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Koehler Motorsports and driver Ricky Thornton Jr. announced late Tuesday evening via social media that the team has parted ways with crew chief Anthony Burroughs (pictured) and elevated crewman Justin Tharp to fill the lead position for the remainder of the 2026 season, starting this weekend with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Pittsburgher 100 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa.

A statement from Koehler Motorsports said the team was “grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside Anthony and wish him the very best moving forward.”

“We’re excited to have Justin Tharp step into the crew chief role,” the team added. “Justin brings many years of experience in the Dirt Late Model world and we’re confident he’ll be a great fit for our team.”

Seth Hunter will also remain with the team to continue handling its tire preparation.

A 52-year-old native of Alabama, Burroughs joined Koehler Motorsports — bringing along Tharp — last December to rekindle an ultra-successful run Burroughs had with Chandler, Ariz.’s Thornton from January 2023 through July 2024 under the SSI Motorsports banner. The Thornton-Burroughs pairing clicked for 51 victories over those 19 months before Thornton departed SSI and landed soon after with Mount Airy, N.C.-based Koehler Motorsports.

Thornton’s performance record this season with Burroughs, however, has fallen short of their previous standard. They have amassed seven feature wins and 35 top-five finishes in 2026, though two victories and 12 top-fives since an Aug. 14 Topless 100 prelim at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., seemed to indicate the team was turning a corner. Thornton moved from sixth in the Lucas Oil standings to a tie for fourth over that stretch.

Burroughs has not yet responded to a message from DirtonDirt seeking information on his plans moving forward. DirtonDirt has also messaged Koehler Motorsports owner Bobby Koehler for further comment on his team’s changes.