Ricky Thornton Jr. was the winner in Group B
In a race meant to serve as a prelude to Saturday’s $50,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway, Ricky Thornton Jr. made it instead look like a view of the recent past as he recorded yet another victory. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader made a move to take the lead just after halfway and never looked back as he sailed on to the checkered flag on Friday night.
The Longhorn Chassis driver from Martinsville, Indiana earned $5,000 for his win on the track located in Maryville, Tennessee.
A total of 44 cars were signed in for competition
Qualifying Results: 1. Kyle Strickler(13.691), 2. Ricky Thornton Jr., 3. Spencer Hughes, 4. Daulton Wilson, 5. Tim McCreadie, 6. Jensen Ford, 7. Ross Robinson, 8. Tyler Bruening, 9. Rusty Ballenger, 10. Donald McIntosh, 11. Brandon Overton, 12. Boom Briggs, 13. Earl Pearson Jr., 14. Tyler Erb, 15. Josh Henry, 16. David Breazeale, 17. Jay Scott, 18. Richie Stephens, 19. Cameron Weaver, 20. Jason Papich, 21. John Tweed, 22. Chase Oliver
Feature Re-cap: At the start of the 30-lap event, Strickler took the lead over Thornton, Hughes, Wilson and McCreadie but the racing action didn’t last long as a yellow flag waved just after the completion of the first lap.
Once the race got going, Strickler appeared to have things in hand as he pulled away from his pursuers but a lap 7 caution for a broken wheel on the Henry car negated his advantage.
As the laps clicked by, things still appeared to be going Strickler’s way until slower traffic came into play. On lap 17, Thornton pounced, passing Strickler as he wrestled with a slower machine. Just after that move a caution flag was again shown to the field.
When green flag racing resumed, Thornton and Strickler broke away from the rest of the field and roared on to the finish line to secure a 1-2 finish.
Feature Results: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr., 2. Kyle Strickler, 3. Spencer Hughes, 4. Daulton Wilson, 5. Tim McCreadie, 6. Tyler Erb, 7. Tyler Bruening, 8. Ross Robinson, 9. Brandon Overton, 10. Earl Pearson Jr., 11. Boom Briggs, 12. Jay Scott, 13. Jason Papich, 14. David Breazeale, 15. Rusty Ballenger, 16. Richie Stephens, 17. Josh Henry, 18. Chase Oliver, 19. Jensen Ford, 20. Donald McIntosh, 21. Cameron Weaver
Click the play button below to hear a post-race interview with feature winner Ricky Thornton Jr.:
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Chris Ferguson wins Family Feud in Lucas Oil Group A feature at SMS
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