Dirt on Dirt - Lucky (and wild) 13th lap lifts RTJ at Lernerville

June 26

Lernerville Speedway,

Sarver, PA

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Firecracker 100 first semifeature) - $5,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated June 26, 9:26 pm)

Lucky (and wild) 13th lap lifts RTJ at Lernerville

Firecracker 100 first semifeature

Ricky Thornton Jr.
Dan Ebert
Brandon Overton
Josh Rice
Hudson O'Neal
Carson Ferguson
Brian Shirley
Chub Frank
Eric Wilson
Brenden Smith
Ken Schaltenbrand
Jared Miley
Ryan Scott
Breyton Santee
Cory Lawler
Bump Hedman
Gary Lyle
Matt Martin
Charles Powell Jr.
Chad Shearer
Chris Schneider
Tyler Dietz

presented by

Live video Photo slideshow Related story Race history

Heath Lawson/heathlawsonphotos.com

Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt) and Hudson O'Neal (71) battle for the lead.

What won the race: Taking the lead on a topsy-turvy 13th lap when Hudson O'Neal slipped up in turn four, two-time Firecracker 100 Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., led the rest of Friday's first 25-lap semifeature at Lernerville Speedway's Firecracker weekend on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Thornton dove under O'Neal exiting turn two, got crossed over by O'Neal on the backstretch and briefly got sideways after contact with Josh Rice in turn three before suddenly finding himself leading as O'Neal got bogged down in the turn-four cushion. Leading the final 13 laps, the fourth-starting Thornton earned $5,000 in taking the checkers 0.608 of a second ahead of Dan Ebert while Brandon Overton, who was ahead of Thornton half of the 20th lap but never officially led, was third.

Quotable: "Really good car," Thornton said. "We built a new one coming here and I just kind of told (crew chief Anthony) Burroughs, I don't really want to know what's going on, just do what you think we need to do. And I felt like our car was really good there."

Key notes: Runner-up Dan Ebert had an up-and-down race, starting third and falling back as far as ninth before regaining second on the 20th of 25 laps in the non-points event. ... Fourth-place finisher Josh Rice took a shot at Thornton on the 17th lap and got sideways in turn four. ... Hudson O'Neal, who on lap 17 got up on two wheels exiting turn two, led the first 12 laps and settled for fifth. ... Polesitter Carson Ferguson was never a factor in finishing sixth. ... There was a brief rain delay after the lap-17 caution. ... Three cautions slowed the 25-lapper, the first for a slowing Charles Powell on the 10th lap. ... Tyler Dietz got into the turn-four wall for a lap-17 yellow. ... On the 18th lap, Powell and Chad Shearer ended up facing the wrong direction in turns three and four. ... The 23-minute semifeature concluded at 8:15 p.m. ... Josh Ferry scratched from the scheduled 23-car event. ... Thursday's double-semifeature program rained out. ... Friday's semifeature performances set the starting lineup for Saturday's $50,000-to-win finale.

On the move: Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., started 12th and finished eighth.

Winner's sponsors: Thornton's Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and 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: Before Lernerville: 1. Hudson O’Neal (3,920); 2. Brandon Sheppard (3,900); 3. Devin Moran (3,740); 4. Brandon Overton (3,555); 5. Ricky Thornton Jr. (3,495); 6. Max Blair (3,485); 7. Garrett Alberson (3,325); 8. Brian Shirley (3,260); 9. Josh Rice (3,225); 10. Kyle Bronson (3,205).

Current weather: Cloudy, 70°F

Car count: 46

Fast qualifier: Dan Ebert

Time: 16.665 seconds

Polesitter: Carson Ferguson

Heat race winners: Carson Ferguson, Hudson O'Neal

Next series race: June 27, Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA) $50,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

SARVER, Pa. — Live updates from Friday’s Firecracker 100 second prelim night at Lernerville Speedway, highlighted by twin 25-lap, $5,000-to-win semifeatures for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Semifeature

Taking the lead on a topsy-turvy 13th lap when Hudson O'Neal slipped up in turn four, two-time Firecracker 100 Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., led the rest of Friday's first 25-lap semifeature at Lernerville Speedway's Firecracker weekend on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Thornton dove under O'Neal exiting turn two, got crossed over by O'Neal on the backstretch and briefly got sideways after contact with Josh Rice in turn three before suddenly finding himself leading as O'Neal got bogged down in the turn-four cushion. Leading the final 13 laps, fourth-starting Thornton earned $5,000 in taking the checkers 0.608 of a second ahead of Dan Ebert while Brandon Overton, who was ahead of Thornton half of the 20th lap but never officially led, was third.

Semifeature lineup

(25 laps)

Row 1: Carson Ferguson, Hudson O'Neal
Row 2: Dan Ebert, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 3: Josh Rice, Brandon Overton
Row 4: Brenden Smith, Brian Shirley
Row 5: Eric Wilson, Tyler Dietz
Row 6: Chris Schneider, Chub Frank
Row 7: Cory Lawler, Ken Schaltenbrand
Row 8: Gary Lyle, Jared Miley
Row 9: Breyton Santee, Bump Hedman
Row 10: Matt Martin, Charles Powell
Row 11: Chad Shearer, Ryan Scott
Row 12: Josh Ferry

Heat race results

(Eight laps; all transfer)

First heat: Carson Ferguson, Dan Ebert, Josh Rice, Brenden Smith, Eric Wilson, Chris Schneider, Cory Lawler, Gary Lyle, Breyton Santee, Matt Martin, Chad Shearer. Scratched: Josh Ferry.

Second heat: Hudson O'Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr., Brandon Overton, Brian Shirley, Tyler Dietz, Chub Frank, Ken Schaltenbrand, Jared Miley, Bump Hedman, Charles Powell, Ryan Scott.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 16.665
2. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 16.786
3. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 16.948
4. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 17.003
5. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 17.096
6. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 17.176
7. Josh Ferry (33), Titusville, Pa., 17.192
8. Chub Frank (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 17.232
9. Josh Rice (11), Crittenden, Ky., 17.257
10. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 17.264
11. Chris Schneider (55), Lower Burrell, Pa., 17.553
12. Tyler Dietz (77), Saxonburg, Pa., 17.581
13. Gary Lyle (10L), Hyde Park, Pa., 17.617
14. Ken Schaltenbrand (29), Sarver, Pa., 17.664
15. Eric Wilson (27w), Vienna, Ohio, 17.668
16. Jared Miley (10), Pittsburgh, Pa., 17.823
17. Matt Martin (6m), Indiana, Pa., 17.849
18. Bump Hedman (B22), Sugar Grove, Pa., 18.021
19. Cory Lawler (93L), Hanover, Pa., 18.028
20. Ryan Scott (0), Garland, Pa., 18.071
21. Breyton Santee (9), Conneaut, Ohio, 18.241
22. Charles Powell (76c), Brookville, Pa., 18.418
23. Chad Shearer (42c), Leechburg, Pa., no time

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)
3 p.m. - Pits open
3 p.m. - Tech and registration open
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
5 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
5:15 p.m. - Tech and registration close
5:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- 604 Crate hot laps
- Late Model hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- 604 Crate time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- First Friday semifeature (25 laps)
- Second Friday semifeature (25 laps)
- 604 Crate heats (8 laps)
- 604 Crate dash (6 laps)