Ricky Thornton Jr. secured a commanding victory in Tuesday's DIRTcar Late Model Feature at Volusia Speedway Park, strengthening his lead in the Big Gator championship standings.

Starting from pole position, Thornton initially settled for second behind Tyler Erb but methodically worked his way back to the front. After a crucial restart on lap 4, he reclaimed second place and subsequently took the lead from Erb on lap 11 of the 25-lap main event.

Thornton dominated the remainder of the race, building a lead as large as 3.5 seconds before encountering lap traffic. Bobby Pierce made a last-lap pass on Erb to secure second place, while Erb finished third. Jonathan Davenport and Brandon Overton rounded out the top five.

"We changed our program up a lot after we were here earlier this year and I feel like we've gotten a lot better," said Thornton. "My boys aren't going to shy away from work, we've destroyed two race cars and they put them back together and we've been just as good."

The victory, Thornton's third Gator trophy in four years, puts him 20 points ahead of Davenport in the Late Model Big Gator standings with four nights of racing remaining.

Notable performances included Brian Shirley's impressive drive from 16th to 6th, earning him the Hard Charger Award. Earlier in the evening, Ryan Gustin set the fastest qualifying time, while six different drivers claimed Heat Race victories.

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

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

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