3/30/2024
Ricky Thornton Jr
Thornton tops Pierce in inaugural Nippy 50 at Maquoketa Speedway
Ricky Thornton Jr. pushed his 2024-win total to six on Saturday night with a $20,000 triumph in his SSI Motorsports / Coltman Farms / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Dyno One Inc. / Excel Floor Covering / Sub-Surface of Indiana / Longhorn Chassis / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model during the finale of the inaugural Rio Grande Waste Services Nippy 50 presented by D&E Outside Services.
“We weren’t as good as we needed to be last night, so we changed cars,” said Thornton Jr. in Victory Lane on Saturday night. “It’s nice to know our backup car is just as good as our other stuff. I just felt really good all night.
"I really didn’t know where I needed to be on the racetrack. I was trying to gauge off the lapped cars. I’d catch one and drive away, and then the line would move back to the top, then the bottom. Overall, it was awesome. Thanks to the Hoker family and everyone who put this event together. It was a fun weekend.”
Ricky Thornton Jr. took the SSI Motorsports No. 20RT Super Late Model into battle at Maquoketa (Iowa) Speedway on Friday to compete in the opening round of the inaugural Rio Grande Waste Services Nippy 50 at the quarter-mile oval.
With 26 Late Models entered, Thornton backed up the seventh-fastest qualifying effort with a third-place finish in his heat race. Chasing the $10,000 top prize in the A-Main, Ricky recorded a seventh-place finish.
On Saturday, Ricky outran Bobby Pierce in his heat race to pick up the 10-lap victory. Fending off numerous challenges from Pierce in the feature, Thornton led flag-to-flag in the 50-lap affair to capture his sixth win of the season and the $20,000 payday.
He finished 2.045 seconds ahead of Ryan Gustin with Brandon Sheppard rounding out the podium.
Full results from the event are available at www.MaquoketaSpeedway.com.
The upcoming weekend has SSI Motorsports and Ricky Thornton Jr. tentatively planning to compete in the XR Super Series Spring Thaw at Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, Tenn.). The weekend includes a $12,000-to-win program on Friday and a $30,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
Full event details are available at www.VolunteerSpeedway.com.
Article Credit: Brendon Bauman photo
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