Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Driver Spotlight: Ricky Thornton Jr. - 5th in Points

Ricky Thornton Jr. has built a career on versatility, volume, and the kind of consistency that wins championships. At 34 years old, the driver of the Koehler Motorsports 20RT, reunited with crew chief Anthony Burroughs, enters the Buckeye Spring 50 sitting fifth in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points with 1,045, just 165 behind the leader.

Thornton’s path to the national stage didn’t follow the traditional late model ladder. He grew up racing everything he could get his hands on, factory stocks, modifieds, midgets, micros, and winning in all of them. His modified resume alone reads like an entire career: Rookie of the Year and track champion at Manzanita, Dakota Mod Tour champion, IMCA Super Nationals champion in both the Modified and Late Model divisions, and the first driver in history to win Super Nationals titles in multiple divisions in the same year. When he finally committed to full‑time late model racing in 2021, he made an immediate impact, earning Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year and winning the Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth Raceway Park on the same night.

Since then, Thornton's become one of the most well-rounded drivers in the country. His overall numbers back it up: 277 career late model starts, 56 wins, a 20% win rate, and more than $2.1 million in earnings. In 2025 alone, he won 14 times with an average finish of fifth. He’s not just fast... he’s relentlessly steady.

That steadiness is exactly what’s defined his 2026 Lucas Oil campaign so far. Speedweeks wasn’t the fireworks show fans saw from him in 2023, but it wasn’t always a struggle either. He opened the year bouncing between Tulsa Shootout classes, the Wild West Shootout - where he won opening night in the Adam Family Motorsports 20RT, the Chili Bowl, and a long stretch at Volusia split between World of Outlaws Late Models, DIRTcar Late Models, and UMP Modifieds. By the time the Lucas season officially began at All‑Tech, he’d already logged more laps than most drivers run in two months.

His Lucas results tell the story of a driver settling in rather than swinging for the fences. He went 14th, 7th, and 18th at All-Tech and followed it with 10th, 4th, and 9th at Ocala. Then came the steady climb through Golden Isles. He was 13th on Wednesday and 6th on Thursday. He finally hit the podium on Friday and finished 6th on Saturday. It wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly the kind of week that puts him right back in the hunt.

After Friday’s podium, RTJ summed it up perfectly: “We haven’t had the greatest Speedweeks, but on the Lucas side we’re still pretty high up in points.” That’s the mindset of a driver who's looking toward October.

And now, with the tour on break until March 27th, Thornton isn’t slowing down. He’s heading to Volunteer Speedway and Smoky Mountain Speedway this weekend to race with the World of Outlaws. Two tracks that race much closer to Atomic than Golden Isles does. Both are elbows‑up, rhythm‑heavy, Southeastern clay bullrings where balance, corner entry, and patience matter. They’re the kind of places where Burroughs can gather real data, where the team can test adjustments under pressure, and where Thornton can stay sharp heading into one of the most important early‑season Lucas shows.

Atomic Speedway's hoisted him high on her mighty shoulders, and dropped him hard to the ground in the past. He won the 2025 running of the Buckeye Spring 50, qualifying up front and controlling the night. But a few months later in the Independence 50, he started from the pole, ran second, but was forced to the hot pit on lap 25 with a mechanical issue after hitting nearly every rut during a rough night. His Lucas stats at Atomic reflect that mix: an average qualifying position of 5th, an average finish of 9th, and one win in six series starts.

That’s why he’s dangerous heading into the Buckeye Spring 50 though. He’s not the hottest driver in the top five. He’s not even the flashiest so far this season. He’s the one who’s been grinding, stabilizing, and trending upward. RTJ's the one who knows how to turn a quiet March into a loud October.

On March 27th, he returns to the place where he earned one of his biggest wins of 2025, and with two Outlaw races this weekend to sharpen the edges, Ricky Thornton Jr. rolls into Southern Ohio as a legitimate threat to defend his Buckeye Throne.

Ricky Thornton Jr waives a well earned checkered - 2025 Buckeye Spring 50. Photo courtesy Ricky Thornton Jr Racing. Photo credit Ryan Roberts Photography.