PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Ricky Thornton Jr. led the final five laps to win on the opening night of the inaugural Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth Raceway Park.
Thornton earned $10,000 for claiming the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series event on the three-eighths-mile dirt track.
The win for the 36-year-old Thornton was his second career series victory and made him the 19th different winner with the series this season. His win came in the Koehler Motorsports owned Longhorn Chassis powered by a Cornett Race Engine.
It was the fifth significant dirt late model victory for Thornton in the last month an 21st of the season.
Tyler Erb would grab the race lead with a high side move exiting turn two on the opening lap of the event, with polesitter Nick Hoffman, Drake Troutman, Ricky Thornton, Jr., and Josh Rice giving chase.
With the lead trio putting a bit of distance back to Thornton, Jr., Rice would start rolling around the top side of the track and would take fourth from Thornton, Jr. on lap five and would grab third from Troutman on lap nine.
The front pair of Erb and Hoffman began to lap slower traffic on lap fourteen and Hoffman would take the top spot from Erb on lap 15, only to have Erb reclaim the race lead one circuit later. Rice would get in on the action and would snatch second from Hoffman on lap eighteen, only to have Hoffman retake the spot one circuit later and bring Thornton, Jr. along into third, regulating Rice to fourth at this point.
The lead duo of Erb and Hoffman continued to work lapped traffic smoothly, but disaster would strike for Erb as he began to slow, allowing Hoffman to grab the lead and draw the caution with a flat right-rear tire with twenty-five laps complete. The restart would see Thornton, Jr. challenge for the lead and Thorton passed for the lead exiting turn four to complete lap 26.
One final caution would slow the action on lap 28 as set up a sprint to the finish, with Thornton maintaining the lead, while Troutman would go to second and Rice to third, with that pair trading sliders over the final few laps.
Thornton, Jr. would see the checkered flag first, with Rice winning the battle for second, with Troutman coming home third. Hoffman and Jason Jameson completed the top five.
The finish:
Ricky Thornton Jr., Josh Rice, Drake Troutman, Nick Hoffman, Jason Jameson, Dustin Sorensen, Michael Chilton, Tristan Chamberlain, Ryan Montgomery, Eddie Carrier Jr., Levi Yetter, Colten Burdette, R.J. Conley, Tyler Erb, Adam Stricker, Miles Cook II, Rod Conley, Justin Cooper, Seth Daniels, Kevin Wagner, Mike Benedum.
