BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — Ricky Thornton Jr. passed race leader Bobby Pierce on lap 34 to win the third annual C.J. Rayburn Memorial on Friday night at Brownstown Speedway.
It was Thornton’s 14th win this season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, as he collected $10,000 for the win, leading the final seven circuits.
Mike Marlar, the defending C.J. Rayburn Memorial winner, edged out Pierce at the finish to finish second. Pierce, who led 33 of the 40 laps, rounded out the. Completing the top five were Tanner English and Hudson O’Neal.
“It’s awesome to win a race with C.J.’s name on it,” Thornton said. “He was a pioneer in the sport. It’s super hard to be patient in traffic. I almost felt like I was in a better spot than Bobby because I could slow down and see him move out to get around a lapped car. He would pass a lapped car but never really get out, so I knew there, towards the end, I got behind a couple of really good cars around the bottom. I felt like if I followed them and finished the race, they would have to be really good around that middle. It worked out for us. The car was pretty awesome all night.”
Marlar had one of the fastest cars on the track at one point and drove from tenth to second with 25 laps complete, but he slipped off the embankment and dropped back a few positions. He recovered in the last 15 laps to just edge out Pierce at the line for second.
“It was a huge night for us,” Marlar said. “We have had a rough time, and I hate it for my guys. It’s been a rough summer, but you know I was digging hard for C.J. I thought I put it on my lid there, coming off four in that lap. I just didn’t get there. It was a good race. The fans saw a good race. Bobby and Ricky, we had a little excitement there at the end. Ricky snuck in there. It’s a rare thing to see Bobby get caught up in something. I am just glad to get the 157 anywhere near the front.”
The finish:
Ricky Thornton Jr., Mike Marlar, Bobby Pierce, Tanner English, Hudson O’Neal, Dennis Erb Jr., Max Blair, Brandon Sheppard, Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Garrett Alberson, Drake Troutman, Nick Hoffman, Daulton Wilson, Adam Stricker, Tyler Erb, Jimmy Owens, Ross Robinson, Tim McCreadie, Chad Stapleton, Frank Heckenast Jr., Carson Ferguson, Boom Briggs, Clay Harris, Brenden Smith, Jason Jameson, Cory Lawler, Dave Hess Jr.