Champions were crowned in six divisions on Thursday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 2023 Thursday Thunder season. With drivers attempting to chase down the leaders in the standings, aggressive moves were common throughout the night. With fans in the grandstands cheering on their favorite drivers, it was a busy championship night with six of eight divisions competing in double features to make up rained out round seven.
Jensen Jorgensen of Stockbridge sealed the deal for the WJP Investments Pro division championship. Marietta’s Donovan Strauss made a final push in round seven claiming his second victory, but it was no match for the work Jorgensen put in throughout the year.
“It was a very inconsistent summer for the race car for sure,” said Jorgensen “I stared off bad and won a few middle races, and was chasing the handling of the car, but tonight it looks like we got it working right.”
Jorgensen grabbed the final race win of the season in the Pro division and put a stamp on his championship.
“I was finally able to play with Ken’s [Ken Ragan] point system he has set up,” said Jorgensen, “and the first year in five years that I’ve been able to use it to my advantage for the championship win.”
The Masters division came into the night as one of the closest chases for a title. Benjamin Jones of Macon continued to shine with his fourth straight win in round seven. Despite Jones’s stellar performance, the battle for the Masters Championship came down to Bill Plemons Jr. of Locust Grove and Dallas’ Phillip Young separated by three points entering the championship feature. Drivers were not afraid to trade paint and race hard throughout the highly anticipated finale, but Plemons Jr. proved to be wicked fast on the straightaways and claimed the victory in the final race to capture his third Thursday Thunder Legends Series championship in the Master’s Division.
In similar fashion, Hampton’s Emma Britt entered the championship race with a three-point deficit behind Mitchell Flater of Conyers in the Adrenalin Powersports Outlaws division. The two battled each other hard for points in the round seven feature race before they collided opening the door for Alison Johnson of Charlotte, NC to seize her fourth straight victory. Johnson continued her dominance with another win in the round eight feature, but Flater would ultimately come out on top for the championship. In the final feature of the season, Britt and Flater collided battling for the lead early in the race sending the pair to the back of the field. As the laps clicked off, Flater overtook Britt to finish second in the feature amassing enough points to secure the division championship.
In other action, Anastasia Markovic of Seminole, FL continued to show off her fast legend car with wins in both feature races for the Chargers division. Lane Christensen grabbed a win in the final race, but Wyatt Coffey of Waynesboro was crowned champion of the Bandits division, edging Christensen out by 12 points. Tampa, Florida’s Mason Lastra continued his domination of the Semi-Pro division with a sweep of the double feature and a championship to go with it. Cooper Gaul of Seminole, FL earned the Division championship in the Associates Group Young Lions Division.
2023 Thursday Thunder Champions
Mitchell Flater, Adrenalin Powersports Outlaws
Cooper Gaul, The Associates Group Young Lions
Bill Plemons, Masters
Jensen Jorgensen, WJP Investments Pro
Mason Lastra, Semi-Pro
Wyatt Coffey, Bandits
ROUND 7
Fr8 Auctions Rookie Bandoleros
1. Stevens, Kendall (Griffin, GA)
2. Hutchins, Rhylee (Mount Pleasent, NC)
3. Pierce, Flynt (Griffin, GA)
4. Hutchins, Charlee (Mount Pleasent, NC)
5. Tatum, Kinsley (Cordele, GA)
6. Johnson, Allee (Ft. Myers, FL)
7. Reynolds, Clair (Helena, AL)
8. Almon, Christopher (Moreland, GA)
9. Young, Luke (Dallas, GA)
Bandits
1. Coffey, Wyatt (Waynesboro, VA)
2. Christensen, Lane (Radiator Springs)
3. Laprade, Matthew (New Smyrna Beach, FL)
4. Sherman, Carson (Loganville, GA)
5. Lee, Billy (Ruskin, FL)
6. Rudolph, Briella (Griffin, GA)
7. Behnke, James (Canton, GA)
Chargers
1. Markovic, Anastasia (Seminole, FL)
2. Hicks, Katelyn (Senoia, GA)
3. O'Neil, Baylor (Grantville, GA)
4. Butler, Conner (Forsyth, GA)
5. Cosier, Brian (Marietta, GA)
6. King, Addyson (Floral City, FL)
7. Mayhue, Bowen (Radiator Springs, AZ)
8. Johnson, Abi (Fort Meyers, FL)
9. Haire, Will (Savannah, GA)
10. Teal, Emma (Monticello, GA)
11. Kade, Kayli (Hampton, GA)
12. Erickson, Matt (Winston, GA)
13. Pierce, Dwight (Griffin, GA)
14. Yarbrough, Bob (Milton, GA)
DNS. Green, Lincoln (Atlanta, GA)
Adrenalin Powersports Outlaws
1. Johnson, Alison (Charlotte, NC)
2. Flater, Mitchell (Conyers, GA)
3. Britt, Emma (Hampton, GA)
4. Erickson, Carter (Cumming, GA)
5. O'Connor, JT (McDonough, GA)
6. Soto, Javier (Marietta, GA)
7. Miller, Blaine (Dallas, GA)
8. Impellizzeri, Lilly (Munroe falls, OH)
Masters
1. Jones, Benjamin (Macon, GA)
2. Clanton, Joey (Brooks, GA)
3. Wehunt, Ronnie (Canton, GA)
4. Gareau, Steve (Owen-Sound, ON)
5. Swan, Mark (Athens, GA)
6. Young, Lisa (Dallas, GA)
7. Foisy, Kevin (Clayton, ON)
8. Young, Phillip (Dallas, GA)
9. Moseley, Scott (McDonough, GA)
10. Plemons, Bill Jr (Locust Grove, GA)
11. Mullins, Josh (Columbia, TN)
WJP Investments Pro
1. Strauss, Donovan (Marietta, GA)
2. Gumm, Garrett (Brooks, GA)
3. Dilbeck, Chris (Concord, NC)
4. Jorgensen, Jensen (Stockbridge, GA)
5. Woodall, Nick (Canton, GA)
6. Yarbrough, Luke (Cumming, GA)
7. Clanton, Christopher (Brooks, GA)
8. Hall, Cale (Griffin, GA)
9. Bulger, Hudson (Perry, GA)
10. Pierce, Currie (Griffin, GA)
11. Campbell, Graham (Braselton, GA)
Semi-Pro
1. Lastra, Mason (Tampa, FL)
2. McElearney, Sean (Babylon, NY)
3. Martinez, Jesse (West Palm Beach, FL)
4. Gannon, Michael (Canton, GA)
5. Moody, Coleman (Griffin, GA)
6. Reynolds, Jackson (Marietta, GA)
7. Dibble, Oliver (Owens Cross Roads, AL)
8. Ryan, Noah (Griffin, GA)
9. Holle, Jerrod (Tampa, FL)
10. Tadrzak, Trey (Stockbridge, GA)
11. Hampton, Ian (Stockbridge, GA)
12. Mazzo, Sam (Fairview, TN)
13. Woodall, Amanda (Canton, GA)
14. Treschl, Jason (Hogansville, GA)
15. Wright, Mitch (Curtis, ON)
he Associates Group Young Lions
1. Erwin, Garrett (Covington, GA)
2. Gaul, Cooper (Seminole, FL)
3. Sanders, Bryce (Ola, GA)
4. Bacon, Kyle (Buchanan, GA)
5. Denton, Cole (Pascagoula, MS)
6. King, Aiden (Floral City, FL)
7. Zima, Ryan (Cleveland, NC)
8. Bongiovanni, Dylan (Cumming, GA)
9. Lamarre, Jack (Hoschton, GA)
10. McKnight, Evan (Orlando, FL)
ROUND 8
he Associates Group Young Lions
1. Bacon, Kyle (Buchanan, GA)
2. Sanders, Bryce (Ola, GA)
3. Erwin, Garrett (Covington, GA)
4. Gaul, Cooper (Seminole, FL)
5. King, Aiden (Floral City, FL)
6. McKnight, Evan (Orlando, FL)
7. Bongiovanni, Dylan (Cumming, GA)
8. Zima, Ryan (Cleveland, NC)
9. Denton, Cole (Pascagoula, MS)
10. Lamarre, Jack (Hoschton, GA)
Semi-Pro
1. Lastra, Mason (Tampa, FL)
2. McElearney, Sean (Babylon, NY)
3. Martinez, Jesse (West Palm Beach, FL)
4. Gannon, Michael (Canton, GA)
5. Reynolds, Jackson (Marietta, GA)
6. Ryan, Noah (Griffin, GA)
7. Dibble, Oliver (Owens Cross Roads, AL)
8. Holle, Jerrod (Tampa, FL)
9. Hampton, Ian (Stockbridge, GA)
10. Tadrzak, Trey (Stockbridge, GA)
11. Taylor, Jonathan (Roswell, GA)
12. Moody, Coleman (Griffin, GA)
13. Wright, Mitch (Curtis, ON)
14. Woodall, Amanda (Canton, GA)
DNS. Treschl, Jason (Hogansville, GA)
DNS. Mazzo, Sam (Fairview, TN)
WJP Investments Pro
1. Jorgensen, Jensen (Stockbridge, GA)
2. Strauss, Donovan (Marietta, GA)
3. Woodall, Nick (Canton, GA)
4. Gumm, Garrett (Brooks, GA)
5. Clanton, Christopher (Brooks, GA)
6. Pierce, Currie (Griffin, GA)
7. Yarbrough, Luke (Cumming, GA)
8. Hall, Cale (Griffin, GA)
9. Bulger, Hudson (Perry, GA)
10. Dilbeck, Chris (Concord, NC)
Masters
1. Plemons, Bill Jr (Locust Grove, GA)
2. Young, Phillip (Dallas, GA)
3. Jones, Benjamin (Macon, GA)
4. Wehunt, Ronnie (Canton, GA)
5. Gareau, Steve (Owen-Sound, ON)
6. Swan, Mark (Athens, GA)
7. Young, Lisa (Dallas, GA)
8. Clanton, Joey (Brooks, GA)
9. Foisy, Kevin (Clayton, ON)
DNS. Mullins, Josh (Columbia, TN)
DNS. Moseley, Scott (McDonough, GA)
Bandits
1. Christensen, Lane (Radiator Springs)
2. Coffey, Wyatt (Waynesboro, VA)
3. Lee, Billy (Ruskin, FL)
4. Sherman, Carson (Loganville, GA)
5. Rudolph, Briella (Griffin, GA)
6. Behnke, James (Canton, GA)
7. Stevens, Kendall (Griffin, GA)
8. Laprade, Matthew (New Smyrna Beach, FL)
9. Carlbert, Bryson (Palmetto, FL)
Fr8 Auctions Rookie Bandoleros
1. Johnson, Allee (Ft. Myers, FL)
2. Hutchins, Rhylee (Mount Pleasent, NC)
3. Tatum, Kinsley (Cordele, GA)
4. Hutchins, Charlee (Mount Pleasent, NC)
5. Glass, Colton (Juliette, GA)
6. McFall, Lucas (Port Saint Lucie, FL)
7. Pierce, Flynt (Griffin, GA)
8. Young, Luke (Dallas, GA)
Adrenalin Powersports Outlaws
1. Johnson, Alison (Charlotte, NC)
2. Flater, Mitchell (Conyers, GA)
3. Britt, Emma (Hampton, GA)
4. Miller, Blaine (Dallas, GA)
5. O'Connor, JT (McDonough, GA)
6. Soto, Javier (Marietta, GA)
7. Erickson, Carter (Cumming, GA)
8. Impellizzeri, Lilly (Munroe falls, OH)
Chargers
1. Markovic, Anastasia (Seminole, FL)
2. Hicks, Katelyn (Senoia, GA)
3. Johnson, Abi (Fort Meyers, FL)
4. Cosier, Brian (Marietta, GA)
5. O'Neil, Baylor (Grantville, GA)
6. Butler, Conner (Forsyth, GA)
7. Haire, Will (Savannah, GA)
8. Mayhue, Bowen (Radiator Springs, AZ)
9. Teal, Emma (Monticello, GA)
10. Erickson, Matt (Winston, GA)
11. Kade, Kayli (Hampton, GA)
12. Pierce, Dwight (Griffin, GA)
13. Green, Lincoln (Atlanta, GA)
14. Yarbrough, Bob (Milton, GA)
DNS. King, Addyson (Floral City, FL)
