Each of the four drivers eligible to win the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title in the Dirt Track World Championship at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on the weekend of October 20-21 will be profiled here on this site in the days leading up to the $100,000-to-win event.
The series championship will pay $200,0000 to the winner with second place receiving $150,000 while third and fourth will take home $125,000 and $100,000 respectively. The driver who finishes highest in the running order on Saturday night among Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal and Ricky Thornton Jr. will be crowned as the champion.
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Driver: Ricky Thornton Jr.
Team: SSI Motorsports
Chassis: Longhorn
Season Statistics: Thornton was 1st in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standings following the Pittsburgher at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. He turned in one of the greatest seasons in recent Dirt Late Model history with 23 series wins along with 41 top-5s and 41 top-10s. Overall, the No. 20RT scored a total of 36 wins including a $50,000 win at Smoky Mountain Speedway, the Firecracker 100, the Prairie Dirt Classic, the Knoxville Late Model Nationals, the Jackson 100, and the Pittsburgher.
He Can Be Considered a Favorite Because: Thornton won so many races that he can be considered a favorite on any track at any time. And as shown above, he had a knack for coming up big in the biggest events. After building a lead of more than 500 points before the re-set, ending the season without a championship might seem a bit of a letdown. But the driver has had such an amazing season that he doesn’t appear to be overly worried about that.
Quote: “I’ve won over thirty championships but it would be my first national championship so that part would be really cool. I mean regardless, if we don’t win we’ve still got a chance to win a couple of other national championships this year. We’re taking it like it’s any other race. I don’t know, everyone wants to make a huge deal out of it, but for us, it’s just another race and you move on.”
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