Ricky Thornton Jr. squeezed between Brandon Sheppard and the turn-four wall on lap 37 at Eldora Speedway on Friday, taking command with four laps remaining to win the Clash on the Wabash prelim.
The fourth-starting Thornton earned $10,000 for his seventh Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season and 63rd of his career, beating Sheppard by 1.065 seconds in the 40-lapper.
It marked Justin Tharp’s third race as Thornton’s crew chief following Anthony Burroughs’s departure.
Sheppard led 20 laps until losing control, but still added to his points lead, now ahead of Hudson O'Neal by 65 points and Devin Moran by 75. Polesitter Chris Madden led six laps before fading to ninth with left-front damage from contact with Thornton.
2026 Lucas Oil Late Model Friday Results At Eldora Speedway
| Finish | Start | Car No. | Driver | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 20RT | Ricky Thornton Jr. | +3 |
| 2 | 6 | 1 | Brandon Sheppard | +4 |
| 3 | 11 | 99 | Devin Moran | +8 |
| 4 | 10 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | +6 |
| 5 | 21 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | +16 |
| 6 | 3 | 11 | Josh Rice | -3 |
| 7 | 13 | 32 | Bobby Pierce | +6 |
| 8 | 2 | 58 | Garrett Alberson | -6 |
| 9 | 1 | 44M | Chris Madden | -8 |
| 10 | 7 | 9H | Nick Hoffman | -3 |
| 11 | 8 | 17M | Dale McDowell | -3 |
| 12 | 12 | 1T | Tyler Erb | 0 |
| 13 | 19 | 111 | Max Blair | +6 |
| 14 | 17 | 10 | Garrett Smith | +3 |
| 15 | 18 | 8S | Brian Shirley | +3 |
| 16 | 24 | 8 | Dillon McCowan | +8 |
| 17 | 23 | 6 | Clay Harris | +6 |
| 18 | 20 | 76 | Brandon Overton | +2 |
| 19 | 25 | 22 | Daniel Hilsabeck | +6 |
| 20 | 9 | 93F | Carson Ferguson | -11 |
| 21 | 14 | 60 | Dan Ebert | -7 |
| 22 | 5 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | -17 |
| 23 | 16 | 95 | Boom Briggs | -7 |
| 24 | 15 | 22F | Chris Ferguson | -9 |
| 25 | 22 | 17SS | Brenden Smith | -3 |