Ricky Thornton Jr. dominated Tuesday's DIRTcar Late Model Feature at Volusia Speedway Park, securing a commanding lead in the Big Gator championship chase.

After starting from pole position, Thornton executed a decisive pass on Tyler Erb midway through the 25-lap feature. Despite early pressure from Bobby Pierce, Thornton's superior pace allowed him to build a substantial 3.5-second lead before encountering lap traffic.

Pierce claimed second place with a last-lap pass on Erb, while Jonathan Davenport and Brandon Overton rounded out the top five. The victory marks Thornton's third Gator trophy in four years and extends his Big Gator championship lead to 20 points over Davenport.

"We changed our program up a lot after we were here earlier this year, and I feel like we've gotten a lot better," Thornton said. "My boys aren't going to shy away from work."

Notable performances included:

• Brian Shirley earning Hard Charger honors (16th to 6th)
• Ryan Gustin setting the quickest qualifying lap
• Tyler Bruening posting the fastest hot lap time

Heat race winners:

• Ricky Thornton Jr.
• Tyler Erb
• Jonathan Davenport
• Bobby Pierce
• Brandon Overton
• Cade Dillard

Last Chance Showdown victories went to Brandon Sheppard, Chase Junghans, and Ashton Winger.

Feature Results (25 Laps):

1. Ricky Thornton Jr.
2. Bobby Pierce
3. Tyler Erb
4. Jonathan Davenport
5. Brandon Overton
6. Brian Shirley
7. Cade Dillard
8. Max Blair
9. Cody Overton
10. Nick Hoffman

The DIRTcar Late Model portion of the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals concludes Wednesday with three 20-lap Features.

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