During the race, a sudden roar of the crowd echoed through The Dome. However, it was not for the leader, Chris Simpson, but for the challenger, Ricky Thornton Jr. With 11 laps to go, Thornton Jr made a questionable move and snatched the lead from the late model star, sending him into a frenzy. But Simpson didn’t retaliate during the race.

However, he didn’t let the situation pass either, as he openly threatened the Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals 2023 winner with an upcoming payback expressing his fury at his unethical racing tactics.

Ricky Thornton Jr’s late pass sends Chris Simpson into a state of rage

Despite securing the runner-up spot, Simpson couldn’t help but express his anger over Thornton Jr.’s overtake. When a reporter praised his P2 finish and asked, “That’s not bad, right?” Simpson issued an open warning saying, “Yeah, but I didn’t want to lose by that. He f**ked up by that, it’s not me, he’s got one coming. I don’t care what name’s on the side of that thing. He’ll get it.”

Simpson expressed that he understands the dynamics of racing and how one pushes the limit to win the race, but at the same time voiced that he couldn’t find a justification for Thornton Jr.’s move. “I get it we’re all racing for the same real estate. But there’s one thing that slide someone in and stop in front of him.”

Simpson then revealed that despite him being in control of his #4C car, he ran a bit into Thornton Jr’s #20RT car because he pushed Simpson into a corner with little to no room for overtaking.

Despite a red flag restart, Chris Simpson was steadfast on his lead and was looking forward to the title when another caution got raised and flipped the odds.

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The 15th-lap caution that paved the way for Thornton Jr.’s win

With 22 laps to go in the race, Ryan Montgomery got involved in a wreck that overturned his car and raised a red flag, leading to a restart. But that didn’t affect Simpson as he still had the lead with him.

However, things took a sudden turn when the #24 car made an unexpected stop on the track which gave rise to another caution, with only 11 laps left. As the race once again restarted, Thornton Jr immediately cut off Simpson’s racing line and slid close to him to eventually overtake him.

But Simpson didn’t just let Thornton Jr dominate the race as he fought back for the lost spot. His efforts, however, didn’t translate as with each passing lap, the gap between the drivers increased.

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Even with a dominant performance for the majority of the race, Simpson couldn’t secure the top spot as his rival’s questionable overtake shattered all his efforts. What are your views on Thornton Jr’s debatable late pass for the win?