Hudson O’Neal Wins Freedom 60 Prelim; Fourth in Finale
Deer Creek Speedway’s NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 Up Next

SHINNSTON, W.Va. (07/03/23) –Hudson O’Neal and Rocket1 Racing competed at Ohio’s Muskingum County Raceway over the weekend in the facility’s Freedom 60, where they claimed a $3,000 prelim win along with a fourth-place finish in the finale with their Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.

Hudson continues to hold down the second position in the latest LOLMDS standings as the tour turns its focus to Minnesota’s Deer Creek Speedway this week.

“A solid weekend for our team. We picked up a $3,000 qualifier win on Friday night, and that gave us a second row starting spot for Saturday’s feature. We were in the Top 5 throughout the feature but just didn’t quite have what we needed to be out front. But we’ll take these results and head to Deer Creek Speedway this week and look for our first title together in the Gopher 50,” O’Neal said.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) drew Rocket1 Racing, Hudson O’Neal, and 31 other competitors to Muskingum County Speedway (Zanesville, OH) on Friday afternoon to kick off the 17th annual Freedom 60 weekend with preliminary features.

With his qualifying effort placing him on the second row for his prelim, O’Neal rebounded after a near spin in the early laps to claim his 10th win of the season and a $3,000 payday. He nosed underneath Max Blair for the lead on lap 12 and led the final eight circuits to pick up the win.

Starting Saturday night’s $30,000-to-win Freedom 60 in third, Hudson ran as high as second before ultimately crossing the line in fourth. He chased Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, and Max Blair to the checkers with Devin Moran rounding out the Top 5 in the 60-lapper.

Hudson remains second in the latest LOLMDS point standings.

Full results from the events are available at www.LucasDirt.com .

This weekend – July 6 – 8 – the team treks northwest to Deer Creek Speedway (Spring Valley, Minn.) for the 2023 edition of the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50. On Thursday and Friday the LOLMDS contingent will battle for $5,000 to win, while Saturday’s finale posts a $50,000 top prize.

Rocket1 Racing claimed titles in the event in 2019 with Brandon Sheppard and in 2011 and 2016 with Josh Richards

For more information on the weekend, please visit www.DeerCreekSpeedway.com .

Rocket1 Racing would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Durham Racing Engines, Five Star RaceCar Bodies, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Petroff Towing, Slavic Custom Racing Shirts & Decals, WR1 Sim Chassis, O’Neal’s Salvage & Recycling, Sweet Manufacturing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Accu-Force Shock Service, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, Bazell Race Fuels, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Brinn Transmissions, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, CP Carrillo, Dohm Cycles, Edelbrock, Fibreworks Composites, Hardrock Powder Coating, Howe Racing Enterprises, Jones Racing Products, Kenny’s Components, Maxima Racing Oils, MSD, E3 Spark Plugs, Tel Tac, Performance Bodies, Peterson Fluid Systems, Powers Performance, Performance Rod & Custom, Quarter Master, QuickCar Racing Products, Rocket Pre-Owned Motors, Safecraft, Show Trucks Unlimited, Simpson, Stealth Carburetors, Strange Oval, Suave Talk, Total Power Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Walker Performance Filtration, Weld Racing, Wiles Driveshafts, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance Products, Wrisco Aluminum, Xceldyne Valvetrain, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.

For the latest information on Rocket1Racing please visit the team website at www.Rocket1Racing.com as well as their social media channels at www.facebook.com/Rocket1Racing, www.twitter.com/Rocket1_Racing, and www.instagram.com/rocket1racing .

PR Contact:
Ben Shelton (ben.shelton@myracepass.com)

Ricky Thornton Jr. Enjoys Three-Win Week of Racing
Caps Stellar Stretch with $30,000 LOLMDS Freedom 60 Triumph

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (07/03/23) – Another weekend and another mega win for Ricky Thornton Jr. as he pocketed the $30,000 victory in Saturday night’s Freedom 60 at Muskingum County Raceway in his SSI Motorsports / Coltman Farms / Hoker Trucking No. 20RT Dyno One Inc. / Excel Floor Covering / Sub-Surface of Indiana/ Longhorn Chassis/ Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.

Earlier in the weekend Ricky scored a HART Stock Non-Wing Micro Sprint win at Indiana’s Circus City SpeedPlex before winning a Freedom 60 prelim to the tune of $3,000 on Friday night at Muskingum County Raceway as his season win total to swole to 20.

“This is truly a dream season. From the Micro Sprint to the Super Late Model I’m having an absolute blast. We won a prelim on Friday night at Muskingum (County Speedway), but we tore up a lot of stuff along the way. I gotta give a big shout out to D.J. (Williams), (crew chief Anthony) Burroughs and (Christopher) Jayko. They worked their butt off so we could come out and have a really good night again on Saturday,” Thornton Jr. said. “We’re going to take this momentum and head to Deer Creek (Speedway) this week. It’s a really awesome track, and I’m looking forward to going after our first Gopher 50 title.”

With his SSI Motorsports No. 20 RT Late Model sitting idle until the weekend, Ricky Thornton Jr. broke out both of his Hoker Trucking-backed Non-Wing Micros at Circus City SpeedPlex (Peru, Ind.) on Tuesday afternoon for the opening round of the Hoosier Dirt Cup.

Banking a pair of top-five finishes in the opener of the five-race tour, Thornton followed up a fifth-place run in the HART Non-Wing A-Main with a heat and feature win in his No. 20RT Stock Non-Wing. He charged from fourth-to-first in the heat before leading 24 of the 25 laps in the feature to record his 18th overall victory of the 2023 campaign.

On Wednesday at Rush County Fairgrounds (Rushville, Ind.), Ricky landed a fifth-place finish in the main event with the PureMax HART Non-Wing Micro Series.

Joining the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) on Friday, Thornton invaded Muskingum County Speedway (Zanesville, OH) as a trio of $3,000-to-win prelims kicked off the Freedom 60 doubleheader. Earning the third-starting position for his preliminary via time trial results, Ricky soared ahead of pacesetter Daulton Wilson heading to the white flag en route to the 20-lap victory.

Starting on the second row for Saturday’s main event, Ricky wrestled away the lead from Brandon Overton on lap 26 and controlled the remainder of the 60-lapper to claim his second win in as many nights and 20th of the season. He banked a $30,000 payday ahead of Tim McCreadie, Max Blair, Hudson O’Neal, and Devin Moran.

Ricky now holds a 245-point advantage over Hudson O'Neal atop the LOLMDS point standings.

Full results from the events are available at www.CircusCitySpeedPlex.com and www.LucasDirt.com .

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition takes the SSI Motorsports team to Minnesota this Thursday and Friday for the 2023 running of the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 at the Queensland family-owned Deer Creek Speedway. A $5,000-to-win program is on tap for Thursday and Friday with a $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday.

Full event details are available at www.DeerCreekSpeedway.com .

Ricky Thornton Jr. would like to thank all of his marketing partners, which include: SSI Motorsports, Dyno One, Excel Floor Covering, Coltman Farms, Hoker Trucking, Certified Inspection Service (CSI), High Performance Lubricants, Big River Steel, Van Meter Insurance Group, Varsitee Screen Printing, West Side Tractor Sales Co., Sub-Surface of Indiana, Midwest Sheet Metal, D&E Outside Services, Lethal Chassis, Dylan Earven Foundation, EMD Wraps, Brembo, Keyser Manufacturing, Wiles Driveshafts, Barnes Systems, Strange Oval, Schoenfeld Headers, The Joie of Seating, Earnhardt Technologies, FK Rod Ends, BMRS, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Hoosier Tire, Performance Bodies, Jones Racing Products, Simpson Racing Products, NAPA (Morgantown – Bargersville), Swift Springs, Bilstein, Winning Edge Carburetion, Longhorn Chassis, Clements Racing Engines, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.

Visit the team’s official website at www.TwentyRT.com often for the latest team information. You can also stay connected with Ricky Thornton Jr. on social media at https://www.facebook.com/rickythorntonjrracing on Facebook, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RThornton20rt.

PR Contact:
Ben Shelton (ben.shelton@myracepass.com)

Ashton Winger Double Dips in DIRTcar Summer Nationals Action
Miniseries Competition Continues on Monday Night at Lake Cumberland Speedway

HAMPTON, Ga. (07/03/23) – Ashton Winger doubled down last week in DIRTcar Summer Nationals Victory Lane aboard his Jeff Mathews Motorsports No. 12 Johnny Doan Plumbing / Recreational Vehicle Select / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.

He collected $5,000 wins at Adams County Speedway (Quincy, Ill.) and Benton (Mo.) Speedway to go with his $5,000 triumph one week earlier at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway.

“Man, with the exception of some struggles in the first few races of this deal, I feel like we’ve been in contention just about every night so far on this Summer Nationals trail. These races aren’t easy to win so we’re thrilled to have two victories last week and one the week before. I definitely feel like one slipped away on Friday night at Paducah (International Raceway), when we got a flat tire with a few laps left. We had a huge lead and that was a tough one to swallow, but it’s all part of the game I guess,” Winger said. “With rain messing with some stuff, we enjoyed a few days off before getting back to business tonight (July 3) at Lake Cumberland (Speedway). Thanks as always to my team and everyone who supports us for always giving 110% effort and making all this possible.”

For the "Southern Week" of the Hell Tour, Ashton Winger pulled into Springfield Raceway (Springfield, Mo.) on Tuesday afternoon to kick the third week of DIRTcar Summer Nationals action.

With 27 Late Models to start the week, Ashton stopped the clock fourth-quickest in his group and ran runner-up in his heat race. For the first $5,000-to-win feature of the week, Winger ran inside the Top-5 for all 40-laps and snuck onto the podium in third.

Moving on to Adams County Speedway (Quincy, Ill.) on Wednesday, Winger recorded a second-place outing in his heat which placed him on the third-row of the $5,000-to-win feature. Moving into the top spot on lap 19 of 40, Winger led the final 21 circuits and held off Jason Feger in the closing laps to secure his second Hell Tour victory of 2023. Morgan Bagley, Shannon Babb, and Drake Troutman completed the Top-5.

The following evening at Benton Speedway (Benton, Mo.), Ashton qualified fourth-quickest in his group before finishing third in his heat race.

Rolling off from the eighth-position in the $5,000-to-win showdown, Winger used the high side to his advantage and exchanged sliders with race-long leader Drake Troutman before taking the lead for good on lap 35. He paced the field to the checkers and topped Troutman, Billy Moyer Jr., Rodney Melvin, and Jason Feger who rounded out the Top-5.

On Friday night the team invaded Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway, where Ashton qualified second fastest in his group before winning his heat race to earn the pole for the feature. Ashton was decimating the field with a seven-second lead, when bad luck bit in the form a flat tire on lay 27 with just a few laps remaining. He ducked into the pits and rejoined the tail before bouncing back to a second-place finish behind Jason Feger.

Saturday and Sunday’s events at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway Lake Cumberland Speedway (Burnside, Ky.) fell victim to Mother Nature with the $7,500-to-win Lake Cumberland Speedway event reset for Monday, July 3.

Full results and the latest points from the events available at www.DIRTcarSummerNationals.com .

Ashton Winger would like to thank all of his marketing partners, which include Jeff Mathews Motorsports, Recreational Vehicle Select, Credit Union Remarketing Solutions, Johnny Doan Plumbing, Angry Elephant Tattoos & Piercings, Super K Express, Keyser Manufacturing, Integra Shocks and Springs, Angry Elephant Tattoo and Piercing, FK Rod Ends, Hoosier Tire, Simpson Race Products, Collins Signs, DirtCarLift.com, VP Race Fuels, Boydbilt, Boswell Oil, Wrap Tech, and MyRacePass Marketing & PR Services.

For the latest information on Ashton Winger, please visit his internet home at www.AshtonWinger.com as well as his social media channels at facebook.com/AshtonWingerRacing12 .

PR Contact:
Ben Shelton (ben.shelton@myracepass.com)

Mike Marlar Races to Red River Valley WoO Winner’s Cash
Deer Creek Speedway’s Gopher 50 Next on the Schedule

WINFIELD, Tenn. (07/03/23) – Mike Marlar collected his sixth win of the season last Thursday at Red River Valley Speedway in the driver’s seat of his Delk Equipment Sales / Petroff Towing No. 157 Can-Am Auto Salvage / Mesilla Valley Transportation / Longhorn Race Car / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.

The World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series victory was worth $10,000 and presented an interesting challenge for the Tennessee racer.

“The track was just way more aggressive than I anticipated," Marlar said after his $10,000 victory at Red River Valley Speedway. "We ran the heat race, and it was ‘get it on’ and just before the feature, just for extra precaution, I put on a few extra tearoffs and I just about run out. I don’t know where all the mud kept coming from. It was like hard and slick when we started and wide-open after that. Most tracks slow down as the feature goes on, but this one did the opposite, but thankfully everything worked out and we got the win."

After taking a week off to help out his developmental driver Carson Brown, Mike Marlar returned to the driver’s seat of the Delk Equipment Sales No. 157 Late Model at Mason City Motor Speedway (Mason City, Iowa) on Tuesday evening as the World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series kicked off an action-packed week of racing.

With a runner-up performance in his heat race positioning him on the second row for the opening night feature, Mike lost a few spots early before rebounding in the second half of the race to finish fourth.

On Thursday afternoon at Red River Valley Speedway (West Fargo, N.D.) after Mother Nature shifted the event back a day, Marlar followed up the second-fastest lap in his time trial group with a second-place finish in his heat.

Putting himself in contention for the win in the feature, Mike inherited the top spot during a lap-27 caution after the leader suffered a flat and led the remaining 13 circuits to secure his sixth victory of the season and 14th-career WoO triumph. He pocketed a $10,000 payday ahead of Tanner English, Kyle Bronson, Brian Shirley, and Bobby Pierce.

For Friday’s River Cities Showdown at River Cities Speedway (Grand Forks, N.D.), Marlar outran Ryan Gustin in his heat race to pick up the eight-lap victory. With the redraw placing him on the front row for the $12,000-to-win A-Main, Marlar lost one spot in the 40-lap affair to register a third-place finish, which came behind Ryan Gustin and Kyle Bronson.

The four-race week with the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series drew to a close on Sunday at I-94 EMR Speedway (Fergus Falls, Minn.) with Marlar qualifying for the finale via a heat win. With $15,000 on the line, Mike faded to finish 9th in the 50-lap affair.

Full results from the events are available at www.WorldofOutlaws.com .

The team now turns their attention to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) sanctioned NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway (Spring Valley, Minn.). The weekend opens with $5,000-to-win programs on Thursday and Friday followed by a $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday evening.

More details on the event can be found at www.DeerCreekSpeedway.com .

Mike Marlar Racing would like to thank their great marketing partners, which include Delk Equipment, Bilstein, Delk Marlar Racing Development, Can-Am Auto Salvage, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Petroff Towing, Paulson Stussy Construction, Total Power, PEM, VP Racing, Longhorn Chassis, Midwest Sheet Metal, Arizona Sport Shirts, GottaRace.com, Bell Helmets, Hoosier Tire, K1 Race Gear, Swift Springs, Winning Edge Carburetors, Allstar Performance, XS Power Batteries, Gorsuch Performance Solutions, PRO-FABrication Headers & Exhaust, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Wiles Driveshafts, Capital Signs, Stanley Best Heating & Air, JSR Properties LLC, PPM Racing Products, FK Rod Ends, Accu-Force Shock Dyno, Performance Bodies & Parts, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Winters Rearends, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.

For the latest information on Delk Marlar Racing Development and Mike Marlar Racing please visit the team website at www.MikeMarlar.com .

PR Contact:
Ben Shelton (ben.shelton@myracepass.com)