What won the race: Repelling early challenges from Hudson O'Neal and then mid-race pressure from Brandon Sheppard, polesitter Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., overcame a rash of caution flags and restarts to capture a dominant flag-to-flag victory in Thursday's Lonewolf 40 at Wayne County Speedway. Thornton beat Nick Hoffman by 0.565 of a second for the $12,000 payday, his sixth career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory and fourth overall win of the season.

Quotable: “I was really worried on those restarts. (Brandon) Sheppard kept getting next to me, we were kinda (side-by-side) racing,” Thornton said. “I figured I’d just try to run hard on those restarts and try to start just early enough where I knew I could get kind of a head start and it just worked out for us.”

Key notes: Thornton, a Lucas Oil Series regular, notched his first WoO victory since Nov. 7, 2024's World Finals opener at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. ... Fourth-starting Nick Hoffman, who lowered the track record in time trials, took second on a lap-38 restart after Brandon Sheppard pitted with a flat right-rear tire but never had anything for Thornton in the closing laps. ... Sheppard, who was chasing his fourth straight series win at Wayne County, pressured Thornton near the race's halfway mark before pitting with the flat tire under a lap-38 caution for Tristan Chamberlain's turn-two wall contact. Sheppard settled for 17th after his pit stop. ... Bobby Pierce, who started 16th after a flat tire in heat race action, inherited third on the lap-38 restart and finished there. ... Hudson O'Neal challenged Thornton on a lap-two restart before pitting from second with a flat left-rear tire under a lap-six caution. He stormed back to finish seventh. ... Tour rookie Logan Zarin registered his best career series result in eighth. … The race was slowed by six cautions, the first for a turn-four tangle involving Chamberlain and Eli Johnson. … The lap-six stoppage came for a multicar pileup after Lincoln Smith spun in turn one, collecting Johnson, Eric Wilson and Brent Larson, among others. Ryan Gustin soldiered to a 16th-place finish after suffering right-front damage in the melee. … Brock Pinkerous slowed from 12th with a flat right-rear tire on lap nine; he rebounded to finish 15th. … Debris paused the action on lap 21 before Drake Troutman slowed with a flat right rear on lap 30 and required a push out of the turn-three cushion; Troutman rallied to finish 11th. … Mike Marlar retired from 17th just before the lap-30 caution. … Chamberlain slammed the turn-two wall for the final yellow flag on lap 38 but continued to finish 19th, the final starter to complete 40 laps in the 47-minute feature. … Front-row starter Daulton Wilson retired from 12th just before the final stoppage.

On the move: Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., started 16th and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is sponsored by Knight’s Companies, Hoker Trucking, Capital Waste, Certified Inspection Service, Coltman Farms Racing, Elite Ready Mix, Five Star Metal Buildings, D&E Outside Services, SI Towing & Recovery, Velocity Manufacturing Group, Jones Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire South, Henry’s Headers & Exhaust, High Performance Lubricants, Strange Oval, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, DirtCarLift, Midwest Sheet Metal and Slicker Graphics.

Points chase: After Wayne County: 1. Bobby Pierce (3,493); 2. Nick Hoffman (3,479); T3. Tyler Erb (3,253); T3. Tim McCreadie (3,253); 5. Drake Troutman (3,250); 6. Ryan Gustin (3,229); 7. Daulton Wilson (3,172); 8. Ethan Dotson (3,167); 9. Dustin Sorensen (3,110); 10. Dennis Erb Jr. (3,029).

Current weather: Clear, 55°F

Car count: 45

Fast qualifier: Nick Hoffman

Time: 16.012 seconds

Polesitter: Ricky Thornton Jr.

Heat race winners: Nick Hoffman, Daulton Wilson, Ricky Thornton Jr., Hudson O'Neal

Consolation race winners: Trey Mills, Lincoln Smith

Provisional starters: Ryan Gustin, Tristan Chamberlain, Brent Larson, Eli Johnson

Next series race: May 29, Mansfield Speedway (Mansfield, OH) $12,000