Story By: LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – BATAVIA, OH – After coming up just short of the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup title one year ago, Ricky Thornton Jr. found redemption in 2023.
The mini-series within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule consisted of 16 events that boasted $30,000 or more to the winner. Of those 16 events, Thornton Jr. finished inside the top ten 12 times, 11 of which were top five performances, and went to victory lane in six of the 16 crown jewel events on the schedule.
Thornton Jr. will receive a $15,000 check at the Championship Awards Banquet on December 8th. Finishing second through fifth in the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup were Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, and Tim McCreadie. Those drivers earned $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 respectively.
2023 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup:
- Sat. May 13 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – $30,000 – Bobby Pierce
- Sat. May 27 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – $50,000 – Devin Moran
- Sat. Jun. 3 – West Virginia Motor Speedway – Mineral Wells, WV – $50,000 – Rained Out
- Sat. Jun. 17 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Maryville, TN – $50,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Jun. 24 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, PA – $50,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Jul. 1 – Muskingum County Speedway – Zanesville, OH – $30,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Jul. 8 – Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley, MN – $50,000 – Bobby Pierce
- Sat. Jul. 22 – Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD – $53,000 – Brandon Sheppard
- Sat. Aug. 12 – Florence Speedway – Union, KY – $75,000 – Bobby Pierce
- Sat. Aug. 19 – Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, AR – $50,000 – Dale McDowell
- Sat. Aug. 26 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA – $50,000 – Hudson O’Neal
- Sun. Sep. 3 – Tyler County Speedway – Middlebourne, WV – $30,000 – Jonathan Davenport
- Sat. Sep. 16 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA – $50,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Sep. 23 – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN – $30,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Sep. 30 – Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, PA – $30,000 – Ricky Thornton Jr.
- Sat. Oct. 21 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH – $100,000 – Brandon Sheppard