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Ricky Thornton Jr. Records Podium Finish in I-80 Nationals

Ricky Thornton Jr. returned to the seat of the SSI Motorsports No. 20RT Dyno One/ Excel Floor Covering Super Late Model over the weekend. The team made the trek to I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series I-80 Nationals.

In a stout field of 46 entries, Ricky struggled in qualifying on Thursday night, putting him behind the 8-Ball early on. He only managed a seventh-place finish in his heat race, sending him to the B-Main. Needing to place third or better to transfer to the $7,000-to-win preliminary feature, Thornton’s night came to an end with a fourth-place outing.

Returning Friday for another $7,000 preliminary program, Ricky qualified sixth in his group and raced to a third-place finish in his heat. Earning the ninth starting position for the feature, Thornton advance three spots in the 30-lapper to place ninth.

With the results from Thursday and Friday’s preliminary events determining Saturday’s line-ups, Thornton was locked into the 11th starting position for the 80-lap main event. With $30,000 on the line, Ricky charged forward to a podium finish. He crossed the line in third behind Tim McCreadie and Jimmy Owens. Josh Richards and Kyle Stickler rounded out the Top-5.

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