Ricky Thornton Jr. Looking to Carry Big Gator Momentum Into Smoky Mountain
Photo by Josh James Artwork
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Ricky Thornton Jr. left Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals in familiar form with a couple of Feature trophies, his first Big Gator title and a second-place ranking in World of Outlaws Late Model points. However, the initial start to his 2025 campaign had a more dire look.
Following a 22nd-place run at Golden Isles Speedway in Georgia, the Chandler, AZ driver made the trip south to Volusia Speedway Park, where he kicked off the World of Outlaws Late Model season at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals by missing the Feature on Friday and finishing 19th on Saturday.
So, when the calendar turned to February and it was time to head back to Volusia for Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Thornton was feeling less than optimistic.
“We weren’t really sure, I kind of struggle typically here and I’m not sure why,” Thornton said. “We hurt a car here during Sunshine, and then hurt it again at All-Tech. We built this brand-new car at Ocala, then came here and had really good speed right away.
“I think we were able to capitalize on Qualifying well, have some good Heat Races and be able to start up front in the Feature. I feel like we didn’t pass a whole lot of cars in the Features, but we had really good finishes, so it just kind of worked out for us.”
A key factor behind Thornton’s turnaround was his ability to bounce information off of not one, but two teammates. Along with Thornton, the Koehler Motorsports camp at Volusia included Jimmy Owens, the 30-year veteran of dirt Late Model racing and the 23-year-old rising star of Jordan Koehler.
Thornton said that wide array of perspectives was a major asset that benefited all three drivers over the course of six nights of racing.
“Jimmy being a seasoned veteran, he’s got a lot of knowledge, and this is my fifth full-time national Late Model season, so I have a little bit of knowledge,” Thornton said. “Jordan doesn’t really have a whole lot of knowledge. So, we can all kind of talk a little bit and compare notes, compare tires. We just hope we all don’t have to run the same Heat Races and stuff like that but, overall, we can bounce ideas.
“Like [Saturday], I was in the second Heat Race, Jordan was fourth Heat Race. So, we got to come in, see how my setup was and relay it to him. He got to make some changes, and he ran third in his Heat and made the show, so it’s pretty cool.”
While the entirety of DIRTcar Nationals may have been contested at one track, the playing field was far from the same across the week of Late Model competition, which made having three times the data even more crucial.
“Some nights were really muddy, some nights were super slick and rubber,” Thornton said. “The nice part is, you are here six days, but you do get six different racetracks where just one thing isn’t going to win all week. I feel like everyone kind of guessed tire-wise and setup-wise and you had a bunch of different winners.”
A runner-up on Monday and wins on Tuesday and Wednesday in DIRTcar Late Model action revealed that Thornton and crew might be the best guessers out of the 60-plus Late Model teams in the pits. Those performances put them in the catbird seat for the Big Gator going into three nights of World of Outlaws racing, but the rest of the week didn’t come without its hiccups.
After a fifth-place run on Thursday, Thornton was leading the way by half a second on Friday heading towards his third win of the week when he jumped the cushion and got sideways, leaving second-running Ethan Dotson nowhere to go but into the side of the No. 20RT.
Thornton was able to limp home and finish third that night to hold on to the Big Gator lead, but the run-in undoubtedly affected his approach to Saturday’s finale.
“At one point I wanted to go to the top,” Thornton said. “[Jonathan Davenport] passed us and I was like, ‘Should I just go up there and run it like he is?’ But then one big mistake and I take the Big Gator away from us. So, I just kind of played it safe and kept rolling around the bottom, ended up sixth and we’ll take it.”
With Florida in the rearview, the focus shifts to the next stop on tour at Smoky Mountain Speedway in east Tennessee. The Tennessee Tipoff on March 14-15 will signify the Series’ first visit since it was reconfigured into a 3/8-mile track prior to the 2023 season.
Many drivers will be racing at the new-look Smoky Mountain for the first time next month, but Thornton is not one of them. In four starts at the track over the past two years, Thornton has three wins and a second, putting him firmly atop the list of drivers to watch when the season resumes.
“I feel really good going there,” Thornton said. “I feel like it’s kind of one of those styles of racetracks that just fits me. It’s small, you’ve got to run really aggressive but save your tires at the same time. I’m sure Roger [Sellers] and all them will have a really good racetrack, and I’m just looking forward to it.”
Thornton and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Models will head to Maryville, TN on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15 for the Tennessee Tipoff at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Get your tickets by clicking here.
If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
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