CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Ricky Thornton Jr. and Cody Thompson stayed perfect in the seventh annual Desert Thunder Nationals at Central Arizona Speedway by topping Saturday night’s IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified features.
While Thornton made it two in a row in the IMCA Modifieds and 2019 IMCA Sport Modified sweeper Cody Thompson made it two in a row as well, Nelson Morrow took Pure Stock honors with Cameron La Rose and Corbin Rueschenberg best in the Power 600 Micro Sprint ranks as 141 total cars took in the second of the weekend’s three Desert Thunder Nationals events.
Thornton emerged from an early three-way battle for the point to make it two wins in as many nights in the 25-lap IMCA modified feature.
Thornton held down third in the early going as Jake O’Neill and Shawn Strand shared time leading the pack. Strand battled past O’Neill for the lead on the eighth round only to hand the baton back to O’Neill four laps later when he slipped off the top side of turn two and went directly pitside.
Thornton took quick advantage of O’Neill in traffic by racing into the lead on the 14th lap. Thornton was slipping away with O’Neill slipping off of turn four soon after to hand runner-up honors to Jeff Taylor with Tanner Black, 2019 CAS track campion Kelsie Foley and Zachary Madrid rounding out the top five.
“Jake got out there then Shawn got rolling and went right by him, he got too high one time and that’s all it took,” Thornton said after cracking CAS Desert Thunder Nationals victory lane aboard the No. 20rt for the second night in a row.
After sweeping through all three legs of the IMCA Modified portion of last year’s Desert Thunder Nationals, Cody Thompson made it two-for-two thus far in 2020 by wiring the field in the 25-lap feature event.
Thompson started the main event in third, battled past Bo Partain in turns three and four on the opening round and never looked back en route to another convincing triumph ahead of Partain, David Jones, Michael Soboski and Taylor Kuehl who rallied from 18th to round out the top five.
“I had to make sure I got up there quick and set the pace,” the Sioux City sensation commented in victory lane after a second consecutive win for the weekend.
In the 20-lap Pure Stock feature, Nelson Morrow gunned into the early lead. Morrow held off challenges from Donald Comstock in the early going and then Virgil McArthur over the final rounds with McArthur fending off 11th-starter Steve Shumaker for third as Comstock and Bud Marshall rounded out the top five.
On the inner clay oval, Cameron La Rose made it two wins in as many nights of Power 600 Non-Wing Micro Sprint action by taking the checkered flag ahead of Shon Deskins and Logan Calderwood while Corbin Rueschenberg fought off Friday night winner J.W Henderson to take Power 600 Restricted feature honors with Elijah Gile in the show position.