Ricky Thornton Jr. of Indiana took the checkered flag in Saturday night’s 33rd Prairie Dirt Classic race at Fairbury Speedway.
Thornton got the $50,000 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment late model feature win along with $12,000 of lap money for a total of $62,000.
Though it was a tough race, Thornton feels like he put himself in a really good position. He had a motor part failure which was just something electrical and they were able to get going again.
“Really, I didn’t want to slow down once I took the lead just because I didn’t know how close they were behind me, so I just kept going,” Thornton told Fairbury News following the check presentation at Bank of Pontiac.
Saturday marked 370 career wins for Thornton who started racing in 2005 and grew up in Arizona before moving to Indiana two years ago. Thornton said he tries to race as much as he can and it is working out so far.
Mike Harrison had his third PDC victory at Fairbury Saturday night after winning the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals $5,000 feature.
It was yet another capacity crowd in Fairbury for the year’s biggest racing weekend at the track. Plenty of fans from near and far traveled to southern Livingston County to witness the action, which also included garage sales, business specials, a vendor fair, concerts and more.
Young race fans were able to get autographs during meet and greet sessions with their favorite drivers late Saturday afternoon.
The weekend weather started off warm and stormy but conditions were great for the Saturday night finale. In fact, some were seen putting on long sleeves late in the evening when the breeze picked up.
Once Friday’s racing festivities ended after 11 p.m., a storm rolled through Fairbury with rain and some wind.
Campers, recreational vehicles and tents filled the south side of town as camping sites were located around the track, at the nearby Prairie Central Elementary school and in yards and lots throughout Fairbury.
