Ricky Thornton Jr., Hudson O’Neal Speak For First Time After Big Moves

I don't think anybody's going to argue if you make the case that this guy may have broke the internet this week as back on Sunday night Ricky Thorton Jr announced that he and SSI Motorsports had split ways Ricky I'm going to be honest man when you texted me last Sunday night said we were need a release I didn't believe you I thought you were messing with me if if you will can you take us through the timeline of from last Sunday to how do we get to where you are today a lot of work uh I mean just you never never want to see anything like that happen and I mean it sucks obviously uh I think I got a hold of you probably around 5 :00 U try to get a press release out I think Bobby called me about 6:37 and just kind of kind of started getting the ball rolling he uh he said I could use his holler use his cars use his Motors whatever whatever we need to do to to try to finish out the year and uh and I really didn't know there's there's a lot of people reaching out so just trying to trying to figure out what what was going to be the best uh moving forward and uh I mean luckily uh Kenny uh Dawson uh everyone Bill Stein Longhorn uh I mean there's of them there at their shop busting busting their butt the last two days just trying to trying to get everything turned around that way we could come and and run this cuz the problem is like it's not like it's a one or two race thing like it's we run seven nights the next 10 days so it uh I think we got everything together for the most part uh just excited to to go out and race um it was Monday night we went went to the flow race there at Lincoln and uh started off kind of kind of bad and it ended up pretty good in the end so I got to thank Stevie shefer uh brand Shephard and their their whole crew for for let me let me hop in their car just to make sure I still have got points for the castal night and stuff like that and uh he offered his ride as as long as I needed it so that that part was super cool of of them to do that and uh I mean we're here uh we wer weren't quite sure what the weather was going to do uh kind of sucks TR City already canceled tomorrow but uh hopefully get through tonight have a solid night uh obviously we'd love to win but uh I think just as long as we don't turn anything up and have have a solid finish it'll be a success when everything goes down last Sunday and you realize I don't have a ride I am the points leader of two national tours I don't have a ride is it Panic is it called action what's the first what's the range of emotions that happened in that say that first hour uh I mean I would say my wife was probably more panick than I was uh I mean I I feel like I had enough friends where I knew I knew I could pick up something at least get me through this next couple weeks and uh and very fortunate Jeff hooker's a big part of that I mean as soon as it happened called me he's like hey if we need if we need to get this guy's car get this guy's car he's like we'll make it happen um and had uh kind of same thing with Brandon uh Shay talks to Michael all the time Brandon was talked to his dad and within a couple hours like hey if you need a ride Monday let me know like we'll take we'll get it taken care of so just that side of very fortunate for me I feel like we've we've made a lot of friends in in the industry and and they really support us at the same time so that side was really really awesome um other than that I'd say it's probably more scrambling to figure out where what else was going to do with my micro team and stuff like that cuz like all that was at the SSI shop so I uh luckily got that stuff figured out my garage is kind of a cluster but uh it I don't know we'll see how tonight goes and we'll see if it paid off or not yeah we stand here Thursday 3:30 it's a race night here at the slokum 50 is your head 100% in the game are you still trying to get refocused where are you at mentally as you get ready to get in this race car and continue to be the points leader I mean I'm I'm ready to go and uh I mean obviously I kind of look at at the same time as even whenever I own my own team it's it's you want to go out and perform the best you can if if you don't win or you don't run well you're not making any money so it uh just it's when we roll out it be full focused uh I know Kenny Kenny really knows his stuff and and like I said Bill Stein LongHorn's been uh a huge part of this whole Coler team this week and and just hopefully when we roll out it'll be really good uh if not I mean I'm sure we'll need need a little bit of tweaks but overall I think uh we'll be one of the best teams out here last thing Bobby Cole Jessica Coler when they reach out how Blown Away were you so quick somebody wanted to help you like that oh it was crazy uh like I said Bobby called me literally within two hours of it happening hey like whatever we got to do let's make it happen let's finish the year if you want to keep going like whatever whatever it takes so uh that that part was was super awesome what I love about him too is like I was talking to they at they're at mbridge last night with his boy running a micro so he uh he's he's real big about the family side of it and uh just I I before we did anything I laid all out like I want my family here and all that and and he he was almost more mad that if I didn't want him here so it uh that side's been really awesome so just just fortunate to to surround our with uh with really awesome people he's in a new ride with Coler Motorsports Ricky Thorton Jr but he is still your Midwest sheet metal point leader as we get ready for action here tonight at the slokum 50 we're talking with Hudson O'Neal here obviously one of the big storylines this week HUD back behind the wheel of the SSI Motorsports 71 now let's let's rewind a little bit let's go back to Sunday and you get a call from Todd Burns correct yeah it was an eventful Sunday to say the least uh yeah you know um Mr Burns called me I don't know sometime uh late afternoon and and uh you know said that uh they had a falling out with Ricky or not a necessarily a fallen out but uh had split ways with Ricky and you know if I wanted to come over and talk to him and just kind of you know talk some things over and see if uh we could make something happen and and man I truthfully it kind of threw me for a loop it took me uh it took me a few hours I I wasn't quick to jump at it just cuz everything that I had built with with the Hudson wheal racing and and all the all the sponsors that I had and all the obligations I had to everybody and we I felt like we were we were building a strong program uh it wasn't a winning program yet but it was uh I feel like we were building the Stepping Stones to become a decent program eventually it was going to take some time but whenever he called me I just I was tore really really tore you know obviously it's an amazing opportunity that you can't pass up but at the same time uh you know I I was in my shop and I was kind of looking around and I was like man I got a lot of stuff here and uh you know and then we talked about it a little bit more and obviously I I there's no way I could turn it down with the leadership of Todd and Anthony Burrows and everybody it's uh and all the guys Tharp and and Nick and so um I think it's going to be a great fit you know we just uh just got to get through this first couple weeks let everything tone down a little bit and uh you know maybe the media will get off our backs a little bit and we'll be able to just race that's what we're here to do we're race car drivers and and this is how we make our living and and uh you know there's nobody uh you know I feel like that uh is just more even kill I guess than me you know I just kind of want everybody to do their thing and and be happy and and do their best and you know unfortunate circumstances happen sometime and I was just the guy they chose to fill in so uh it's uh it sucks that uh all this has came of it but uh at the end of the day we're happy to be here so you what were the emotions like because you hit on a really good point when you said you had worked really hard these last three or four months to build your own team right and so there's a lot of people that think oh it's easy to go jump in someone else's car I'm guessing it I'm guessing there was a lot of emotions attached and it probably wasn't just that easy of a decision to make yeah no it was wasn't uh obviously there was there was a few things that went into my decision uh you know obviously I'm not uh um it's hard to do your own race team it's hard to uh be able to find the funding to do it and I was kind of doing it uh you know probably wasn't the smartest decision for me ever but I was trying I was giving it I was giv an a for effort but uh yeah you know whenever you whenever Todd called me and I was like man I really and immediately went my girlfriend was like I don't know it's uh you know obviously it's too good of an opport to pass up but it's hard to it's hard to just drop everything we got here and then you know obviously my guys and we were able to hire Nick on and uh Steve Baker We were unfortunate to lose for um you know to lose him and uh it just uh yeah I don't know it's a lot of mixed emotions whenever I first got the call but all in all you know after I went and and met with Todd and the whole team and everything and uh we sat down and it just it was nice you know uh obviously I began my career with Todd and uh so it's just kind of a full circle moment to come back and be a part of this deal and and hopefully it's for many many years to come and hopefully I found a home for a while so uh we got a still got a lot of things to button up back uh at my shop whenever I get back uh a lot of cars a lot of Motors uh a lot of moving pieces Parts everything else and uh so you know I'm going to be busy for the next few months for sure what was the deciding factor for you you know Ricky has said his move to colar Motor Sports family was a big deciding factor for him as well as a couple other things what about for Hudson O'Neal what was what were the one or two main factors in you choosing to say yeah I'm going to go ahead and and put my own ride to the side and and take this ride with Todd and Vicky Burns uh you know Todd and Vicky Burns have been like second parents to me almost you know it's uh I I lived I lived in their house for several years whenever I was racing crate cars and supers and stuff for them and and you know they are family so uh it was great to be able to uh come back and be a part of that again and and walking around the the race shop this week and just seeing all the people that I used to see every day up until 2019 uh you know it was it was really nice and some of the texts I got and everything it was it was really cool so uh obviously everybody's sad at the departure of Ricky but uh I'm just happy to be here and uh and hopefully make the best of it and then the last question you mentioned earlier you were able to bring Nick Hardy over with you how big was that in in all of this as well being able to bring a crew chief a guy that you brought on and hired yourself yeah no it was it was really good uh Nick's going to do some tires for us we were uh unfortunately we we lost uh DJ uh you know a couple days ago but uh he's on to better things and he's going to he's going to do great so uh you know but we're happy to have Nick in in his place and uh I think you know I don't think our team got got any worse Nick's going to pick right back up and we'll be just fine so uh we're excited about it um you know obviously this is an unbelievable opportunity with unbelievable equipment and people and everything I think it's just going to be really good so no matter how hard it was for me to put Huds onal racing to the side uh this is going to be a great uh I think this is going to be a great deal no matter how which way you look at it he's Hudson O'neal He has been one of the story makers this week and he is reunited with Todd and Vicky Burns at SSI Motorsports

Channel: FloRacing

Views: 9,022

Keywords: bobby pierce, dirt late model, dirt late model crash, dirt late model race, eldora speedway, eldora speedway late model, hunt the front, pierce erb fight, scott bloomquist, tyler erb, world of outlaws

Id: 7LqUJ8MIN7g

Length: 10min 54sec (654 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 11 2024