Continuing his spectacular 2023 season, Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., overtook Daulton Wilson for the lead on lap 32 and controlled the remainder of the distance to capture Saturday night’s 50-lap River Days Rumble at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The 32-year-old beat Devin Moran by 1.786 seconds to earn $15,000 for his 13th full-field victory of the season on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

Thornton’s victory came 24 hours after he recorded a $10,000 triumph in Friday’s unsanctioned Boone Coleman Memorial Gator 50 at Portsmouth. 

Bidding to rebound from a heartbreaking loss in Friday’s Gator 50 due to terminal engine trouble after leading laps 1-43, Daulton Wilson advanced from fourth to grab the top spot from Brandon Overton on lap 17. He couldn’t hold off the fleet Thornton, however, and ceded second to Moran on a lap-38 restart before settling for a third-place finish as his pursuit of a first-ever Lucas Oil Series triumph continued.

Overton finished fourth after starting from the pole and leading laps 9-16; he was hampered for much of the distance by an overheating engine. After leading laps 1-8, Hudson O’Neal was in fourth during a lap-20 caution period when a flat right-rear tire forced him to make a pit stop. He rallied to salvage a fifth-place finish.

WATCH REPLAY

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Highlights From Portsmouth Raceway Park

Winning Quote From Ricky Thornton, Jr. 

“I really didn’t get that great of a start and I felt like I fell back to like 13th or so, and then I was able to kind of drive back up through. I wasn’t quite sure why Brandon picked the bottom on that restart, but it worked for me. The outside was way better on the starts. That put me in second and then I feel like Daulton pretty much had it, then he got over the cushion that one time and I figured that was shot.”

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Portsmouth Raceway Park Results

1. Ricky Thornton Jr.

2. Devin Moran

3. Daulton Wilson

4. Brandon Overton

5. Hudson O'Neal

6. Jonathan Davenport

7. Tim McCreadie

8. Ross Robinson

9. R.J. Conley

10. Colten Burdette

11. Tyler Erb

12. Rod Conley

13. Max Blair

14. Earl Pearson Jr.

15. Garrett Alberson

16. Garrett Smith

17. Jesse Wisecarver

18. Spencer Hughes

19. Boom Briggs

20 .David Webb

21. Adam Stricker

22. Brandon Fouts

23. Kirk Phillips

24. Logan Roberson

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Point Standings

Ricky Thornton, Jr. leads the point standings by 325 points over Hudson O'Neal. Jonathan Davenport holds down the third spot, while Brandon Overton continues to hold the all-important fourth position over Tim McCreadie. 

Full Point Standings

Last Race: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Port Royal Speedway - August 26

Next Race: Lucas Oil Hillbilly Hundred at Tyler County Speedway - September 3