Ricky Thornton Jr. is rumored to reteam with his former crew chief Anthony Burroughs and crew member Justin Tharp at Koehler Motorsports for the 2026 season.

This rumor comes from Justin Fiedler aka Dirtrackr who shared, “Anthony Burroughs and Justin Tharp have departed the 76 team in recent days. … But Burroughs and Tharp already have their next deal. This one might surprise you a bit, but Burroughs and Tharp are heading for a reunion with a driver they had a lot of success with previously when they were all at SSI Motorsports together. And that driver, as I’m sure you could have guessed by now, is Ricky Thornton Jr.”

“I’m told that Burroughs and Tharp are headed for Koehler Motorsports and they will join back up with RTJ for the future,” he added.

This move comes in the wake of another rumor from Fiedler in the same video where he claims that Riggs Motorsports will no longer be the Longhorn Factory Team moving forward albeit Brandon Overton will remain with the team.

Fiedler shared, “Riggs Motorsports and Longhorn are splitting after two years together as the partnered Longhorn Factory Team.”

“I’m told the split is amicable, but that both sides, Longhorn with Steve Arpin and Riggs with team owner Scott Riggs realized that a change was necessary,” he added. “As for what happens next with a Longhorn Factory Team or house car still up in the air. I wouldn’t expect anything Longhorn owned to materialize at least in the near term. … But will we see another Longhorn factory team branded car come Speed Weeks? I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but I don’t think that I would expect it.”

He did note that Overton plans to continue with Riggs for the Dome “and then plans for 2026 are still TBD. I think both national tours are potentially on the table and then maybe a pick-and-choose slate.”

As Fiedler noted Burroughs and Tharp previously worked together with Ricky Thornton Jr. at SSI Motorsports. Burroughs recruited Tharp from Roberts Motorsports where he was the crew chief for Garrett Alberson’s team. As for Burroughs, he’s a veteran having worked with Earl Pearson Jr. and Don O’Neal before joining SSI Motorsports and working with RTJ. Together they won over 60 races including 34 in 2023.

NEXT: Rumor: Riggs Motorsports To No Longer Be The Longhorn Factory Team