Ricky Thornton Jr.
Over the past three or four seasons there has been an influx of money to come into the top level of Dirt Late Model racing the likes of which have never been seen before. Sure, there have been for many years a few shows that paid out significant amounts, but now, it is almost becoming a weekly occurrence for drivers and teams to be competing for payouts that just a few years ago were reserved for only a very few events.
With there now being four national tours, each with its own streaming service, ways have to be devised to get fans to watch and racers to race.
Longtime national tours- the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series- have over the last three years or so been joined by the XR Super Series and the Castrol FloRacing Night in America Series. As a result of the competition among those tours, each has sought ways to get the top drivers to race with them so that the fans will either attend or tune in vis their streaming service. And of course, the best motivator to lure in the racers is to offer major payouts.
So far in 2023, there have been ten races to pay $50,000 or more to the winner. As little as a decade ago, it might have taken two seasons for there to be ten races that paid that kind of money. And the amazing thing is, we are just now getting to the heart of the prime money making portion of the schedule.
From this point, there are still ten more events that will dole out at least $50,000 to the winner. Along with that, there are a myriad of $20,000 and $30,000-to-win type purses remaining on the schedule. It is indeed a great time to be a top-tier Late Model star because the money that was lacking for years is now available.
To that end, those ten previously held high-dollar shows had been spreading the wealth out fairly evenly through the first six events. But since mid-June a pattern that should surprise no one who follows this sport will be surprised by has emerged.
In the first six big money races of 2023 there were six different winners. Dale McDowell, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal and Ricky Thornton Jr. had each collected a monster paycheck. However, that even distribution has begun to shift lately.
This past Tuesday night when Thornton was victorious in the $100,000-to-win XR Super Series-sanctioned Elkhorn 100 at Nebraska’s Off Road Speedway, it was the third time in the last five major shows that he had pulled the SSI Motorsports No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis into a victory lane to not only receive the accolades but also the money.
Beginning with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series feature at Smoky Mountain Speedway, which paid $50,000 on June 17th, Thornton has won another $50,000 in the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway and the aforementioned triumph at Off Road. Mixed in among those wins were victories by Bobby Pierce at Deer Creek Speedway and Brandon Sheppard at Huset’s Speedway, both of which were Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned shows and both paid in the $50,000 range.
The next two weekends will thrust the spotlight onto the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series with successive $50,000-to-win payouts coming in the Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury(IL) Speedway on July 29th and the equally lucrative USA Nationals at Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway the next weekend.
Thornton does have the PDC on his schedule but is apparently not planning on racing at Cedar Lake. Based on recent results in these kinds of races, it would seem safe to say that RTJ will be thought of as one of if not the favorite going into any high paying event he chooses to enter.
Following Cedar Lake, there will be a succession of LOLMDS big events in the North-South 100 at Florence Speedway, a track where Thornton won earlier this year, the Topless 100 at Batesville(AR) Speedway, and the ‘Rumble by the River’ at Port Royal(PA) Speedway. All of those shows will lead into the prestigious World 100 at Eldora Speedway on September 9th.
Two more Lucas Oil stops with $50,000 or more payouts will help decide the championship for that national touring series in the Knoxville(IA) Late Model Nationals and the season finale in the Dirt Track World Championship at Eldora Speedway. Every weekend remaining on the schedule for LOLMDS teams will have features included that will pay at least $30,000.
The XR Super Series has one more $100,000 event slated for late October at Florida’s All-Tech Raceway while the Castrol FloRacing Night in America Series will contest a $54,054 feature at Georgia’s Senoia Raceway on November 11th.
Along with all the money being paid for individual race wins, the four national tours have stepped up their games by also offering very lucrative payouts at the end of the season for each driver’s place in the final standings. Thornton currently leads the Lucas Oil standings but the champion will not be decided until the DTWC in a four-man race for the title. That championship will pay out $200,000.
Of course, much can change over the second half of the Dirt Late Model racing season but over the past month or so, Ricky Thornton Jr. has served notice that he can not only win the routine races but he can also claim the big money. And there is a lot of that still out there to be claimed. Will RTJ take the lion’s share of what’s left or will others deny him the big purses?
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