Jorgensen Takes AMS Pro Legends Thursday Thunder Win

With highly coveted championship points on the line in the penultimate week of the 2017 Thursday Thunder Legends Series presented by Papa John’s Pizza, the on-track action was non-stop Saturday evening, as drivers jockeyed for position leading into next week’s decisive championship night.

After winning four of the first five races on the season, Jensen Jorgensen was in a bit of a mid-season slump entering Saturday night’s second playoff race in the Racing Radios Pro Division.

With an eighth-place finish in Week 6, an 11th in Week 7 and a fourth last week, Jorgensen needed a confidence-building race Saturday night to boost his momentum going into next week’s championship-deciding showdown between the division’s top-six eligible drivers. And that’s exactly what he got.

Jorgensen won the pole with the fastest qualifying time of the night and led each and every lap in the 25-lap feature, holding off last week’s winner, William Martin, the whole way to get back into the win column and join Martin as the two drivers automatically eligible for next week’s championship race.

“Yeah, (Martin) was on my tail the whole race,” said Jorgensen. “He raced a very clean race, and I’ve got to give that out to him. He raced me crazy clean, and next week should be fun with him, for sure.”

Martin finished the race in second for his fifth top-three on the season, while Corey Heim, Josh Hicks and Canon Cochran rounded out the top five, each scoring enough points in the standings to secure their eligibility in next week’s championship race. Russell Fleeman, who finished eighth Saturday night, also squeaked into eligibility for the championship based on points, and represents the sixth and final driver with a chance to win it all.

With those six drivers’ points all rounded up to an even 3,000 for the Week-10 finale, Jorgensen, now without his normal cushion in the standings, knows that despite his five wins so far in 2017, it’s anyone’s title to win next week.

“It’s going to be crazy with that new rule there this year, and I’m new to that,” he said. “So I’m going to see how I do next week, but I’ve won five out of the nine races so far, so I know I’ve got the car to do it. It’s kind of just up to me, and hopefully I get a good set of tires and go out here and try to get me a Pro championship.”

Opening up the evening’s action with the Plemons Young Lions Division feature, Harrison Halder held a comfortable 19-point lead over second-place D.J. Canipe, but saw it all but disappear after turning in an eighth place finish, his second-worst on the season, and watching Canipe win his third on the year. Heading into next week’s finale, Halder’s lead is down to just one over Canipe, and it’s anyone’s title to win.

Hunter Johnson finished in third, with Sammy Smith in fourth and Ryan Rackley in fifth.

Grant Thompson led each of the final 12 laps in the Ricky Sanders Racing, Inc. Bandits Division feature to secure his fourth win on the season and increase his lead in the standings to 41 points. Colsen Cochran finished in second, with Max Hennebaul in third, Keaton Hendrix in fourth and Ryan Younginer in fifth.

In the Wallace Electric Rookie Bandoleros Division feature, Carter Griffis used a last lap pass on the backstretch to edge out Luke Cooper and score his first victory of the season. The pair traded the lead no fewer than four times before it was all said and done in a high-intensity race that featured plenty of door-to-door action.

Maddox Langham, Baily North, Cole McKeehan and Lee Brown rounded out the field.

In a wild and ruckus Semi-Pro Division feature, Hudson Halder, who entered the night ranked second in the standings and just two points behind the leader, was able to avoid the chaos happening behind him and finished in the same place he started: the lead. That enabled him to leapfrog previously first-ranked Rafe Slate, who falls to second heading in to next week’s finale, 16 points back, after finishing eighth Saturday night.

Connor Younginer finished second for his third top-two of the season, while Christopher Clanton finished third, followed by Brandon Brock in fourth and Cody Hall in fifth.

Hayden Swank led flag-to-flag in the Outlaws Division feature to pick up his first victory of the season. Meanwhile, Joshua Hicks, who entered the night 20 points up in the overall division standings, finished second – his seventh top-two performance of the season – and increased his lead to 26 over second-ranked Blaise Maddox going into next Saturday’s Week 10 finale.

Nathan Jackson came home in third, with Maddox in fourth and Michael Gannon in fifth.

After getting caught up in a lap 1 incident and being sent to the rear of the field, Scott Moseley, who had three wins on the season and a nine-point lead in the standings entering the evening, had his work cut out for him if he was to maintain his points lead in the Plemons Investments Masters Division and position himself for a shot at his second consecutive season championship next week.

But with the speed and proficiency he had shown through the first eight weeks of the season in 2017 – and with a couple of timely cautions that bunched the field in front of him – it was little surprise that he was back in the lead just 12 laps later after a brief battle for the top spot with three-time winner and second-ranked driver heading in to the night, Robbie Woodall.

Moseley was able to hold Woodall off down the stretch and took the checkered flag on the final lap, notching his fourth victory on the season and upping his lead to 12 going into the championship night.

“I had a lot of doubt there in the beginning, when they called me on part of that spin-out,” said Moseley. “But it just gives you more drive. I would have been in trouble if I didn’t have a caution, because it was taking me too long to get around the rest of the cars in front of me.

“But it all worked out in our favor. We got our cautions, we held The Woodall off. He’s a buddy of mine, and I’m glad me and him could get up here to race for first and second.”

Woodall indeed finished second, his eighth top-three finish in as many weeks, and is the only driver with a conceivable shot at preventing Moseley from winning back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, as third- and fourth-place drivers, Mark Swan and Tony Armbruster, sit 48 and 70 points back respectively heading in to next Saturday’s finale.

The 2017 Thursday Thunder Legends Series wraps up with Week 10 next Saturday, Aug. 5, as champions will be crowned in the 20th Anniversary Season of the quarter-mile racing series.

For more information, visit AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, GA
Thursday Thunder – July 29, 2017

Week Nine Race Results

Pro
1. Jensen Jorgensen – Stockbridge, GA
2. William Martin – Douglasville, GA
3. Corey Heim – Marietta, GA
4. Joshua Hicks – Senoia, GA
5. Canon Cochran – Ringgold, GA
6. Bubba Harry – Stockbridge, GA
7. Currie Pierce – Griffin, GA
8. Dawson Fletcher – Canton, GA
9. Russell Fleeman – Decula, GA
10. Mike Weed – Franklin, GA
11. Matthew Barnard – Fort Worth, TX
12. Robbie Johnston – Laurel, MS

Young Lions
1. D.J. Canipe – Fallston, NC
2. Hunter Johnson – Hampton, GA
3. Sammy Smith – Des Moines, IA
4. Clay Thompson – Bowersville, GA
5. Ryan Rackley – Valdosta, GA
6. Lawson Ingold – Social Circle, GA
7. Cale Hall – Griffin, GA
8. Harrison Halder – Cumming, GA
9. Annabelle Mohwish – Cumming, GA
10. Gauntt Hudgins – Savannah, GA
11. Austin MacDonald – Pictou, NE
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13. Ian Hampton – Stockbridge, GA
14. Holt Halder – Cumming, GA
15. Audrie Ruark – Suwanee, GA – DNF

Masters
1. Scott Moseley – Mcdonough, GA
2. Robbie Woodall – Mcdonough, GA
3. Mark Swan – Atlanta, GA
4. Tony Armbruster – Covington, GA
5. Wade Brewer – Hampton, GA
6. John Ponzio – Tyrone, GA
7. James Meredith – Locust Grove, GA
8. Randy Shubert – Stone Mountain, GA
9. Barry Bowen – Jackson Lake, GA
10. Bill Whatley – Acworth, GA
11. Rod Nelson – Knoxville, TN
12. Dale Jackson – Clinton, TN
13. Dennis Hecht – Hoschton, GA – DNF
14. Charles Hampton – Stockbridge, GA – DNF

Outlaws
1. Hayden Swank – Woodstock, GA
2. Joshua Hicks – Senoia, GA
3. Nathan Jackson – McDonough, GA
4. Blaise Maddox – Locust Grove, GA
5. Michael Gannon – Canton, GA
6. Tommy Good – Huntersville, NC
7. Gage Roberts – Milledgeville, GA
8. Austin MacDonald – Pictou, NE
9. Ashton Whitener – Monticello, GA
10. Max Brady – Marietta, GA
11. Kenny Brady – Marietta, GA
12. Blaze Crawford – Fayetteville, GA – DNF
13. Aprilia Holt – Senoia, GA – DNF
14. Grayson Dickey – Canton, GA – DNF
DNS: Shelby Ruark – Suwanee, GA

Rookie Bandoleros
1. Carter Griffis – Homerville, GA
2. Luke Cooper – Woodruff, SC
3. Maddox Langham – Irvington, AL
4. Bailey North – Mcdonough, GA
5. Cole Mckeehan – Winder, GA
6. Lee Brown – Acworth, GA

Semi-Pro
1. Hudson Halder – Cumming, GA
2. Connor Younginer – Stockbridge, GA
3. Christopher Clanton – Brooks, GA
4. Brandon Brock – Hampton, GA
5. Cody Hall – Griffin, GA
6. Davis Rochester – Lebanon, TN
7. Amber Fleeman – Dacula, GA
8. Rafe Slate – Eatonton, GA
9. Hannah Bell – Raleigh, NC
10. Parker Brewer – Hampton, GA
11. Colt Logan – Athens, GA
12. Kevin Vaughn – Grovetown, GA
13. Miranda Meredith – Locust Grove, GA
14. Pierce Brewer – Hampton, GA
15. Andrew Dollar – Atlanta, GA
16. David Lawrence – Senoia, GA
17. Trey Tadrzak – Stockbridge, GA
18. Brandon Collins – Hampton, GA

Bandits
1. Grant Thompson – Mobile, AL
2. Colsen Cochran – Ringgold, GA
3. Max Hennebaul – Monroe, GA
4. Keaton Hendrix – Homerville, GA
5. Ryan Younginer – Stockbridge, GA
6. Ford Childers – Montrose, GA
7. Sarah Sullivan – Gulf Shores, AL
8. Kenneth Henderson – Alto, GA
9. Carson Ruark – Suwanee, GA
10. Justin Campbell – Griffin, GA
11. Tony Yawn
12. Wilder Etheredge – Atlanta, GA – DNF
DQ: Lucas Ruark – Suwanee, GA