Ricky Thornton Jr. clinched victory in the Buckeye Spring 50 at Atomic Speedway, marking his fourth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2025. The reigning champion earned $15,000 after successfully defending against Josh Rice's determined challenges throughout the 50-lap feature.

The race saw Thornton lead from start to finish, though not without drama. Early contender Jonathan Davenport was forced to restart from the back after spinning on lap 10 due to contact with a lapped car. Rice moved into second place and mounted several challenges but finished 0.541 seconds behind Thornton. Devin Moran claimed third place after starting ninth.

"I knew Josh was going to be good - I thought he was actually a little better than I was," Thornton said in Victory Lane, marking his 46th career Lucas Oil victory. "I got some right-side damage battling through lapped traffic, but that's part of racing."

The win propelled Thornton to the championship points lead. His Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, powered by a Clements Racing Engine, proved dominant throughout the night, setting the fastest lap of 14.336 seconds on lap 2.

Top 5 Finishers:

1. Ricky Thornton Jr.
2. Josh Rice
3. Devin Moran
4. Mike Marlar
5. Hudson O'Neal

The series continues at Brownstown Speedway for tomorrow's Indiana Icebreaker, where Devin Moran returns as defending champion.

[Detailed race statistics and full finishing order retained but formatted for clarity]

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