2/15/2025
Ricky Thornton Jr
Ricky Thornton Jr. Earns Big Gator Trophy at Volusia Speedway Park
Secures DIRTcar Nationals Title with Two Wins
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (02/17/25) – Ricky Thornton Jr. added another accolade to his lengthy resume over the weekend with his first DIRTcar Nationals title at Volusia Speedway Park aboard his Ultimate Towing & Recovery / Elite Ready Mix / Coltman Farms Racing / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
Thornton's claim to the coveted Big Gator Trophy was fueled by a pair of DIRTcar Nationals victories on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I’ve always wanted to win one of these things,” Thornton said. “It is pretty cool getting one, but I think Blayne might be more excited about the trophy than I am. This entire week is a true testament to the excellence of our team & partners. Thanks to Jessica and Bobby, we couldn’t be more excited about what 2025 has in store for Koehler Motorsports.”
Thornton joined 50 DIRTcar Late Models at Volusia Speedway Park (Barberville, Fla.) on Monday afternoon to kick off the 54th Annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
After driving to a second-place finish in Monday’s fog-covered opener, Thornton carried the same speed into Tuesday with a third-to-first run in his heat race. In the feature, he powered past outside front-row starter Tyler Erb on lap 12 and cruised to his fourth win of the season.
“I feel like we’ve been really good,” Thornton said after Tuesday’s preliminary victory. “We changed our program up a lot after we were here earlier this year and I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better. My boys aren’t going to shy away from work, we’ve destroyed two race cars and they put them back together and we’ve been just as good.”
With the 61-car split into three groups on Wednesday, Ricky delivered a perfect night in his Ultimate Towing & Recovery No. 20RT Late Model, securing back-to-back wins. Thornton topped the speed charts in his time trial group before leading every circuit of his 20-lap preliminary.
Thornton backed up his $7,000 victory on Tuesday with a commanding $5,000 win on Wednesday.
As the remainder of the week transitioned to the World of Outlaws (WoO) Late Model Series events from Thursday to Saturday, Thornton followed up a fifth-place finish on Thursday with a third-place showing on Friday.
Entering Saturday's finale as the DIRTcar Nationals points leader, Thornton clinched his first DIRTcar Nationals title with a solid sixth-place finish in the $20,000-to-win main event.
Results from the week-long DIRTcar Nationals are available at www.DIRTcarNationals.com.
Thornton’s Late Model campaign will resume in March with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Smoky Mountain Speedway for the two-day Tennessee Tipoff. The Chandler, Arizona native is also exploring a few potential races in the Micro Sprint ranks, though he’s still weighing his options.
Full event details for March’s World of Outlaws event can be found at www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
Ricky Thornton Jr. and the Koehler Motorsports team would like to thank their sponsors, which include: Longhorn Chassis, Bilstein Shock Absorbers, Cornett Racing Engines, Clements Racing Engines, Knight’s Companies, Coltman Farms Racing, High Performance Lubricants, Hoker Trucking LLC, Capital Waste, Ultimate Towing & Recovery, Elite Ready Mix, Jones Racing Products, Certified Inspection Service Co., Inc., Varsitee Screenprinting, D and E Outside Services, Shocker Hitch, EMD Wraps, GoSunoco, Dynamic Drivelines, Excel Floor Coverings, Performance Bodies, Swift Springs, Buzze Performance, Dirtcarlift, Impact Racing, Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Ultra Shield Race Products, LLC, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, LLC, Team SRI Motorsports, MPI - Max Papis Innovations, Strange Oval, Pit Boss Jacks, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
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