Koehler Motorsports shared an update on the team regarding a number of inquiries its received as well as an up-and-down weekend for Ricky Thornton Jr. during the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series opening weekend at All-Tech Raceway.

After the first three races of the season, Thornton currently sits 15th in the Lucas Oil standings after finishing 14th, 7th, and 18th. Additionally, he went to a backup car on Saturday night. However, Thornton is not sweating it. He informed FloRacing’s Kyle McFadden, “I feel like we haven’t been absolute[ly] horrible. We just haven’t been good. Like, I haven’t been good enough to pass, where, normally, I feel like I’m really good here. Because like I can get out of line and take off. Definitely got way better in the feature (on Friday). I was able to early run around the top in three and four.”

As for why, Thornton explained, “I feel like we’re getting better here, just the dirt’s so different in these places compared to normal that our normal notes aren’t very good.”

“I always feel like you can come to Speedweeks and you can be really good or really bad, but it really doesn’t matter for the rest of the year. Out here is so different,” Thornton relayed.

In fact, Thornton made light of his struggles with a post to Facebook indicating he’s been demoted to a janitor at Koehler Motorsports after his performance. 

“Got a promotion at Koehler Motorsports after my on track performances,” he wrote on Facebook.

On top of Thornton’s comments, Koehler Motorsports shared an update, first explaining how the team operates, “Our program operates as one unified team. Ricky, Jordan, and Evan race out of our Mt. Airy shop and work closely alongside Anthony, Kenny, Zack, Tharp, and Bryce. We have full confidence in the crew we’ve built and the effort they put in every day.”

Next, the team revealed it returned to North Carolina to prepare for Ocala, “We’ve encountered a few challenges recently, and the cars are back at our North Carolina shop where we’re addressing everything thoroughly. Our team is putting in long hours to ensure we return to the track prepared and competitive. We don’t take shortcuts — we focus on solutions and continuous improvement.”

The team then affirmed Jimmy Owens’ plans for the season, “We’ve also had several inquiries about Jimmy. He is racing out of his Shop in Tennessee and plans to spot race throughout the season at his convenience. We fully support his program.”

Finally, the team also shared that members of its crew were battling “illness over the past couple week” but “they continue[d] to show up and give their full effort. That level of dedication speaks volumes about the character of this team. We remain focused, committed, and confident in the direction we’re headed.”

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