12/31/2023
Ricky Thornton Jr
Thornton's first Golden Driller thwarted by motor issues
Closing out his stellar 2023 season that saw him rack up 40 wins, Ricky Thornton Jr. headed south on Wednesday evening to compete in four divisions for the 39th annual Tula Shootout at the SageNet Center (Tulsa, Okla.).
With prelims spanning over four days setting the grid for Sunday night's finale, Thornton got an early jump in his Winged Outlaw heat on Wednesday but a botched restart reset the field. He went onto finish fourth, relegating him into a qualifier on Saturday.
On Thursday, Ricky got turned in his Non-Wing Outlaw prelim while passing for the lead but was able to rebound with a fifth-to-third run in his Winged A-Class heat.
In the Non-Wing Outlaw and Stock Non-Wing ranks on Friday, Thornton went on an alphabet soup run in the NW Outlaw, racing from the E Feature into the C-Main and eventually into a B Feature on Sunday. In the Stock NW, Ricky improved five positions to finish third.
In three divisions on Saturday, Ricky stormed into the Stock Non-Wing finale on Sunday with a victory in his qualifier. A seventh and 10th-place result in his A-Class and Winged Outlaw dropped him into a consolation race on Sunday.
His weekend drew to an end in three divisions on Sunday with early exits in Winged A-Class, Winged Outlaw, and Non-Wing Outlaw qualifiers but was locked on the third row for the Stock NW finale. After storming into the lead on the 10th circuit, Ricky suffered terminal motor issues on lap 20 while out front that brought a disappointing end to his hopes of his first Golden Driller.
Full results from the events are available at www.TulsaShootout.com.
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