Thornton Banks $50,000 in Malvern Bank High Banks Heist at Eagle

EAGLE, NE (May 17, 2025) – Ricky Thornton Jr. was not going to be denied on Saturday night, as the Chandler, Arizona, driver led all but one lap in winning the 75-lap Malvern Bank High Banks Heist at Eagle Raceway, earning $50,000 for his ninth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing win of 2025.

Jonathan Davenport was the only other driver to briefly lead a lap, holding the top spot on lap 36. However, a lap later, Thornton reclaimed the front position, leading Davenport and Devin Moran to the finish, winning by 1.8 seconds for his 51st career Series victory.

Tyler Bruening came home in fourth, followed by Brandon Overton, who came from 11th to round out the top five drivers.

Thornton won in front of a large crowd of spectators, as it was the biggest Late Model race in the 62-year history of the track. He survived a scare when another car he was trying to lap got into the side of him, damaging his right side door.

“I was big time concerned, anytime you can look over and see the deck messed up, it’s not good. What a racetrack. I tried to slow down a couple of times and I just about wrecked, and I said you know what, I was going to go as hard as I can and if I wreck, I wreck and if not, it wasn’t for trying.”

“I ran as hard as I could to get by Garrett (Alberson) on that first lap and then I slowed myself way down just trying to save my left rear, and there towards the end got to (Cory) Lawler and he was better than I was around the bottom in one and two, and I was like man should I move down to the bottom or not. I really didn’t want a yellow, and of course, a yellow came out, and I was like, I didn’t know what to do now. It worked out for us.”

Davenport, who held second place for most of the race, yielded the spot to Moran on lap 48, ran third until he got back around Moran on a lap 65 restart.

“He (Thornton) did a really good job. I just wish the race track was where you could run around the bottom or middle more, but it was so cushion dominant, but that’s the way this place is. It was a lot of fun. It’s tough, that’s for sure. I thought right before that caution came out, I started to come off the cushion and was running through the middle off of four, it was pretty good. Once we got to sliding each other, that’s what I was trying to do to lead again. I probably just should have stayed around the top the last time he slid me.”

Moran, who started eighth, ran second for several laps after reaching the runner-up, tried to close in on Thornton, but a restart with 64 laps scored saw him fall to third after Davenport got by him.

“After the week we had, we were struggling, and so we threw some different stuff at it tonight, you know. I felt like we were really good there when I was in second. I felt like I could keep pace with Ricky, but we were just stuck there on that top. All in all, a good run for our race team and a good bounce back from the last couple of nights we have had.”

The winner’s Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Ultimate Towing and Recovery, Hoker Trucking, Knight’s Companies, Coltman Farms Racing, Elite Ready Mix, Capital Waste, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, EMD Wraps, and Certified Inspection Services.

Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Garrett Alberson, Collen Winebarger, and Kyle Bronson.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 

Race Summary 

Malvern Bank Presents High Bank Heist | Night 3

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Eagle Raceway – Eagle, NE

Allstar Performance Time Trials

Fast Time Group A: Garrett Alberson | 13.041 seconds (Overall | New Track Record)

Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 13.368 seconds

Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 4. 04-Tad Pospisil[6]; 5. 28-Sam Mars[2]; 6. 14S-Collen Winebarger[5]; 7. 07-Ben Sukup[8]; 8. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 9. (DNS) 8-Dillon McCowan

Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 2. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 4. 79-Donald McIntosh[5]; 5. 18C-Chase Junghans[7]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 7. 19M-Spencer Hughes[8]; 8. 10-Junior Coover[9]; 9. 6-Clay Harris[6]

Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish ( Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[7]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 4. 35D-Dylan Sillman[4]; 5. 38T-Dylan Thornton[6]; 6. 93L-Cory Lawler[8]; 7. 30G-Jordan Grabouski[5]; 8. 71-Hudson O'Neal[3]; 9. (DNS) 45D-Dan Battaglia

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 3. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 4. 15-Clay Stuckey[5]; 5. 28W-Ian Whisler[6]; 6. 18-Jesse Sobbing[1]; 7. 6J-Jake Neal[7]; 8. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]

Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (9 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 14S-Collen Winebarger[3]; 2. 18C-Chase Junghans[2]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 4. 07-Ben Sukup[5]; 5. 19M-Spencer Hughes[6]; 6. 28-Sam Mars[1]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 8. 10-Junior Coover[8]; 9. 6-Clay Harris[10]; 10. (DNS) 8-Dillon McCowan

UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (9 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 38T-Dylan Thornton[1]; 2. 18-Jesse Sobbing[4]; 3. 93L-Cory Lawler[3]; 4. 71-Hudson O'Neal[7]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 6. 28W-Ian Whisler[2]; 7. 30G-Jordan Grabouski[5]; 8. 6J-Jake Neal[6]; 9. 45D-Dan Battaglia[9]

Malvern Bank Presents High Bank Heist | Night 3 Feature Finish (75 Laps):

Pos - Start - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Pay

1 - 2 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - $51,300

2 - 3 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - $21,100

3 - 8 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - $11,000

4 - 5 - 16 - Tyler Bruening - Decorah, IA - $8,000

5 - 11 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - $7,700

6 - 23 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - $6,800

7 - 4 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - $5,200

8 - 1 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - $4,700

9 - 17 - 14S - Collen Winebarger - Corbett, OR - $3,800

10 - 9 - 40B - Kyle Bronson - Brandon, FL - $3,600

11 - 16 - 15 - Clay Stuckey - Shreveport, LA - $3,400

12 - 15 - 79 - Donald McIntosh - Dawsonville, GA - $4,000

13 - 12 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - $3,700

14 - 21 - 18D - Daulton Wilson - Fayetteville, NC - $3,200

15 - 6 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - $3,100

16 - 10 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - $3,000

17 - 22 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - $2,900

18 - 13 - 4 - Tad Pospisil - Norfolk, NE - $2,100

19 - 7 - 76N - Blair Nothdurft - Renner, SD - $2,000

20 - 14 - 35D - Dylan Sillman - Alvo, NE - $2,000

21 - 20 - 18 - Jesse Sobbing - Malvern, IA - $2,000

22 - 19 - 18C - Chase Junghans - Manhattan, KS - $2,000

23 - 24 - 19M - Spencer Hughes - Meridian, MS - $2,700

24 - 18 - 38T - Dylan Thornton - Orcutt, CA - $2,000

Race Statistics  

Entrants: 35

Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Garrett Alberson

MD3 Lap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-35); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 36); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 37-75)

Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

Margin of Victory: 1.800 seconds

Coltman Farms Racing Cautions: Dylan Thornton (Lap 3); Dylan Sillman (Lap 34); Daulton Wilson (Lap 44); Debris (Lap 47); Debris (Lap 64)

Series Provisional: Hudson O’Neal; Spencer Hughes

Fast Time Provisional: n/a

Emergency Provisional: n/a

Track Provisional: n/a

Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran

Penske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Tyler Bruening, Brandon Overton

PEM 4th Place Feature: Tyler Bruening

DMI Rearends 5th Place Feature: Brandon Overton

Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Brandon Sheppard

Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Clay Stuckey

Deatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Dan Ebert

MD3 24th Place Feature: Dylan Thornton

Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Advanced 17 Positions) 

MD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (74 Laps)

Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Donald McIntosh

Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 4 | 14.261 seconds)

Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Devin Moran

Fresh Roof Hard Luck Award: Spencer Hughes

Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Zach Frields

ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines

Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis

Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Dan Ebert (13.3951 seconds)

Time of Race: 30 minutes 02 seconds

Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

Pos - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Points - Pay

1 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - 3600 - $217,150

2 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - 3555 - $151,400

3 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - 3435 - $155,049

4 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - 3200 - $62,850

5 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - 3155 - $67,975

6 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - 3115 - $70,700

7 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - 3065 - $71,200

8 - 18D - Daulton Wilson - Fayetteville, NC - 2855 - $51,600

9 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - 2675 - $40,325

10 - 1T - Tyler Erb - New Waverly, TX - 2595 - $34,000

11 - 79 - Donald McIntosh - Dawsonville, GA - 2530 - $29,200

12 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - 2510 - $28,925

13 - 19M - Spencer Hughes - Meridian, MS - 2400 - $30,875

14 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - 2290 - $22,350

15 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - 2190 - $23,600

16 - 16 - Tyler Bruening - Decorah, IA - 2075 - $41,700

17 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - 2060 - $15,925