What won the race: Outdueling Josh Rice after early leader Daulton Wilson suffered damage when a lapped car slowed abruptly, fourth-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., led the final 18 laps to win Friday's $10,000 third annual C.J. Rayburn Tribute at Circle City Raceway. Thornton recorded his second career Northern Allstars Late Model Series victory — both coming this season — and his first at the Indianapolis bullring.

Quotable: “It really sucked there for Daulton (Wilson), I don’t know if we would’ve been able to get (by) him without that,” Thornton said. “The track was really good, you could run all over it. I really didn’t know at the end where I needed to be, if I needed to be around the bottom, or not, but I figured heck ‘I got to the lead running the top, so I might as well stay up there.’ Josh (Rice) gave me plenty of room, I feel like we had a really good race, me and him, too.”

Key notes: The pole-starting Wilson, of Fayetteville, N.C., led the opening 21 laps before ninth-running Seth Daniels slowed suddenly down the frontstretch, leaving Wilson nowhere to go. Wilson slid his right-rear into Daniels's left-rear and faded to finish eighth with heavy body damage. He was the last driver to complete all 40 laps. ... Tyler Erb grabbed the runner-up spot from Josh Rice on lap 38 and finished 2.780 seconds behind Thornton. ... Rice, last year's race winner, led lap 22 and settled for third. ... Tanner English improved three positions and placed fourth. ... Friday's feature was slowed by the one caution for Daniels and lasted 15 minutes. ... Chad Stapleton hopped the turn-one cushion in heat three, slapping the wall and collecting Shelby Miles, with the resulting damage ended their nights. ... Devin Gilpin scratched after time trials.

On the move: Todd Brennan of Zanesville, Ohio, started 16th and finished 10th.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s SSI Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Dyno One, Hoker Trucking LLC, Coltman Farms Racing, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Big River Steel, Murty Farms, High Performance Lubricants, West Side Tractor Sales, Bilstein, Sunoco Race Fuels, FK Rod Ends, Allstar Performance, Dirt Car Lift, Midwest Sheet Metal and EMD Wraps.

Points chase: Before Circle City: T1. Josh Rice (390); T1. Jason Jameson (390); 3. Cody Mahoney (366); 4. Greg Johnson (360); 5. Adam Stricker (356).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 70°F

Car count: 26

Fast qualifier: Daulton Wilson

Time: 11.907 seconds

Polesitter: Daulton Wilson

Heat race winners: Daulton Wilson, Josh Rice, Zak Blackwood

Consolation race winners: Todd Brennan

Next series race: May 18, Lawrenceburg Speedway (Lawrenceburg, IN) $5,000