What won the race: Continuing his spectacular 2023 season, Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., overtook Daulton Wilson for the lead on lap 32 and controlled the remainder of the distance to capture Saturday night’s 50-lap River Days Rumble at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The 32-year-old beat Devin Moran by 1.786 seconds to earn $15,000 for his 13th full-field victory of the season on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

Quotable: “I really didn’t get that great of a start and I felt like I fell back to like 13th or so, and then I was able to kind of drive back up through,” Thornton said. “I wasn’t quite sure why Brandon picked the bottom on that restart, but it worked for me. The outside was way better on the starts. That put me in second and then I feel like Daulton pretty much had it, then he got over the cushion that one time and I figured that was shot.”

Key notes: Thornton’s victory came 24 hours after he recorded a $10,000 triumph in Friday’s unsanctioned Boone Coleman Memorial Gator 50 at Portsmouth. … Bidding to rebound from a heartbreaking loss in Friday’s Gator 50 due to terminal engine trouble after leading laps 1-43, Daulton Wilson advanced from fourth to grab the top spot from Brandon Overton on lap 17. He couldn’t hold off the fleet Thornton, however, and ceded second to Moran on a lap-38 restart before settling for a third-place finish as his pursuit of a first-ever Lucas Oil Series triumph continued. … Overton finished fourth after starting from the pole and leading laps 9-16; he was hampered for much of the distance by an overheating engine. … After leading laps 1-8, Hudson O’Neal was in fourth during a lap-20 caution period when a flat right-rear tire forced him to make a pit stop. He rallied to salvage a fifth-place finish. … The race’s four cautions flags were triggered by Garrett Smith (flat right-front tire on lap 20); Max Blair (flat right-rear tire on lap 29); Earl Pearson Jr. (slowed on lap 38); and Garrett Alberson (turn-four spin on lap 41). … Tyler Erb elected to start the feature in his backup car after scratching from the consolation.

On the move: Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, started 23rd and finished 11th.

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: After Portsmouth: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (6,865); 2. Hudson O’Neal (6,540); 3. Jonathan Davenport (6,215); 4. Brandon Overton (6,135); 5. Tim McCreadie (6,075); 6. Devin Moran (6,050); 7. Daulton Wilson (5,550); 8. Tyler Erb (5,505); 9. Max Blair (5,205); 10. Earl Pearson Jr. (5,190); 11. Garrett Alberson (5,030); 12. Spencer Hughes (4,995); 13. Ross Robinson (4,245).

Current weather: Clear, 81°F

Car count: 31

Fast qualifier: Adam Stricker

Time: 14.843 seconds

Polesitter: Brandon Overton

Heat race winners: Brandon Overton, Colten Burdette, Hudson O'Neal, Daulton Wilson

Consolation race winners: Spencer Hughes

Provisional starters: Tyler Erb, Earl Pearson Jr.

Next series race: September 14, Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $7,000