Week 4 of the Thursday Thunder Legends Series presented by Papa John's Pizza hit the quarter-mile Thunder Ring Thursday night, as the 10-week summer racing series continued at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
With wet weather in the area for much of the evening, Legends races were the only features to record Week 4 results, as Bandolero cars were forced to remain in the garage due to difficult track conditions.
Leading off the evening were the Semi-Pro Division and Plemons Young Lions Division make-up features from the rained-out Week 3 last Thursday. Connor Younginer of Stockbridge took home the checkered flag in the Semi-Pro race, while Sammy Smith of Des Moines, Iowa won it in the Young Lions feature, both driving to Victory Lane for the first time on the season.
In regular Week 4 action, Robbie Woodall of McDonough won his second consecutive - and second-ever - race in the Plemons Investments Masters Division, and the Racing Radios Pro Division saw its first new winner of the season, as Jensen Jorgensen's nine-race winning streak skidded to a halt.
Plemons Young Lions Division
In the second Plemons Young Lions Division feature of the evening, DJ Canipe of Fallston, North Carolina registered his first win of 2017 by besting the night's earlier winner, Sammy Smith, who finished in second. Cumming's Harrison Halder, the points leader entering the evening finished third in both races to retain his lead heading into next Thursday's Week 5 halfway point of the 2017 season. Cale Hall of Griffin and Audrie Ruark of Suwanee rounded out the top-five in order.
Semi-Pro Division
Rafe Slate of Eatonton also scored his first win of the season in the Semi-Pro Division, holding off points leader Brandon Brock of Hampton to secure the victory. Brock would finish a close second in front of Christopher Clanton of Brooks, Connor Younginer and Davis Rochester of Lebanon, each of whom rounded out the top-five in order.
Plemons Investments Masters Division
In the Masters Division, McDonough's Robbie Woodall won for the second time in as many weeks, while Tony Armbruster of Covington recorded his best finish of the season with a runner-up outing. Behind Armbruster, Bill Plemons, Jr. of Locust Grove turned in a third-place performance, and Mark Swan of Atlanta finished fourth. Coming in fifth was division points leader Scott Moseley, who hadn't recorded lower than a second-place finish since the 2015 season.
Racing Radios Pro Division
Entering Friday night action, Jensen Jorgensen of Stockbridge was riding high on a nine-race winning streak dating back to Week 5 of last season when he was running in the Semi-Pro Division. He had knocked off the competition in each of his first three Pro Division races to start this season and was the clear favorite as the Racing Radios Pro Division field took the green flag in Thursday night's headlining race.
Battling wet track conditions and a tough starting position, Jorgensen's streak was in danger, as the shortened, 20-lap feature magnified each move and each lap for all 14 competing drivers.
In the end, it wasn't meant to be for Jorgensen, and Marietta's Corey Heim became the first new Pro Division winner of the season, as he crossed the finish line ahead of runner-up Dawson Fletcher of Canton and Jorgensen, who finished in third.
"It was crazy out there," Heim said in a post-race interview. "Definitely a challenge out there. I've never raced in anything like this before. It was just a game of patience, and it was just a whole lot of fun."
Heim bested his previous high-mark of second place, where he finished in Week 2, and notched valuable points in the standings, as drivers attempt to chip away at Jorgensen's sizable lead. Rounding out the top-five were Bubba harry of Stockbridge and Russell Fleeman of Decula.
Below are the results from the Week 3 make-up races:
Plemons Young Lions Division
1. Sammy Smith (Des Moines, IA)
2. DJ Canipe (Fallston, NC)
3. Harrison Halder (Cumming, GA)
4. Clay Thompson (Bowersville, GA)
5. Hunter Johnson (Hampton, GA)
6. Holt Halder (Cumming, GA)
7. Carden Cochran (Ringgold, GA)
8. Ryan Rackley (Valdosta, GA)
9. Gauntt Hudgins (Savannah, GA)
10. Cale Hall (Griffin, GA)
DNS. Lawson Ingold (Social Circle, GA)
DNS. Audrie Ruark (Suwanee, GA)
Semi-Pro Division
1. Connor Younginer (Stockbridge, GA)
2. Hudson Halder (Cumming, GA)
3. Davis Rochester (Lebanon, TN)
4. Christopher Clanton (Brooks, GA)
5. David Lawrence (Senoia, GA)
6. Rafe Slate (Eatonton, GA)
7. Amber Fleeman (Dacula, GA)
8. Brandon Brock (Hampton, GA)
9. Andrew Dollar (Atlanta, GA)
10. Parker Brewer (Hampton, GA)
11. Cody Hall (Griffin, GA)
12. Pierce Brewer (Hampton, GA)
DNS. Brandon Collins (Hampton, GA)
Below are the complete results from Week 4:
Plemons Young Lions Division
1. DJ Canipe (Fallston, NC)
2. Sammy Smith (Des Moines, IA)
3. Harrison Halder (Cumming, GA)
4. Cale Hall (Griffin, GA)
5. Audrie Ruark (Suwanee, GA)
6. Ryan Rackley (Valdosta, GA)
7. Lawson Ingold (Social Circle, GA)
8. Clay Thompson (Bowersville, GA)
9. Gauntt Hudgins (Savannah, GA)
10. Holt Halder (Cumming, GA)
11. Hunter Johnson (Hampton, GA)
12. Carden Cochran (Ringgold, GA)
Semi-Pro Division
1. Rafe Slate (Eatonton, GA)
2. Brandon Brock (Hampton, GA)
3. Christopher Clanton (Brooks, GA)
4. Connor Younginer (Stockbridge, GA)
5. Davis Rochester (Lebanon, TN)
6. Andrew Dollar (Atlanta, GA)
7. Cody Hall (Griffin, GA)
8. David Lawrence (Senoia, GA)
9. Amber Fleeman (Dacula, GA)
10. Parker Brewer (Hampton, GA)
11. Pierce Brewer (Hampton, GA)
12. Trey Tadrzak (Stockbridge, GA)
13. Brandon Collins (Hampton, GA)
14. Hudson Halder (Cumming, GA)
Plemons Investments Masters Division
1. Robbie Woodall (Mcdonough, GA)
2. Tony Armbruster (Covington, GA)
3. Bill Plemons Jr (Locust Grove, GA)
4. Mark Swan (Atlanta, GA)
5. Scott Moseley (Mcdonough, GA)
6. Wade Brewer (Hampton, GA)
7. Randy Shubert (Stone Mountain, GA)
8. James Meredith (Locust Grove, GA)
9. Dennis Hecht (Hoschton, GA)
DNS Bill Whatley (Acworth, GA)
Racing Radios Pro Division
1. Corey Heim (Marietta, GA)
2. Dawson Fletcher (Canton, GA)
3. Jensen Jorgensen (Stockbridge, GA)
4. Bubba Harry (Stockbridge, GA)
5. Russell Fleeman (Decula, GA)
6. Currie Pierce (Griffin, GA)
7. Robbie Johnston (Laurel, MS)
8. Joshua Hicks (Senoia, GA)
9. Jeff Holden (Gainesville, GA)
10. Canon Cochran (Ringgold, GA)
11. William Martin (Douglasville, GA)
12. Mike Weed (Franklin, GA)
13. Matthew Barnard (Fort Worth, TX)
14. Taylor Jorgensen (Stockbridge, GA)
The three Week-4 Bandolero features in the Wallace Electric Rookie Bandolero Division, Outlaws Division and Ricky Sanders Racing, Inc. Bandits Division - as well as the two Week 3 Bandolero make-up features in the Bandits and Rookie Bandolero Divisions - will be made up at a later date.
The Thursday Thunder Legends Series presented by Papa John's Pizza continues with Week 5 next Thursday, June 29.
Infield admission is available for spectators wishing to watch Thursday Thunder, and passes may be purchased at the Security Command building near the speedway's main entrance. Infield passes are $20, and grandstand tickets for the affordable, family-friendly racing series cost just $5, while children ages 5 and younger are free.
For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
