The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Ricky Thornton Jr. (20RT) stays in front of Nick Hoffman during the 55th World 100 on Saturday night at Eldora Speedway.
ROSSBURG - There is little doubt that Ricky Thornton Jr. is one of the biggest stars in Dirt Late Model racing. He has won a Lucas Oil Late Model Series championship and has wins at track all over the country.
However, one track he has struggled at throughout his career is Eldora Speedway and the World 100. Thornton had just one top five finish in six career starts in the World 100.
That all changed on Saturday night. The 34 year old Thornton passed Jonathan Davenport on lap 42 and led the final 58 laps to capture his first globe trophy and the $72,000 top prize.
"Honestly, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence coming into tonight," Thornton said. "You can never let your guys know that though."
Thornton, from Chandler, Arizona, came to Eldora this week on hot streak. He had won three of the last four Lucas Oil Series races and then brought a brand new car to Eldora last Sunday and dominated winning the Baltes Classic.
Thornton could only muster eighth and 11th-place finishes on Thursday and Friday in his preliminary features and did not seem like a serious contender entering Saturday night.
He turned things around Saturday and won the sixth heat race which earned him the pole starting spot for the 100-lap main event and when the green flag dropped it appeared Thornton wouldn't be factor in the main event.
Davenport had dominated his preliminary features on both Thursday and Friday and was the pre-race favorite again on Saturday as he lined up beside on Thornton on the front row.
Davenport, who was looking for his record-tying sixth win in late model racing's most prestigious race, jumped to the early lead with Chris Madden and Nick Hoffman also moving around Thornton dropping him to fourth-place.
Three caution flags in a six-lap span from lap 35-41 allowed Thornton to flex his car's strength.
On lap 38, Thornton powered past both Hoffman and Madden and into second-place. Three laps later on another restart, Thornton got a big run off of the top of turn two and dove below Davenport in turns three and four and then slid up in front of Davenport and into the lead as they exited turn four.
"We got that restart and I was able to get past Hoffman and Madden and I was like 'Man, I might actually have a shot at this thing,' " Thornton said. "And then I don't know if it was determination or what but I got another really good restart I stayed next to J.D. and I knew he was going to move up so I went low and was able to get by him. I ran scared probably about the next 15 laps or so wondering if he was going to go back around me on the top or the bottom."
Davenport kept Thornton in his sights but was involved in a battle of his own for the runner-up spot with Madden and Hoffman and Ryan Gustin.
While the racing in the top five kept the record-setting, sell out crowd entertained, Dale McDowell, who also won both his preliminary features on Thursday night, was rolling through the field from the 20th starting position.
On lap 80 McDowell moved around Madden for fourth and then moved into the top three, passing Ryan Gustin on lap 85 he passed for third and just as he started to battle Davenport on lap 88 the caution flag flew again for a slowing Tim McCreadie.
On the restart McDowell edged past Davenport and into second. A lap later the final caution flag of the event flew when Madden slowed with a flat tire. Under the caution period, Davenport ducked into the crowded pit area with a flat tire of his own.
On the final restart McDowell pulled even with Thornton in turns one and two, before Thornton powered away going down the backstretch. Thornton kept McDowell at bay over the final 10 laps and took the checkered flag 15 car lengths ahead of McDowell.
Ricky Thornton Jr. celebrates on the Victory Stage after the World 100.
"Dale got under me off of two on that restart and I'm like if he gets in that traction down there he is going to do right around on the me on the backstretch," Thornton said. "I got a good restart in the middle of the track and once I cleared him I moved down to the line he was running."
McDowell, who won the 2005 World 100 after apparent winner Shannon Babb was light at the scales, was left to wonder what might have happened had to last two caution flags not flown as he was working through the top five.
"I was catching them. I don't know if I could have gotten to (Thornton), but I definitely had some momentum going and it's kind of like the tires sealed up a little bit and just couldn't take back off on those restarts. I needed to carry momentum.
The 59 year-old McDowell has hinted at retirement all week but is hopeful he will back again in 2026.
"Two firsts and a second over the weekend. Man!" McDowell contemplated. "I wanna get one before I quit but hopefully, I will be back next year and it looks like we will be back next year, so hopefully we can take another shot at it."
Like he did at the Dream in June, Hoffman came home in third. But unlike at The Dream he was disappointed he didn't get the win.
"It's pretty crazy to be disappointed with third at the World," Hoffman said. "It's pretty wild but it is the standard I hold myself to. I felt super confident coming into today, but things just didn't pan out for me."
Tyler Erb, driving for St. Marys car owner Eric Brock and his Best Performance Racing team, drove a strong race and came home in fourth while Gustin completed the top five.
Brandon Sheppard finished sixth while Davenport restarted on the tail with the 10 laps to go and worked his way back to seventh at the finish. Chris Ferguson, Bobby Pierce and Tanner English rounded out the top 10.
Heat races were won by Hoffman, Carson Ferguson, Brian Shirley, Madden, Davenport and Thornton. McCreadie and Kyle Strickler won the two B-main events.
The 43rd annual Four-Crown Nationals is next on the Eldora Schedule. The event is now a three-day event with the USAC Sprint Cars and Midgets competing on Sept. 18. The High Limit Sprint Cars and the GLSS 360 Sprint cars and qualifying for the USAC Silver Crown cars are on the schedule for Friday, Sept. 19. The three USAC divisions and the High Limit Sprint Cars return on Saturday night, Sept. 20.
