LOCUST GROVE, AR (August 18, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. led the final 14 laps of the 30-lap preliminary A-Main on Friday night at Batesville Motor Speedway. The victory tied Thornton with Scott Bloomquist for the most wins in a season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Jonathan Davenport led the first 16 laps until Thornton charged around him to take over the top spot on the 17th circuit. Tim McCreadie made a late-race charge to finish in second followed by Davenport, Dale McDowell, and Devin Moran.
Thornton had to withstand a one-lap shootout after a caution appeared with 29 laps scored. After a solid restart, Thornton crossed the line 0.327 seconds ahead of McCreadie, the 2008 COMP Cams Topless 100 winner.
Davenport had built a good lead until he encountered traffic as Thornton and then McDowell were able to stay close to the defending COMP Cams Topless 100 winner. Thornton moved to the top of the 3/8ths mile oval which propelled him to the lead on lap 17.
Thornton will be seeking his first career COMP Cams Topless 100 win on Saturday night and will start on the Terminal Maintenance and Construction pole for the $50,000-to-win finale.
In Lucas Oil Victory Lane Thornton commented on getting into the turn one wall with just a few laps to go. “I actually got a really good run off of four and I was just going too fast, and I couldn’t slow down. I’m glad it’s as minor as it is I thought it was really going to be bad there for a second. Overall, it was a really good car we were kind of worried when we went out late there in qualifying and we were really good. At the start JD [Davenport] and Dale [McDowell] really took off and I didn’t take off as good as they could. We got about 10 laps in and I kind of felt like they slowed down, and my stuff picked up.”
McCreadie, who started sixth came home in second to the current championship points leader and was pleased with his effort. “We were really quick for a few laps and then it [the car] just didn’t maneuver right. That’s the beauty of it at least we are there at the front our car was really balanced tonight. I think I overtightened it and did some things, but it’s nice to still have a car that can run good when you mess it up as a driver.”
Davenport coming off a Thursday night win in the SRX Series at Lucas Oil Speedway is looking to become the first driver in the 31-year history of the COMP Cams Topless 100 to win back-to-back years. “I think he [Thornton] was just feeling sorry for me, and he let me lead a few laps. He’s been really good. We need to figure out a way to like make him start in the pits or something then we might have a chance. Congratulations to them guys they have been really good. Timmy’s [McCreadie] getting better and so are we. We just wasn’t as good as we needed to be tonight, and it don’t take much to be second or third or tenth with these guys everybody’s so close anymore.”
The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns-owned, SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Dyne One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales, D&E Outside Services, Certified Inspection Service Inc., Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, Midwest Sheet Metal, Murty Farms, and Excel Floor Covering.
Completing the top ten were Jared Landers, Stormy Scott, Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., and Spencer Hughes.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
31st Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 – Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions | Prelim Night 1
Friday, August 18, 2023
Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, AR
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport | 13.615 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 13.898 seconds
Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 777-Jared Landers[2]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[3]; 4. 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 5. 36-Logan Martin[5]; 6. 93-Mason Oberkramer[4]; 7. 86-Kyle Beard[7]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 9. 26-Glen Powell[10]; 10. 60-Kip Hughes[9]; 11. (DNS) 37-Joseph Long
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 5. 17-Jarret Stuckey[7]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 7. 601-Curtis Cook[8]; 8. 99H-Todd Hall[4]; 9. USA1-Chris Hawkins[9]; 10. 29-Chandler Moenning[10]; 11. 7S-Jeff Sloan[11]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 3. 12C-Scott Crigler[5]; 4. 5X-Jon Mitchell[3]; 5. R5-Hunter Rasdon[4]; 6. 997-Travis Ashley[10]; 7. 7P-David Payne[7]; 8. 56-Jonathan Rowan[6]; 9. 15-Clayton Stuckey[8]; 10. 3N-Nathan Brown[9]
AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 4. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 6. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[6]; 7. 2X-Kris Lloyd[7]; 8. 78-Henry Gustavas[9]; 9. B17-Brandon Ball[8]; 10. 3K-Tanner Kellick[10]; 11. 48-Mike Myers[11]
Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[2]; 3. 90-Brian Rickman[4]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[7]; 5. 1R-BJ Robinson[5]; 6. 19-Jamie Burford[11]; 7. 13N-Derrick Nichols[9]; 8. USA28-Kylan Garner[8]; 9. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 10. 6JR-Parker Martin[6]; 11. 3-Joey Smith[10]
Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[1]; 3. 21M-Billy Moyer Jr[3]; 4. 111B-Max Blair[4]; 5. 11K-Jon Kirby[5]; 6. 45-Cole Wells[6]; 7. 17T-Jeremy Tharp[8]; 8. 91-Chris Jones[9]; 9. 88-Chance Mann[10]; 10. 12-Jamie Elam[7]
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. R5-Hunter Rasdon[6]; 3. 36-Logan Martin[4]; 4. 93-Mason Oberkramer[7]; 5. 17-Jarret Stuckey[5]; 6. 5X-Jon Mitchell[3]; 7. 86-Kyle Beard[10]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[13]; 9. 99H-Todd Hall[14]; 10. 601-Curtis Cook[11]; 11. 7P-David Payne[12]; 12. 15-Clayton Stuckey[18]; 13. 7S-Jeff Sloan[22]; 14. 26-Glen Powell[16]; 15. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 16. 60-Kip Hughes[19]; 17. 997-Travis Ashley[9]; 18. 56-Jonathan Rowan[15]; 19. USA1-Chris Hawkins[17]; 20. 29-Chandler Moenning[20]; 21. 2-Tyler Stevens[1]; 22. (DNS) 3N-Nathan Brown; 23. (DNS) 37-Joseph Long
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 97-Cade Dillard[1]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 3. 14M-Morgan Bagley[2]; 4. 1R-BJ Robinson[5]; 5. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[7]; 6. 2X-Kris Lloyd[10]; 7. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[17]; 8. 111B-Max Blair[3]; 9. 11K-Jon Kirby[6]; 10. 19-Jamie Burford[8]; 11. USA28-Kylan Garner[14]; 12. 91-Chris Jones[15]; 13. 12-Jamie Elam[21]; 14. 3K-Tanner Kellick[19]; 15. B17-Brandon Ball[16]; 16. 13N-Derrick Nichols[11]; 17. 45-Cole Wells[9]; 18. 78-Henry Gustavas[13]; 19. 3-Joey Smith[23]; 20. 88-Chance Mann[18]; 21. 48-Mike Myers[22]; 22. 17T-Jeremy Tharp[12]; 23. 6JR-Parker Martin[20]
COMP Cams Topless 100 – Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions | Prelim Night 1 Feature Finish(30 Laps):
