Ricky Thornton Jr. won the 40-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series A-main Friday night at Port Royal Speedway, earning $10,000 during the opening night of the Rumble by the River.
Thornton started third behind front-row starters Chris Madden and Devin Moran. Madden led the opening lap before Thornton moved into second and took the lead on Lap 3.
Thornton led by as much as three seconds during portions of the race. A caution near the halfway point gave Moran an opportunity to challenge for the lead on the restart.
With 24 laps remaining, Moran attempted to move underneath Thornton in Turns 1 and 2, but Thornton maintained the lead and remained in front for the rest of the race.
Moran finished second. Jonathan Davenport advanced from 13th starting position to finish third. Madden placed fourth and Max Blair finished fifth.
The victory marked Thornton’s fourth consecutive national touring late model win at Port Royal Speedway.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns Saturday for the Rumble by the River finale presented by Fleet Reps, with $50,000 going to the winner.
Garman Wins Limited Late Model Feature
Jaxton Garman led all 20 laps of the River Rock Campground and RV Park Limited Late Model feature to earn his second career victory at Port Royal Speedway.
Garman started second alongside DJ Myers and remained in front from the start to the finish.
Myers finished second and Gunnar Walls placed third. Shawn Shoemaker finished fourth and Kaiden Bard completed the top five.
Both divisions return to competition Saturday.
More information is available at portroyalspeedway.com.
