kyle Bronson
Matt Cosner
Brenden Smith
Dillon McCowan
Bob Gardner
Cory Lawler
Ross Robinson
Donald McIntosh

presented by

Live video Photo slideshow Feature highlights Heat highlights Video recap Related story Race history

Heath Lawson/heathlawsonphotos.com

Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt) makes the winning pass under Tyler Erb (1) and holds on to win Tuesday's $10,000 opener.

What won the race: Charging underneath Tyler Erb amid lapped traffic, third-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., seized control and led the final two circuits to win Tuesday's 40-lap Winter Nationals opener at Ocala Speedway. Thornton earned $10,000 for his second straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and the 25th full-field triumph of his career, moving him into sole possession of ninth on the tour's all-time win list.

Quotable: “(Tyler Erb) got stuck behind that one lapped car once off (turn) four, and really, without that, I don’t think I ever would’ve got to him,” Thornton said. “We got down to two (laps) to go and I feel like I was close, then he got into (turn) three and kinda shoved a little bit, and I knew if I could get under him down the front straightaway … you have to throw a bomb down there (in turn one). I watched him throw a bomb on J.D. (Jonathan Davenport) down there, so it worked out for us.”

Key notes: Thornton collected his third career five-figure payday at the uniquely shaped 3/8-mile oval in Ocala, Fla., after also topping $10,000 openers there in 2021 and '23. ... The second-starting Erb led laps 3-38 before giving way to Thornton and settling for the runner-up spot, 0.448 of a second back at the checkers. Erb had earlier turned the race's quickest lap — 15.563 seconds — shortly after a mid-race restart. ... Eighth-starting Devin Moran followed Thornton by Jonathan Davenport to take third on a lap-20 restart and went on to complete the podium. ... The pole-starting Davenport led the first two laps before giving way to Erb and ultimately slipping to finish fourth. ... Mike Marlar took fifth on lap 29 and rounded out the top-five finishers on his 46th birthday. .... Hudson O'Neal ran as high as fourth in the early laps before fading to finish eighth. ... Earl Pearson Jr. gained three spots and finished 10th for his first top-10 finish driving the Jason Rauen-owned BMF Race Car. ... Fifth-starting Tanner English missed the setup and dropped back to finish 11th. ... Daulton Wilson finished 20th after spinning and drawing the race's second caution on lap 19, collecting Kyle Bronson. ... Ross Robinson hopped the turn-one cushion and hit the wall while running 12th to bring out the third and final yellow on lap 27. ... Donald McIntosh slowed to trigger the first stoppage on lap 19. ... Tuesday's feature lasted 21 minutes, with 22 competitors completing 40 laps and 26 running at the finish.

On the move: Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, started eighth and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Dyno One, Hoker Trucking LLC, Coltman Farms Racing, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Big River Steel, Murty Farms, High Performance Lubricants, West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein, Sunoco Race Fuels, FK Rod Ends, Allstar Performance, Dirt Car Lift, Midwest Sheet Metal and EMD Wraps.

Points chase: After Ocala Tuesday: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (710); 2. Jonathan Davenport (670); 3. Hudson O'Neal (650); 4. Devin Moran (615); 5. Mike Marlar (555); 6. Brandon Sheppard (540); 7. Garrett Alberson (535); 8. Tyler Erb (505); 9. Jimmy Owens (495); 10. Daulton Wilson (485); 11. Drake Troutman (480); 12. Kyle Bronson (465).

Current weather: Clear, 52°F

Car count: 40

Fast qualifier: Tanner English

Time: 13.881 seconds

Polesitter: Jonathan Davenport

Heat race winners: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr., Tyler Erb, Mike Marlar

Consolation race winners: Brandon Sheppard, Matt Cosner

Provisional starters: Boom Briggs, Brian Shirley, Dillon McCowan, Bob Gardner, Cory Lawler, Brenden Smith

Next series race: January 31, Ocala Speedway (Ocala, FL) $10,000

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

From staff reports

OCALA, Fla. (Jan. 30) — Updates and results from Tuesday’s Winter Nationals opener highlighted by a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for Lucas Oil Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Charging underneath Tyler Erb amid lapped traffic, third-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., seized control and led the final two circuits to win Tuesday's 40-lap Winter Nationals opener at Ocala Speedway. Thornton earned $10,000 for his second straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and the 25th full-field triumph of his career, moving him into sole possession of ninth on the tour's all-time win list.

The second-starting Erb, of New Waverly, Texas, led laps 3-38 before giving way to Thornton and settling for the runner-up spot, 0.448 of a second back at the checkers. Erb turned the race's quickest lap — 15.563 seconds — shortly after a mid-race restart.

Feature lineup

(40 laps)
Row 1: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb
Row 2: Ricky Thornton Jr., Mike Marlar
Row 3: Tanner English, Hudson O'Neal
Row 4: Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran
Row 5: Daulton Wilson, Drake Troutman
Row 6: Garrett Alberson, Ross Robinson
Row 7: Earl Pearson Jr., Blair Nothdurft
Row 8: Clay Harris, Spencer Hughes
Row 9: Brandon Sheppard, Matt Cosner
Row 10: Donald McIntosh, Kyle Bronson
Row 11: Max Blair, Jimmy Owens
Row 12: Boom Briggs, Brian Shirley
Row 13: Dillon McCowan, Bob Gardner
Row 14: Cory Lawler, Brenden Smith

Consolation results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation finish: Brandon Sheppard, Donald McIntosh, Max Blair, Mark Whitener, Jack Riggs, Jadon Frame, Brenden Smith, Bob Gardner, Ryan Scott, Cory Lawler, Boom Briggs, Brian Shirley.

Second consolation finish: Matt Cosner, Kyle Bronson, Jimmy Owens, Dennis Erb Jr., Ethan Dotson, Tony Jackson Jr., Dillon McCowan, Daniel Adam, Logan Hitt, Carson Brown. Scratched: Cody Overton, Kylan Garner

Heat race recap

Second-starting Jonathan Davenport slipped under Tanner English in the opening turn and led all eight laps to win the first heat race by 1.684 seconds over the pole-starting English. Daulton Wilson and Earl Pearson Jr. held serve in finishing third and fourth, clinching their starting spots for Tuesday’s $10,000-to-win feature. … Ricky Thornton Jr. led the entire distance to win heat two by 2.013 seconds over fourth-starting Tim McCreadie, who followed Thornton by Garrett Alberson on the opening lap; Alberson settled for third, with Clay Harris finishing fourth and going 3-for-3 in making all Lucas Oil Series races to start the season. … Second-starting Tyler Erb used a turn-two crossover move to grab the lead from Blair Nothdurft and repelled third-starting Hudson O’Neal to win heat two by 0.370 of a second. Drake Troutman took third, while the pole-starting Nothdurft slipped to finish fourth. … Mike Marlar led green-to-checkered and mastered a late-race restart to win the fourth and final heat by 0.749 of a second over fifth-starting Devin Moran. Sixth-starting Ross Robinson finished third and Spencer Hughes took fourth. Second-running Cody Overton suffered a flat right-rear tire on lap six, drawing the first caution, then immediately drew a second stoppage on the ensuing restart attempt; Overton continued and finished ninth.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat finish: Jonathan Davenport, Tanner English, Daulton Wilson, Earl Pearson Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Donald McIntosh, Max Blair, Boom Briggs, Jadon Frame, Cory Lawler.

Second heat finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, Garrett Alberson, Clay Harris, Brian Shirley, Jack Riggs, Mark Whitener, Brenden Smith, Bob Gardner, Ryan Scott.

Third heat finish: Tyler Erb, Hudson O'Neal, Drake Troutman, Blair Nothdurft, Matt Cosner, Kyle Bronson, Dennis Erb Jr., Tony Jackson Jr., Dillon McCowan, Carson Brown.

Fourth heat finish: Mike Marlar, Devin Moran, Ross Robinson, Spencer Hughes, Ethan Dotson, Jimmy Owens, Daniel Adam, Logan Hitt, Cody Overton, Kylan Garner.

Heat race lineups

First heat
Row 1: Tanner English, Jonathan Davenport
Row 2: Daulton Wilson, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 3: Brandon Sheppard, Max Blair
Row 4: Donald McIntosh, Boom Briggs
Row 5: Jadon Frame, Cory Lawler
Second heat
Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr., Garrett Alberson
Row 2: Clay Harris, Tim McCreadie
Row 3: Brian Shirley, Jack Riggs
Row 4: Mark Whitener, Brenden Smith
Row 5: Bob Gardner, Ryan Scott
Third heat
Row 1: Blair Nothdurft, Tyler Erb
Row 2: Hudson O’Neal, Drake Troutman
Row 3: Matt Cosner, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 4: Kyle Bronson, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 5: Carson Brown, Dillon McCowan
Fourth heat
Row 1: Mike Marlar, Cody Overton
Row 2: Spencer Hughes, Jimmy Owens
Row 3: Devin Moran, Ross Robinson
Row 4: Daniel Adam, Ethan Dotson
Row 5: Kylan Garner, Logan Hitt

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Tanner English (96v), Benton, Ky., 13.881
2. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 13.883
3. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 13.904
4. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 13.926
5. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 13.949
6. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 13.988
7. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 14.031
8. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 14.065
9. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., 14.094
10. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 14.135
11. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 14.147
12. Jack Riggs (81J), Nolensville, Tenn., 14.273
13. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 14.283
14. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 14.312
15. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 14.452
16. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 14.509
17. Jadon Frame (81F), Winchester, Tenn., 14.520
18. Bob Gardner (4G), East Peoria, Ill., 14.587
19. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa., 14.998
20. Ryan Scott (0), Pittsfield, Pa., 15.064
Group B
1. Blair Nothdurft (76n), Renner, S.D., 13.909
2. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 13.913
3. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 13.936
4. Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga., 13.938
5. Hudson O’Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., 13.947
6. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 13.964
7. Drake Troutman (7T), Hyndman, Pa., 13.995
8. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 13.999
9. Matt Cosner (66c), Ridgeley, W.Va., 14.058
10. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 14.059
11. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.076
12. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 14.083
13. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 14.137
14. Daniel Adam (75), Wade, N.C., 14.180
15. Tony Jackson Jr. (25), Lebanon, Mo., 14.351
16. Ethan Dotson (174), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.396
17. Carson Brown (28B), New London, N.C., 14.411
18. Kylan Garner (128), Neosho, Mo., 14.585
19. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., 14.657
20. Logan Hitt (2*), Buckhannon, W.Va., 14.784

Tuesday’s schedule

(All times local)
2 p.m. - Pits open
5 p.m. - Grandstands open
5:30 p.m. - On-track activity begins
- Late Model hot laps
- Late Model qualifying (2 laps)
- Thunder stock group qualifying
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Thunder stock heats (10 laps)
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Late Models (40 laps)
- Thunder stocks (20 laps)