---

After a wild Show-Me 100, Moran declared the winner after Thornton's post-race penalty

WHEATLAND, MO. (May 27, 2023) - The 31st annual Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism was wild and crazy, rough and tumble and had post-race controversy.

They'll certainly be talking about this one for a while.

Devin Moran, second under the checkers, was declared the victor when apparent race-winner Ricky Thornton Jr. was penalized four positions in post-race inspection.

"What the hell?" Moran asked in victory lane after claiming the $50,000 first prize. "This is like the best, worst win of my life. I just won the frickin' Show-Me 100 and $50,000, but Ricky was the best car in the field."

Moran, 28 of Dresden, Ohio, claimed the win in his Double Down Motorsports Longhorn chassis after he finished just under one second behind Thornton. But a few moments later, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials announced that Thornton's car was in violation of the "droop rule" regarding the height of the rear deck.

Tim McCreadie wound up officially in second with Spencer Hughes third, defending champion Chris Ferguson fourth and Thornton eventually penalized to fifth place. Local favorite 19-year-old Dillon McCowan of Urbana was sixth.

Thornton, of Martinsville, Ind., led the final 43 laps in a race that turned into survival of the fittest with 13 caution flags and a track that had plenty of character - especially over the final half of the event.

Asked how long it was going to take for it to set in that he was a Show-Me 100 champion, Moran shook his head.

"I have no idea," Moran said. "There might be an asterisk by it, but it's gonna pay 50 grand one way or the other, so we're gonna take it. And we're gonna drink some beer tonight."

The Ricky Thornton Jr. Facebook page posted afterward: "3/8th of an inch high on droop after the left rear chain broke. A $50,000 win taken away for less than half an inch after a parts failure on THAT track. sickening."

The biggest question coming into the event was if anyone could beat Jonathan Davenport this week at Lucas Oil Speedway. Davenport started alongside Thornton on the front row and led the first 58 laps - after leading every lap in winning preliminary features.

Davenport survived nine caution flags to lead the first 58 laps in a race that took 50 minutes to complete 50 laps. Thornton pulled alongside Davenport on lap 54, but couldn’t complete the pass. The duo traded sliders the next time around with Davenport still hanging onto the point as Hughes watched from third.

Finally, for the first time this week, Davenport lost the lead as Thornton edged past on the inside out of turn four on lap 58. This was after Davenport had led 142 of 142 laps including the two preliminary night features.

Thornton, by contrast, had picked up 29 positions on Thursday and Friday. He was able to weave through lapped traffic to open a nearly one-second lead over Davenport by lap 66.

Then came caution No. 10 for a slowing Hudson O’Neal in turn two. O’Neal, the 2021 winner, had rallied from 20th to as high as sixth and was in eighth when he lost power.

Thornton was able to open up a 2.7-second lead by lap 72 as Davenport had a similar cushion over third-place Hughes. Davenport started to close the gap in lapped traffic, getting within one second by lap 79.

Davenport slipped way high in turn four on lap 83, almost hitting the wall. The cost him dearly as Thornton’s lead expanded to 5.3 seconds - or about a full straightaway’s margin.

By lap 90, it was a runaway as Thornton led by seven seconds as Davenport’s handling went away. Overton rode into second, but it appeared all Thornton’s race by then. But Chad Simpson hit the backstretch wall on lap 96 to bring out the caution and wipe out Thornton’s 5.3-second lead over Overton. That set up a four-lap shootout to determine the outcome.

They were unable to get a lap finished after the restart as Overton hit the wall while battling with Moran out of turn four.

"I drove like an idiot and wrecked the 76," Moran said. "I'll probably get a black eye when we get back to the pits, but the hell with it. We won the race, I guess."

That sent Davenport back to second for the restart with Moran third and Hughes fourth. Davenport slowed on lap 98, apparently running out of fuel to bring out the 13th caution. Davenport, the 2015 winner, limped to the pits and settled for a 11th-place finish.

Thornton was able to hold on during the green-white-checkered finish and beat Moran to the checkers by .904 seconds. The race took one hour, 19 minutes to complete.

Then came the fateful trip to the tech building and Moran's unsuspecting trip to victory lane.

"I want to thank Kevin Rumley and all of Longhorn," Moran said of the renowned engineer from North Carolina and the chassis he was driving. "Our crew has worked their (butts) off. We've worked as many hours as you could imagine this week."

McCreadie said he felt fortunate to win up second and pocket $20,000. His car jumped the cushion and he fell back to eighth on the restart that saw Moran and Overton's incident bring out the caution.

"Another hip check and there it was, another guy stuck in the boards," McCreadie said, using a hockey analogy. "We just do our best, we got some luck and we'll take it. It's a shame what happened to Ricky."

Ferguson rallied from 16th to fourth, finding a different sort of race track that in his victory a year ago. He also was able to walk away feeling good, all things considered.

"We're pretty happy. The crew has worked their butts off this weekend after we threw this car together in a couple of days," Ferguson said. "We'd have loved to have seen that cushion go down a lot faster. I'm just blessed to be up here on the front stretch again.

"Congratulations to Devin. I know he's been looking for a win like this for a while. I'm happy to see him get it. I hate it for Ricky. Any time the track is rough like that, you're gonna have stuff happen. It was a good race, though. I know the fans thought it was exciting coming out of four there a couple of times"

McCowan, who was a Show-Me 100 spectator sitting in the grandstand two years ago and competing in a USRA Modified at the event in 2022, was overjoyed with his finish. He started sixth, fell back to 13th for a time and rallied late while staying out of trouble.

"It was awesome," McCowan said of his weekend. "I couldn't have scripted it out any better. I just wanted to make the show and not get lapped. This is pretty crazy It was a fun race. The track had a lot of character."

Show-Me 100 winners:
2023 - Devin Moran, Dresdin, Ohio
2022 - Chris Ferguson, Mount Holly, N.C.
2021 - Hudson O'Neal, Martinsville, Ind.
2020 - Payton Looney, Republic, Mo.
2019 - Canceled (storm damage)
2018 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2017 - Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill.
2016 - Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
2015 - Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga.
2014 - Don O'Neal, Martinsville, Ind.
2013 - Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
2012 - Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
2011 - Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
2010 - Ray Cook, Brasstown, N.C.
2009 - Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, Iowa
2008 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2007 - Wendell Wallace, Batesville, Ark.
2006 - Wendell Wallace, Batesville, Ark.
2005 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2004 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2003 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2002 - Wendell Wallace, Batesville, Ark.
2001 - Freddy Smith, Knoxville, Tenn.
2000 - Ray Cook, Brasstown, N.C.
1999 - Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.
1998 - Freddy Smith, Knoxville, Tenn.
1997 - Rick Aukland, Fargo, N.C.
1996 - Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1995 - Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
1994 - Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1993 - Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.

USRA Modified feature goes to Wheeler: Chad Wheeler of Muskogee, Okla., won the Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modified feature in a race declared over two laps shy of its planned 30 laps after a power outage took away the front stretch lights.

The race was under caution on lap 28 when the lights went down. He was leading runner-up Robbie Reed by 1.6 seconds when a caution flew just before the outage.

Wheeler earned $2,000 for the victory with Reed second, Ryan Middaugh third and Paden Phillips fourth.

"A win's a win. You don't see that happen very often," Wheeler said. "What was scary, you couldn't see the flagman. What an awesome race track Lucas gave us. You could race all over it."

Matt Johnson led the way through 11 laps before Wheeler, rallying from a sixth-starting position, took the lead on lap 12. Middaugh also drove past Johnson and those two quickly opened up a 10 car-length margin over third place.

Middaugh slid past Wheeler for the top spot on lap 18, but just two laps later, Wheeler returned the favor with a pass heading into turn three.

Wheeler, who won a preliminary feature on Thursday, led the rest of the way.

LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY UNOFFICIAL RESULTS (May 27, 2023)
31st annual Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series/Lucas Oil MLRA
Show-Me 100 - 1. 99-Devin Moran[5]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[8]; 4. 22F-Chris Ferguson[16]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 6. 8-Dillon McCowan[6]; 7. 1T-Tyler Erb[15]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[10]; 9. 18D-Daulton Wilson[19]; 10. 7W-Ricky Weiss[18]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 12. 111B-Max Blair[14]; 13. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 14. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[23]; 15. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[12]; 16. 11H-Jeff Herzog[28]; 17. 76-Brandon Overton[7]; 18. 25C-Chad Simpson[13]; 19. 16-Tyler Bruening[11]; 20. 1H-Hudson O'Neal[20]; 21. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[17]; 22. 32-Chris Simpson[9]; 23. USA28-Kylan Garner[21]; 24. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[29]; 25. 7-Ross Robinson[25]; 26. 51-Larry Ferris[31]; 27. 99B-Boom Briggs[26]; 28. 22H-Dustin Hodges[30]; 29. 15L-Payton Looney[24]; 30. 15-Justin Duty[22]; 31. 2-Tyler Stevens[27]

Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge - 1. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[3]; 2. 14M-Morgan Bagley[7]; 3. 93-Mason Oberkramer[9]; 4. USA1-Chris Hawkins[6]; 5. 22H-Dustin Hodges[5]; 6. 96-Dalton Imhoff[12]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[13]; 8. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[10]; 9. 15T-Matt Johnson[8]; 10. 1A-Bryon Allison[20]; 11. 3-Brennon Willard[16]; 12. 45-Cole Wells[1]; 13. 14R-Jeff Roth[23]; 14. 26-Glen Powell[18]; 15. 50-Kaeden Cornell[4]; 16. 19M-Colby Moore[21]; 17. 50C-Kayden Clatt[19]; 18. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 19. 82-Jace Parmley[15]; 20. 1X-Aaron Marrant[11]; 21. 11K-Jon Kirby[17]; 22. (DNS) 54-David Breazeale; 23. (DNS) 49J-Justin Wells

Fast Shafts B Main 1 - 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 15-Justin Duty[4]; 3. 45-Cole Wells[2]; 4. 50-Kaeden Cornell[8]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[3]; 6. 93-Mason Oberkramer[6]; 7. 51-Larry Ferris[7]; 8. 54-David Breazeale[5]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[11]; 10. 26-Glen Powell[13]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[12]; 12. 49J-Justin Wells[9]; 13. (DNS) 94-Austin Rettig; 14. (DNS) 78S-Steve Stultz

UNOH B Main 2 - 1. 1H-Hudson O'Neal[1]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 3. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[4]; 4. 22H-Dustin Hodges[7]; 5. 14M-Morgan Bagley[3]; 6. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[6]; 7. 96-Dalton Imhoff[10]; 8. 82-Jace Parmley[5]; 9. 11K-Jon Kirby[8]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[11]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[12]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[9]; 13. 29-Chandler Moenning[13]; 14. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil

MyRacePass B Main 3 - 1. USA28-Kylan Garner[5]; 2. 15L-Payton Looney[1]; 3. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[8]; 4. USA1-Chris Hawkins[10]; 5. 15T-Matt Johnson[7]; 6. 1X-Aaron Marrant[12]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 8. 2-Tyler Stevens[2]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[9]; 10. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[4]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[11]; 12. (DNS) 21XXX-Neil Baggett; 13. (DNS) 14RM-Reid Millard; 14. (DNS) 36-Mark Daye

Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds
A Feature - 1. 88-Chad Wheeler[6]; 2. 5-Robbie Reed[7]; 3. 21-Ryan Middaugh[2]; 4. 127-Paden Phillips[5]; 5. 03-Chase Jones[19]; 6. 29-Dennis Elliott[8]; 7. 98-Jeff Cutshaw[3]; 8. 99-Dylan Hoover[4]; 9. 92-Tyler Grooms[23]; 10. 24C-Brandon Conkwright[14]; 11. 23-Lucas Dobbs[17]; 12. 356-Reggie Jackson[18]; 13. 9-Kenton Allen[20]; 14. 15W-Wyatt Gaggero[13]; 15. 7-Daniel Franklin[16]; 16. 21S-Greg Scheffler[15]; 17. 85-Tyler Shaw[21]; 18. 33S-Ben Stockton[24]; 19. (DNF) 38C-Jason Pursley[10]; 20. (DNF) 12JR-Jory Stotts[26]; 21. (DNF) 51-Lucas Gibbs[9]; 22. (DNF) 1X-Matt Johnson[1]; 23. (DNF) 95JR-Johnny Wyman[12]; 24. (DNF) 21W-Tracy Wolf[22]; 25. (DNF) 11B-Donnie Barnhart[11]; 26. (DNF) 5M-Jason McGehee[25]

Next up: Action at Lucas Oil Speedway resumes next Saturday for
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Night at the Races for Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Speedway Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series. Lucas Oil Speedway will also be offering special $5 general admission ticket prices for all adults, seniors and youth. Kids 5-and-under, as always, are FREE.

The Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mods will headline the action with a special 25-lap, $750-to-win main event. The Hermitage Lumber Late Models, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds and O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars also will be in action.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 5. Hot laps are set for 6:30 and racing at 7:05.

For information about any event at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2023 contact admissions director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or email her at nichole@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information.

CONTACT:
Danny Lorton
Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager
Office: (417) 282-5984
DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
?
Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and schedules can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.

Click LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.

In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway

About Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top five racing facilities in the nation. Located in Wheatland, Missouri, approximately an hour from Springfield, Missouri, and just an hour and a half from the Kansas City metro area, the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" lives up to its title.

Twenty-One VIP Luxury Suites, HD Jumbo-Tron Screen, Stadium Style Musco Sports Lighting, a Bose Sound System, Go-Kart Slick Track, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, the best track food in the country and paved pits are a few of the spectacular amenities setting the Diamond of Dirt apart. This year marks the 12th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring a host of regional events.

Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval track plays host to some of the largest and most-popular events in the Midwest with national and regional touring series appearing frequently including: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, POWRi Midget National Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series, ASCS Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil MLRA.

In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Weekly Racing Series features the Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.

2023 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners

Arizona Sport Shirts
"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick
"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Dixie Chopper
"The Official Mowers of Lucas Oil Speedway"

General Tire
"The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Products
"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway

MAVTV
"The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper
"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway

RacingJunk.com
"The Official Classifieds" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Rugged Radios
"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Summit Racing Equipment
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Sunoco Race Fuels
"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Super Clean
"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

2023 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:
AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Branstetter & Lightfoot LLC, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Camden on the Lake Resort, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Dirt Track Specialist, Dixie Chopper, Eagle Vision Paving LLC, Eibach Springs, Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Frog Signs, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Hobbytime Motorsports, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, KC Bobcat, Kettle Treats, Keyser Manufacturing, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, MD3, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Division of Tourism, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, OakStar Bank, O'Bannon Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Ozark Golf Cars, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, Pomme de Terre Resort, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, RacingJunk.com, Rains Ice Company, Real Racing Wheels, Reed Environmental, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Stillwater Resort, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wasoba Seed & Trucking, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets.

---

Back to News