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2023 Lucas Oil Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway

Ricky Thornton Jr. Captures Lucas Oil Late Model Win At Florence Speedway

Ricky Thornton Jr. Captures Lucas Oil Late Model Win At Florence Speedway

Ricky Thornton, Jr. captured his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season during Saturday's Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway.

May 7, 2023 by Brandon Paul
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Executing a scintillating pass of Hudson O’Neal to grab the lead on lap 23 and then controlling the rest of the 50-lapper, Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., emerged victorious in Saturday’s 37th annual Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway. The 32-year-old driver beat O’Neal to the finish line by 2.554 seconds to earn $15,000 for capturing the 50-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.

Thornton registered his third victory of 2023 and the seventh of his career on the Lucas Oil Series. 

O’Neal bolted past Brandon Overton and Jonathan Davenport, who led laps 1-12, to take the top spot on lap 13 before ceding the point to Thornton. After swapping second with Overton several times during the race’s second half, the tour's points leader secured the position heading to the white flag to tally his second straight runner-up finish. Overton nipped 19th-starter Garrett Alberson for third while Tim McCreadie placed fifth after starting 20th.

Watch Replay

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series At Florence Speedway Highlights

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VIDEO: Watch highlights from Saturday's Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway on FloRacing. 

Winning Quote From Ricky Thornton, Jr. 

 “I thought it was gonna be around the bottom longer than it was. I got to third and then Hud moved up top so I knew I had to move up. It just really worked out for us.”

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Florence Speedway Results

Position

No.

Driver

1

20RT

Ricky Thornton, Jr. 

2

1H

Hudson O’Neal

3

76

Brandon Overton

4

58

Garrett Alberson

5

39

Tim McCreadie

6

23

Cory Hedgecock

7

49

Jonathan Davenport

8

46

Earl Pearson, Jr. 

9

99

Devin Moran

10

89

Logan Roberson

11

157

Mike Marlar

12

1T

Tyler Erb

13

20

Jimmy Owens

14

7

Ross Robinson

15

11

Spencer Hughes

16

111B

Max Blair

17

33

Jesse Lay

18

16

Tyler Bruening

19

10

Garrett Smith

20

11R

Josh Rice

21

99B

Boom Briggs

22

32

Bobby Pierce

23

18D

Daulton Wilson

24

18

Trevor Landrum

25

7R

Kent Robinson

26

22

Chris Ferguson

27

68

Adam Stricker

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Standings After Florence Speedway

Ricky Thornton, Jr. jumps back up to the number two spot in the standings following his win on Saturday night. Hudson O'Neal continues to lead the standings, with his advantage shrinking from 45 points to 40 points over Thornton. Overton now sits third in the standings, just five points back from Thornton. Jonathan Davenport and Tim McCreadie complete the current top five. 

  1. Hudson O'Neal (1,870)
  2. Ricky Thornton Jr., (1,830)
  3. Brandon Overton (1,825)
  4. Jonathan Davenport (1,640)
  5. Tim McCreadie (1,605)
  6. Devin Moran (1,525)
  7. Max Blair (1,490)
  8. Tyler Erb (1,485)
  9. Daulton Wilson (1,415)
  10. Earl Pearson Jr. (1,380)

Last Race: May 5 - Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Ponderosa Speedway

Up Next: May 12 - Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Farmer City Raceway