What won the race: Outdueling race-long leader Tyler Peterson with a crossover move out of turn four, 13th-starting Dylan Thornton of Orcutt, Calif., led the final seven laps to win Saturday's $3,000 Ernie Mincy Early Thaw finale at Central Arizona Raceway. After nearly hopping the turn-one cushion on lap 25, Thornton drove away to a 0.845 of a second victory over Peterson for his third career Early Thaw triumph.

Quotable: “I was behind (Peterson) and going down the straightaways, I was so close to him, I could feel the car lock-down and not be able to turn and when I finally got in front of him, it just went into the corner completely different and I just killed the wall,” Thornton said. “It was a feeling I didn’t feel the whole race, because I was behind him. We have a little bit of damage to fix, but this thing was fast man.”

Key notes: Dylan Thornton, who races out of Iowa, notched his fifth overall victory of the season, all of them coming at the high-banked Pinal County Fairgrounds facility (includes two early-January modified wins). ... Thornton collected more than $7,500 in topping half of the six-race miniseries. ... The second-starting Peterson, of Hickson, N.D., led the opening 23 laps before settling for runner-up. Peterson won Thursday's fourth round, worth $2,000. ... Polesitter Austin Kuehl slipped to third before spinning in the turn-one cushion on lap 14, clipping Dylan Thornton and Jaden Christ as they narrowly avoided. Kuehl was credited with 19th. Christ continued and faded to 11th. ... Amelia Eisenschenk and Rob Mayea made contact while battling for seventh on lap 13, sending Eisenschenk spinning and triggering the race's first yellow flag. ... ... The third stoppage was a 10-minute red flag at the haflway mark when Lyndon Bolt spun from fifth, leaving Karl Tipton nowhere to go; Tipton's nose dug under Bolt's right side, sending Bolt's machine up and over. Both drivers were OK, but did not continue. ... Steve Stultz and Chad Olsen spun while battling for 10th, causing the fourth and final slowdown on lap 20. Olsen retired, while Stultz continued to finish 14th, the final starter to complete 30 laps. ... The feature lasted 26 minutes. ... Teenager Braxten Leonard made his season debut, but retired after three laps.

On the move: Josh Leonard of Gibbon, Neb., started 21st and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s Ricky and Brenda Kay-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a HalaBuilt Competition Engine and carries sponsorship from Petersen Insurance, Salty’s BBQ and Catering, Kay Farms Elevator Trucking, Hoker Trucking, Pit Crew BBQ, Malvern Bank, Drake Excavating & Aggregates, Tyler Matzen Trucking, Vander Heiden Hauling & Farming, Wheatland Auto Body, Bilstein Shocks, Hyperco, Wyffels Hybrids, Performance Bodies, Dynamic Drivelines and Capital Race Decals.

Points chase: Final: 1. Dylan Thornton (588); 2. Josh Leonard (577); 3. Ricky Weiss (554); 4. Cole Schill (547); 5. Tyler Peterson (538).

Current weather: Clear, 54°F

Car count: 21

Polesitter: Austin Kuehl

Heat race winners: Austin Kuehl, Jaden Christ, Rusty Kollman