PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Ricky Thornton Jr. walked away with $60,000 after sweeping the inaugural Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth Raceway Park.
After winning Friday night’s $10,000 prize in the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series event, Thornton led all 60 laps on Saturday night to earn another 50 grand.
The win for the 36-year-old Thornton, Jr. would be his second straight series and third of his career. The win came in the Koehler Motorsports owned Longhorn Chassis powered by a Cornett Race Engine.
It was Thornton’s overall 22nd win of the season.
Thornton took the lead from his outside front row starting position, with polesitter Josh Rice giving chase, followed by Tyler Erb, Drake Troutman, and Nick Hoffman.
Erb would take second from Rice on lap three, while Thornton began to drive away from the field in the early going of the event, beginning the process up lapping slower traffic on lap fourteen. Thornton worked his way through the slower traffic at the rear of the field and by the halfway mark of the event, Thornton enjoyed an almost six second lead.
Second through fifth positions would remain the same, while Thornton built his lead to almost seven and one-half seconds at one point with around 10 laps remaining. Troutman would surrender the fourth position on lap 54 when he pulled to the infield with a flat tire and the only caution of the event would wave on lap 57 when Jason Jameson would spin in turn two after suffering a flat right-rear tire.
Thornton got a great restart and again pulled away a bit from the field and would drive to a weekend sweep of the action, with Erb finishing second and Rice claiming the final podium position.
Hoffman and Zack Dohm completed the top five.
The finish:
Ricky Thornton Jr., Tyler Erb, Josh Rice, Nick Hoffman, Zack Dohm, Dustin Sorensen, Eddie Carrier Jr., Kyle Hardy, Colten Burdette, Mike Benedum, Levi Yetter, Rod Conley, Miles Cook II, Seth Daniels, Tristan Chamberlain, Jason Jameson, Drake Troutman, Michael Chilton, Adam Stricker, Henry Hornsby III.
