Dirt on Dirt - Thornton tops second Lucas Oil semifeature

June 16

Smoky Mountain Speedway,

Maryville, TN

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Mountain Moonshine Classic second semifeature) - $5,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated June 17, 11:22 am)

Thornton tops second Lucas Oil semifeature

Mountain Moonshine Classic second semifeature

Ricky Thornton Jr.
Kyle Strickler
Spencer Hughes
Daulton Wilson
Tim McCreadie
Tyler Erb
Tyler Bruening
Ross Robinson
Brandon Overton
Earl Pearson Jr.
Boom Briggs
Jay Scott
Jason Papich
David Breazeale
Rusty Ballenger
Richie Stephens
Josh Henry
Chase Oliver
Jensen Ford
Donald McIntosh
Cameron Weaver
John Tweed

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Ricky Thornton Jr. heads for a semifeature victory at Smoky Mountain.

What won the race: Taking the lead from race-long pacesetter Kyle Strickler with an inside move off turn four on lap 18, second-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., controlled the remainder of the distance to capture Friday night's second 30-lap Mountain Moonshine Classic semifeature at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Thornton beat Strickler by 0.824 of a second for the $5,000 top prize in the opener of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned weekend.

Quotable: “I figured if I didn’t get a good start there and get by him right off the bat, I was just gonna try to follow and run second,” Thornton said. “I was content with running second, but he (Strickler) got to (the slower Jason Papich) there and was just trying so hard to get by him right away, I don’t know if he didn’t see (Papich) had a flat left-front (tire) or not.”

Key notes: After setting a new track record in qualifying, the pole-starting Strickler, of Mooresville, N.C., led the first 17 laps before Papich, nursing a flat left-front tire, thwarted his momentum, opening the door for Thornton to slip ahead on lap 18 just before a caution flag flew. ... Spencer Hughes started and finished third; he joined Thornton and Strickler in transferring to Saturday's 60-lap, $50,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic. They will contest a six-lap dash with the first semifeature's top-three finishers to determine their starting positions. ... After an extended period of time was spent scraping and working the surface following qualifying, series and track officials decided to scrap Friday's heat races because of the challenging conditions. They lined up the twin 30-lappers by qualifying times. ... Making a rare Late Model start this season, Arroyo Grande, Calif.'s Papich started 20th and finished 13th after retiring due to the flat tire ... The second semifeature was slowed by four cautions and lasted 20 minutes, with 12 drivers completing all 30 laps.

On the move: Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, started 14th and finished sixth.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements engine and sponsored by Dyno One, Hoker Trucking, Certified Inspection Service, High Performance Lubricants, Big River Steel, Van Meter Insurance Group, Murty Farms, D&E Outside Services, West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein Shocks, FK Rod Ends, Allstar Performance, Barnes Pumps, Performance Bodies, Winters Performance, Strange Oval, Accu-Force, Quickcar, Sunoco Race Fuels and Sub-Surface of Indiana.

Points chase: Before Smoky Mountain: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (3,410); 2. Hudson O’Neal (3,245); 3. Brandon Overton (3,195); 4. Tim McCreadie (3,050); 5. Devin Moran (2,950); 6. Jonathan Davenport (2,885); 7. Daulton Wilson (2,885); 8. Max Blair (2,755); 9. Tyler Erb (2,730); 10. Spencer Hughes (2,685).

Current weather: Few Clouds, 77°F

Car count: 44

Fast qualifier: Kyle Strickler

Time: 13.691 seconds

Polesitter: Kyle Strickler

Next series race: June 17, Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, TN) $50,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Updates from the opening night of the Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway, a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event highlighted by two $5,000-to-win semifeatures for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Taking the lead from race-long pacesetter Kyle Strickler with an inside move off turn four on lap 18, second-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., controlled the remainder of the distance to capture Friday night's second 30-lap Mountain Moonshine Classic semifeature at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Thornton beat Mooresville, N.C.'s Strickler by 0.824 of a second for the $5,000 top prize in the opener of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned weekend.

Feature lineup

(30 laps)
Row 1: Kyle Strickler, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 2: Spencer Hughes, Daulton Wilson
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Jensen Ford
Row 4: Ross Robinson, Tyler Bruening
Row 5: Rusty Ballenger, Donald McIntosh
Row 6: Brandon Overton, Boom Briggs
Row 7: Earl Pearson Jr., Tyler Erb
Row 8: Josh Henry, David Breazeale
Row 9: Jay Scott, Richie Stephens
Row 10: Cameron Weaver, Jason Papich
Row 11: John Tweed, Chase Oliver

Time trial results

Group B
Driver (car no.), hometown
Kyle Strickler (8k), Mooresville, N.C., 13.691
Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 13.798
Spencer Hughes (11), Meridian, Miss., 13.820
Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 13.944
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 14.060
Jensen Ford (83), Johnson City, Tenn., 14.061
Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 14.074
Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 14.135
Rusty Ballenger (1G), Seymour, Tenn., 14.137
Donald McIntosh (7m), Dawsonville, Ga., 14.140
Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.144
Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 14.213
Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 14.226
Tyler Erb (1t), New Waverly, Texas, 14.295
Josh Henry (B00), Newport, Tenn., 14.399
David Breazeale (54), Four Corners, Miss., 14.404
Jay Scott (J27), Fayetteville, Tenn., 14.448
Richie Stephens (1r), Phenix City, Ala., 14.453
Cameron Weaver (116), Crossville, Tenn., 14.557
Jason Papich (46J), Arroyo Grande, Calif., 14.718
John Tweed (5t), Greenville, Tenn., 14.930
Chase Oliver (5), Crossville, Ala., 15.139

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Feature

Feature lineup

Time trial results

Feature lineup

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