SARVER, Pa. — Ricky Thornton Jr. and Brandon Sheppard each earned $5,000 victories Friday night, winning their respective 25-lap preliminary features at Lernerville Speedway.
The twin preliminary features set the lineups for Saturday’s four heat races, which will determine the starting field for the 20th annual Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County. The crown jewel event will pay $50,000 to the winner.
Thornton claimed the opening feature for the 58th LOLMDS victory of his career in one of the season’s most eventful races. Dan Ebert recorded the best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish of his career in second, while two-time Firecracker 100 winner Brandon Overton rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Josh Rice finished fourth, and current Midwest Sheet Metal championship points leader Hudson O’Neal completed the top five.
O’Neal led the opening 12 laps before slipping in turn four, allowing Thornton – who started fourth – to take over the lead. Rice reclaimed second during the frantic lap-13 action before Overton moved into the runner-up spot on lap 17. Ebert then charged into second with five laps remaining and closed on Thornton in the final laps but came up just short.
The victory positions the two-time Firecracker 100 winner for a favorable starting spot in Saturday’s heat races.
“I thought we had a really good car,” Thornton said. “We built a new one coming here, and I told (Anthony) Burroughs I didn’t really want to know what was going on – just do what you think we need to do. I felt like our car was really good. Sheppy looked really good around the bottom in the second feature, so I think we’ve still got a little room to improve down there. I was just a little too tight to be as good as he was. Hats off to all the fans for coming out. Hopefully we can get tomorrow’s show in.”
Thornton’s winning Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and backed by Knight’s Companies, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms Racing, Capital Waste, Elite Ready Mix, Certified Inspection Services, Strange Oval, SI Towing and Recovery, and Sunoco Race Fuels.
In the second 25-lap feature, Brandon Sheppard charged from the seventh starting position and passed Devin Moran for the lead on lap seven, then pulled away to score his 41st career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
Moran, the defending Series champion, led the opening six laps before Sheppard used the bottom groove to take command. From there, Sheppard steadily extended his advantage, crossing the finish line 2.120 seconds ahead of Moran. Max Blair slipped past five-time and defending Lernerville track champion Michael Norris on the final lap to finish third, while Garrett Alberson rounded out the top five after starting 10th.
“It’s one of those deals where, starting that far back, you just go where everyone else isn’t,” Sheppard said. “I knew my car was good no matter where I put it. I was just biding my time and watching where everyone was running. The top was pretty treacherous after seeing guys go over the edge in the first feature, so I didn’t want to go up there unless I absolutely had to. Our car has been really balanced all year, and it was good again tonight. I just messed up both qualifying laps, or we probably would’ve started a little farther forward.”
