What won the race: Returning to the site of his richest career victory, Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., grabbed the lead from race-long pacesetter Daulton Wilson on lap 30 and went on to capture the $12,000 top prize in Friday night’s rain-shortened Independence 50 at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The 2021 Dirt Track World Championship winner was over 2 seconds ahead of Tim McCreadie when heavy rain struck the 3/8-mile oval, forcing officials to declare the race complete with 45 laps scored.

Quotable: “I got under (Wilson) down the back straightaway and I think he thought I was gonna slide him, so he drove into three really hard and kind of slid himself,” Thornton said of his race-winning pass. “I think had he been running the line he was he probably would’ve been all right.”

Key notes: Thornton’s first Lucas Oil Series win of 2022 was the fourth of his career. His last tour triumph came in last October’s $100,000-to-win DTWC. … Thornton and his crew posed for victory lane photos in pouring rain; his post-race interview with announcer James Essex was done in the press box. ... McCreadie followed Thornton by Wilson on lap 30 and held second for the remainder of the distance. … Wilson, a Lucas Oil rookie seeking his first series win, led laps 1-29 before losing the top spot when he slid high in turns three and four. He settled for a fifth-place finish. … The race’s most significant incident came on lap 16 when Tyler Erb slid sideways between turns three and four — after contact with Brandon Overton as they battled for fourth — and was hit hard in his car’s rear end by Spencer Hughes. While Hughes was eliminated and Overton was forced to pit with a left-rear flat, Erb went on to finish seventh with a mangled rear deck. … Other cautions flew for Steve Casebolt’s slow car (lap 16); debris on the homestretch (lap 26); a Garrett Alberson/R.J. Conley tangle (lap 28); and finally on lap 45 for the precipitation. … Pennsylvania’s Cory Lawler escaped injury when he barrel-rolled a couple times between turns one and two during the B-main.

On the move: Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, started 18th and finished ninth.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements engine and sponsored by Hoker Trucking, Dyno One, Excel Floor Covering, Certified Inspection Service, Big River Steel, D&E Outside Services, Dienes-Nitz Solutions & Powdercoating, Sub-Surface of Indiana, West Side Tractor Sales, Shelby Materials and Slicker Graphics.

Points chase: After Portsmouth: 1. Brandon Sheppard (3,715); 2. Tim McCreadie (3,700); 3. Ricky Thornton Jr. (3,570); 4. Tyler Erb (3,465); 5. Earl Pearson Jr. (3,315); 6. Hudson O’Neal (3,245); 7. Ashton Winger (3,070); 8. Garrett Alberson (3,055); 9. Daulton Wilson (2,800); 10. Spencer Hughes (2,735); 11. Devin Moran (2,730); 12. Ross Robinson (2,675).

Current weather: Clear, 79°F

Car count: 30

Fast qualifier: Daulton Wilson

Time: 14.546 seconds

Polesitter: Daulton Wilson

Heat race winners: Daulton Wilson, Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Brandon Overton

Consolation race winners: Brandon Fouts

Provisional starters: Nick Bocook, Tim Vance

Next series race: July 2, Muskingum County Speedway (Zanesville, OH) $3,000