Thornton Takes First Career Silver Dollar Nationals Win at Shelby County
2026-07-20 23:05
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HARLAN, IA (July 18, 2026) - Ricky Thornton Jr. won the 16th Annual Al Belt Custom Homes Silver Dollar Nationals on Saturday night at Shelby County Speedway, leading all 80 laps to become the 12th different driver to win the crown jewel event. Thornton, a Chandler, Arizona, native who now resides in Indianola, Iowa, earned $52,000 for the victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned event.
Jonathan Davenport, the only three-time winner in the event's history, which began in 2011, gained two positions after the race's lone caution with 70 laps complete. Davenport, who was running fourth before the yellow, passed both Brian Shirley and Bobby Pierce to earn the runner-up finish and $53,000.
Pierce, who entered the event having won 12 of his previous 14 feature starts, ran second for 71 laps before Davenport slipped past him late, relegating him to third at the finish.
Shirley finished fourth, while championship points leader and Thursday night's Go 50 winner Brandon Sheppard completed the top five.
In Wieland Victory Lane for the 60th time in his career and the fourth time this season, Thornton joined an elite group of Silver Dollar Nationals champions.
"At the start I didn't know whether I needed to be on the bottom or the top. I felt like that first lap I moved out in three and four and I was like, 'Man, that didn't feel very good.' I ran about four or five laps there, tried it again, and I don't know if they were going in too hard above the cushion. It was weird because it was really fluffed up there, so I backed down and just rode around. Then we got to lapped traffic and I felt like I really wanted to move up and try to blow by those cars."
"I was trying to get myself clear of Hoffman and McCreadie. I stayed beside them for what felt like 50 laps, and I figured the top wasn't any better, so I just kept rolling around the bottom. Hats off to everyone at Koehler Motorsports. It's a little sigh of relief because I feel like we got our old selves back. I love coming to this place, and thanks to all of the fans for coming out. It's pretty awesome to win this since I'm only an hour and a half away."
Davenport, who started ninth, quickly climbed to third before settling into fourth for much of the race. He passed Pierce and Shirley late to secure second.
"The track just went away. We could never get it packed in under green. I floated out there a few times and just slid. Before that caution came out I went all the way to the top because we're not running for points, so I was going to try something. I thought Bobby might try the top on the restart, and if that happened it would give Shirley clean air on the bottom. Then maybe I could roll the middle just right and get a run on him. It kind of worked out, just not exactly the way I drew it up."
Pierce, the 2019 Silver Dollar Nationals winner, rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third.
"I looked at the scoreboard and thought we were almost done because the race went by so fast. Congratulations to Ricky. He drove a heck of a race and did a great job getting through lapped traffic. I didn't have anything for him. The last time we were here it was a barnburner, so we set up for that. We made a couple of changes I didn't really like, but now I think we know a little better for next year."
"I thought the top was going to be fast for a long time, but once they dropped the green the bottom was the preferred lane and the top just turned to crumbs. It caught a lot of us by surprise. I thought the track crew did everything right, and just like with a race car, you take notes for next time. I'm sure we'll get another barnburner next year."
The winning Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis was powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Knight's Companies, Hoker Trucking, Capital Waste, Coltman Farms Racing, Certified Inspection Services, Strange Oval, Sunoco Race Fuels, Elite Ready Mix, D&E Outside Service, and SI Towing and Recovery.
Completing the top 10 were Devin Moran, Hudson O'Neal, Max Blair, Clay Stuckey, and Ryan Gustin.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Al Belt Custom Homes Silver Dollar Nationals | Night 2
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Shelby County Speedway | Harlan, IA
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 4. 44M-Chris Madden[6]; 5. 17SS-Brenden Smith[4]; 6. 01-Jacob Hobscheidt[2]; 7. 17SR-Brody Smith[13]; 8. 53-Andrew Kosiski[10]; 9. 51W-JT Wasmund[8]; 10. 10T-Jeff Tharp[7]; 11. 15C-Curt Schroeder[11]; 12. 71M-Mike Morton Jr[12]; 13. (DNS) 24C-Brandon Conkwright
UNOH B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 3. 13-Dallon Murty[4]; 4. Z76-Zach Zeitner[2]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 6. 43-Derrick Stewart[6]; 7. 4-JC Wyman[8]; 8. 21H-Brett Hopp[9]; 9. 35D-Dylan Sillman[11]; 10. 3-Mike Collins[13]; 11. 45D-Dan Battaglia[12]; 12. 4TW-Tim Ward[7]; 13. 22M-Charlie McKenna[10]
MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 9-Tim McCreadie[1]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[6]; 4. 93L-Cory Lawler[3]; 5. 15D-Justin Duty[8]; 6. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 7. 25-Chad Simpson[5]; 8. 80-Allan Hopp[10]; 9. 99 18-Jesse Sobbing[7]; 10. 32X-Chris Simpson[9]; 11. 56-Chris Spieker[11]; 12. 10-Junior Coover[12]
All Makes Collision Non-Qualifier Race Finish (20 Laps):1. 13-Dallon Murty[1]; 2. 44M-Chris Madden[2]; 3. 25-Chad Simpson[12]; 4. 15D-Justin Duty[6]; 5. 4-JC Wyman[11]; 6. 93L-Cory Lawler[4]; 7. 99 18-Jesse Sobbing[18]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 9. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[9]; 10. 01-Jacob Hobscheidt[7]; 11. 3-Mike Collins[20]; 12. 80-Allan Hopp[15]; 13. 10T-Jeff Tharp[19]; 14. 43-Derrick Stewart[8]; 15. 21H-Brett Hopp[14]; 16. 53-Andrew Kosiski[13]; 17. 51W-JT Wasmund[16]; 18. Z76-Zach Zeitner[3]; 19. 17SR-Brody Smith[10]; 20. 32X-Chris Simpson[21]; 21. (DNS) 35D-Dylan Sillman
Al Belt Custom Homes Silver Dollar Nationals | Feature Finish (80 Laps):
Pos - Start - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Earnings
1 - 1 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - $53,200
2 - 9 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - $53,000
3 - 2 - 32 - Bobby Pierce - Oakwood, IL - $15,000
4 - 7 - 3S - Brian Shirley - Chatham, IL - $10,800
5 - 3 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - $9,900
6 - 4 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - $9,200
7 - 5 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - $8,200
8 - 11 - 111 - Max Blair - Centerville, PA - $6,800
9 - 6 - 15 - Clay Stuckey - Shreveport, LA - $5,000
10 - 8 - 19R - Ryan Gustin - Marshalltown, IA - $4,800
11 - 15 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - $5,500
12 - 22 - 9 - Tim McCreadie - Watertown, NY - $4,600
13 - 12 - 18J - Chase Junghans - Manhattan, KS - $4,500
14 - 26 - 13 - Dallon Murty - Chelsea, IA - $4,400
15 - 21 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - $5,100
16 - 17 - 157 - Mike Marlar - Winfield, TN - $4,200
17 - 10 - 9H - Nick Hoffman - Mooresville, NC - $4,100
18 - 18 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - $4,800
19 - 23 - 11 - Josh Rice - Crittenden, KY - $4,800
20 - 19 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - $4,600
21 - 20 - 40B - Kyle Bronson - Brandon, FL - $4,500
22 - 14 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - $4,400
23 - 16 - 8 - Dillon McCowan - Urbana, MO - $4,300
24 - 13 - 4 - Tad Pospisil - Norfolk, NE - $3,500
25 - 24 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - $4,300
26 - 25 - 17SS - Brenden Smith - Dade City, FL - $100
Race Statistics
Entrants: 54
Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
MD3 Lap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-80)
Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Margin of Victory: 0.697 seconds
Hellraizer Jacks Cautions: Debris (Lap 70)
MyRacePass Series Provisional: Josh Rice; Daniel Hilsabeck
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Emergency Provisionals: Brenden Smith
Track Provisional: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce
Penske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce, Brian Shirley, Brandon Sheppard
Behrent's One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce
PEM 4th Place Feature: Brian Shirley
Diversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Brandon Sheppard
Wilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Hudson O'Neal
Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Dan Ebert
Velocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Chase Junghans
XS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Garrett Alberson
Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Dallon Murty (Advanced 12 positions)
MD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (80 Laps)
Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon Sheppard
O'Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Josh Rice
Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Bobby Pierce | Lap 4 | 14.055 seconds
FK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Brenden Smith
Victory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Jonathan Davenport
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 13.3894 seconds
Time of Race: 25 minutes 36 seconds
Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:
Pos - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Points - Earnings
1 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - 5610 - $241,300
2 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - 5475 - $216,050
3 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - 5380 - $280,524
4 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - 5080 - $118,900
5 - 111 - Max Blair - Centerville, PA - 5055 - $130,575
6 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - 4975 - $189,825
7 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - 4840 - $110,925
8 - 3s - Brian Shirley - Chatham, IL - 4760 - $94,050
9 - 11 - Josh Rice - Crittenden, KY - 4695 - $97,175
10 - 40B - Kyle Bronson - Brandon, FL - 4485 - $73,475
11 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - 4395 - $86,050
12 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - 4360 - $74,400
13 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - 4230 - $73,150
14 - 8 - Dillon McCowan - Urbana, MO - 4215 - $96,500
15 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - 3845 - $55,875
16 - 17SS - Brenden Smith - Dade City, FL - 3570 - $39,625
17 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - 3305 - $27,775
Official Marketing Partners
Associate Marketing Partners
Advanced Powder Coating, All Makes Collision Center, Arizona Sport Shirts, Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Black Diamond Chassis, Bilstein Shocks, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Clements Racing Engines, Cornett Racing Engines, Dave Warren Powersports, Denago Powersports, Diversified Machine Inc, Fast Shafts, Fire Suppression Engineering, FOX Shocks, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Heath Lawson Photography, Hellraizer Jacks, Hoker Trucking, Jackson County Tourism, Keyser Manufacturing, Longacre Scales, Longhorn Chassis, The Massengill Company, MD3, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, MSD, Ohlins Shocks, Outerwears, PEM - Performance Engineering Mfg, Penske Racing Shocks, ProFabrication Headers, Pro Power Racing Engines, Rocket Chassis, Schoenfeld Headers, Shocker Hitch, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Steering Buddy, Strange Oval, Swift Springs, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, Velocity Manufacturing, Victory Fuel, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood, Xceldyne, XS Power Batteries, and 5150 Race Trailers.