Ricky Thornton Jr. Earns First Duel in the Desert Crown
IMCA Desert Thunder Nationals Up Next
ADEL, Iowa (11/17/20) – Ricky Thornton Jr. became a first-time winner of the IMCA Duel in the Desert Saturday night.
Thornton topped the $10,000-to-win main event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in his Certified Inspection Service No. 20RT Excel Floor Covering/ D&E Outside Services/ Lethal Chassis IMCA Modified.
Ricky Thornton Jr. punched his ticket into Saturday night’s main event by winning a 22-lap qualifying feature on Wednesday night.
Jason Wolla led the opening circuit of the 30-lapper. However, it didn’t take long for Thornton to take command, using the cushion to move around Wolla and into the top spot by the end of lap two.
With a dozen laps in the books, Thornton had already caught up to the rear of the field, but a cushion saved him from having to work lapped traffic. He continued on to a three-second victory over Cody Laney, Ethan Dotson, Collen Winebarger, and Jesse Sobbing.
“We practiced really good and I actually loosened the car a bunch for the first night. We were good and I just kind of left it,” Thornton said from victory lane. “The track was good. D.J. [Shannon] kind of rolled me through the middle in three and four so I knew I could move up a bit for a little while, and I was able to do that and get by Jason [Wolla].”
Thornton’s best Duel in the Desert finish in his four previous starts was third, in 2018.
Next up for Ricky Thornton Jr. is the 7th Annual IMCA Desert Thunder Nationals set for November 20-22 at Central Arizona Speedway in Casa Grande. The three-day program for IMCA Modified includes a $1,000 top prize on Friday and Saturday before wrapping up with a $3,000-to-win finale on Sunday.
To learn more about this event, please visit www.CentralArizonaSpeedway.com.
Ricky Thornton Jr. would like to thank all of his marketing partners, which include: Dyno One Inc., Excel Floor Covering, Certified Inspection Service Co. Inc., D&E Outside Services, Deines-Nitz Soultions & Powdercoating, West Side Tractor Sales Co., SSI Motorsports, Shelby Materials, Slicker Graphics, Lethal Chassis, Dylan Earven Foundation, Tire Demon, Hoker Trucking, Tanner Racing, High Performance Lubricants, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Midwest Sheet Metal, Dirtvision, Simpson Race Products, JE Pistons, Edelbrock, MSD, iRacing, E-Z-GO, Powers Performance, COMP Cams, Quarter Master, Cometic Gasket, Drydene, Winters Performance Products, Snap-on by Ryan Marsh, NGK Spark Plugs, Schoenfeld Headers, NAPA, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks, Winning Edge Carburetion, Longhorn Chassis, Clements Racing Engines, Dynamic Drivelines, Superior Fuel Cells, Finish Line Body & Parts, Wehrs Machine, Dirt Defender, EMD Wraps, CPD racing Shocks, Bassett, Integra Racing Shocks, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.
Visit the team’s official website at www.TwentyRT.com often for the latest team information. You can also stay connected with Ricky Thornton Jr. on social media at https://www.facebook.com/rickythorntonjrracing on Facebook, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RThornton20rt.
Modified A-Feature
| Finish | Start | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2
|
Ricky Thornton Jr. (20RT) Adel, Ia. |
|
| 2 |
5
|
Cody Laney (5L) Torrance, Ca. |
|
| 3 |
8
|
Ethan Dotson (175) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 4 |
7
|
Collen Winebarger (C9) Corbett, Or. |
|
| 5 |
23
|
Jesse Sobbing (99) Malvern, Ia. |
|
| 6 |
9
|
Jordan Grabouski (30) Beatrice, Ne. |
|
| 7 |
19
|
Kyle Brown (21K) Madrid, Ia. |
|
| 8 |
14
|
Ken Schrader (9S) Dittmer, Mo. |
|
| 9 |
25
|
Troy Foulger (49) Oakley, Ca. |
|
| 10 |
20
|
Zane Devilbiss (18Z) Farmington, Nm. |
|
| 11 |
10
|
Tanner Black (44T) Otis, Ks. |
|
| 12 |
18
|
Ethan Braaksma (111) Newton, Ia. |
|
| 13 |
12
|
Eddie Belec (3B) Arvada, Co. |
|
| 14 |
24
|
Chaz Baca (75JR) Mesa, Az. |
|
| 15 |
16
|
Scott Bloomquist (0) Mooresburg, Tn. |
|
| 16 |
15
|
Bobby Hogge Iv (22H) Salinas, Ca. |
|
| 17 |
26
|
Tim Ward (4TW) Chandler, Az. |
|
| 18 |
4
|
Pj Egbert (707) Copperas Cove, Tx. |
|
| 19 |
13
|
Johnny Saathoff (96J) Beatrice, Ne. |
|
| 20 |
29
|
Clay Money (7) Penokee, Ks. |
|
| 21 |
31
|
Chris Nieman (3) Quincy, Ca. |
|
| 22 |
1
|
Jason Wolla (27w) Ray, Nd. |
|
| 23 |
27
|
Casey Delp (2W) Rock Springs, Wy. |
|
| 24 |
28
|
Robert Sanders (10N) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 25 |
3
|
Dj Shannon (32) Merced, Ca. |
|
| 26 |
22
|
Ryan Ruter (555) Clear Lake, Ia. |
|
| 27 |
17
|
Jeremy Payne (96JP) Buckeye, Az. |
|
| 28 |
6
|
Shane Demey (15M) Denison, Ia. |
|
| 29 |
11
|
Ryan McDaniel (10RM) Olivehurst, Ca. |
|
| 30 |
21
|
Tom Berry Jr. (15JX) Des Moines, Ia. |
|
| 31 |
30
|
Dylan Thornton (38DT) Santa Maria, Ca. |
| Finish | Start | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
4
|
Austen Becerra (22) Carthage, Il. |
|
| 2 |
2
|
Johnathon Logue (69JR) Boone, Ia. |
|
| 3 |
15
|
Cody Thompson (25C) Sioux City, Ia. |
|
| 4 |
6
|
Ty Rogers (8T) Somerton, Az. |
|
| 5 |
8
|
Jorddon Braaten (84) Central Point, Or. |
|
| 6 |
10
|
Joe Docekal (7TG) Dysart, Ia. |
|
| 7 |
18
|
Ryan Peery (21P) Yreka, Ca. |
|
| 8 |
12
|
Jason Nation (83) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 9 |
24
|
Tyler Blankenship (17B) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 10 |
16
|
Jason Bannister (51) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 11 |
25
|
Kevin Johnson (20S) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 12 |
3
|
Austin Manzella (04M) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 13 |
19
|
Taylor Kuehl (2K) Cave Creek, Az. |
|
| 14 |
22
|
Brian Baker (11B) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 15 |
23
|
Cody Williams (77) Minneapolis, Ks. |
|
| 16 |
20
|
Justin Erickson (14E) Glendale, Az. |
|
| 17 |
11
|
Dakota Girard (0) Moberly, Mo. |
|
| 18 |
14
|
Tommy Fraser (12) Antioch, Ca. |
|
| 19 |
17
|
Nick Spainhoward (40) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 20 |
1
|
Jake Sachau (14) Manning, Ia. |
|
| 21 |
21
|
Chris Toth (57CT) Holtville, Ca. |
|
| 22 |
13
|
John Piker (28P) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 23 |
7
|
Garrett Jernagan (4) Bakersfield, Ca. |
|
| 24 |
5
|
Phillip Shelby (86) Olivehurst, Ca. |
|
| 25 |
9
|
Brett Berry (09X) Hays, Ks. |
| Finish | Start | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
10
|
Zane Devilbiss (18Z) Farmington, Nm. |
|
| 2 |
4
|
Dallon Murty (199X) Chelsea, Ia. |
|
| 3 |
3
|
Dan Mackenthun (92) Hamburg, Mn. |
|
| 4 |
7
|
Jack Sullivan (6X) Greenbrier, Ar. |
|
| 5 |
17
|
Jordan Grabouski (30) Beatrice, Ne. |
|
| 6 |
13
|
Benji Legg (84) Beatrice, Ne. |
|
| 7 |
5
|
Colby Deming (65) Hobbs, Nm. |
|
| 8 |
23
|
Kyle Pfeifer (54P) Hill City, Ks. |
|
| 9 |
1
|
Jeffrey Abbey (137) Comanche, Tx. |
|
| 10 |
24
|
Tyler Iverson (98T) Albion, Ne. |
|
| 11 |
21
|
Dillion Lawrence (3L) Sandy, Ut. |
|
| 12 |
16
|
Jason Rogers (37) Selden, Ks. |
|
| 13 |
14
|
Mike Nichols (63) Harlan, Ia. |
|
| 14 |
9
|
Scott Brown (163) Meriden, Ks. |
|
| 15 |
19
|
Chase Alves (14A) Casa Grande, Az. |
|
| 16 |
11
|
Aaron Spangler (16) Dove Creek, Co. |
|
| 17 |
15
|
Mike Petersilie (25P) Hoisington, Ks. |
|
| 18 |
6
|
Loren Pesicka Jr. (6) Burt, Ia. |
|
| 19 |
18
|
Mike Stapleton (10) Denison, Ia. |
|
| 20 |
12
|
Colton Arends (46) Luverne, Mn. |
|
| 21 |
2
|
Jesse Sobbing (99) Malvern, Ia. |
|
| 22 |
20
|
Eric Bartels (25B) Plymouth, Ne. |
|
| 23 |
25
|
Jeremy Christians (99X) Horicon, Wi. |
|
| 24 |
22
|
Westin Abbey (112) Comanche, Tx. |
|
| 25 |
8
|
Michael Jaennette (93) Kellogg, Ia. |