Six drivers were crowned champions of the Thunder Ring in the 2016 season finale of the Thursday Thunder Legends Racing Series presented by Papa John's Pizza at Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday night.
Each of the division leaders at the beginning of the night closed out the season triumphant. Among them, three were repeat Thursday Thunder champions, while three others hoisted the hardware for the first very time.
Chargers Division
In the first feature race of the evening, Andrew Dollar of Atlanta passed pole winner Audrie Ruark of Suwanee on the first lap and never looked back, scoring his second win of the season in the Chargers Division. Ruark finished second, while Annabelle Mohwish of Cumming and Frank Speights of Forsyth rounded out the field.
Wallace Electric Rookie Bandolero Division
Homerville's Wil Griffis saved his best performance for the last week of the season. Griffis led flag-to-flag in the Wallace Electric Rookie Bandolero Division despite fellow Homerville native Keaton Hendrix staying just off his rear bumper throughout the entire 20-lap season. Griffis' previous best finish was a trio of third-place finishes in Weeks 4 through 6.
Justin Campbell of Griffin finished third after picking up the win last week, while Ashton Whitener of Monticello and Mikie Mohwish of Cumming rounded out the top-5 in order.
Atlanta Heart Associates Semi-Pro Division
Jensen Jorgensen of Stockbridge entered the evening 12 points up on second-place Nolan Pope of Harrisonville, Missouri in the Atlanta Heart Associates Semi-Pro Division, and the title was never in doubt. Jorgensen never trailed in the race, finishing in first and locking up his second Thursday Thunder title and first in a Legends car.
"Man, the car has been hooked up all year this year," said Jorgensen in a post-race interview. "What a dream season. I've been racing here for eight years now, and I've never had a season this consistent, this good."
After winning just once in the first four weeks, Jorgensen found his speed midseason and ended on a six-race win streak.
"The beginning of the year was a little tough," he said. "We were struggling with the car a little bit, but me and my dad put countless hours in at the shop, getting this car hooked up and we did just that."
Christopher Clanton of Brooks finished second in the race, his best performance of the season, and Scott Joy of Louisville, North Carolina rounded out the podium finish on the night in third. Pope, despite starting outside of Jorgensen on the front row, finished fourth, after putting up top-2 finishes in all but one of the previous nine races.
Live Oak Plantation Outlaws Division
Stockbridge driver Connor Younginer took advantage of a late-race restart in the Live Oak Plantation Outlaws Division feature Thursday night to pick up his second consecutive win to close out the season. Seven-time winner DJ Canipe of Fallston, North Carolina started on the pole and stayed ahead of the pack for the first 17 laps of the 20-lap feature, but a late caution bunched the field and gave Canipe's challengers one last shot to defeat the eventual season champ.
On the restart, Canipe got shoved to the outside lane by Milledgeville's Gage Roberts, who restarted behind him, and that gave Younginer, who restarted on the outside of Canipe, a window to work with.
"I'm honestly not sure (what happened)," said Younginer after the race. "I've raced with DJ for four years now and he's been one of the greatest competitors I've raced against."
Canipe was eventually shuffled back as far as third place, and Younginer held on for the final three laps for the win.
"I knew on that final restart something was going to happen, and we went into (Turn) 1 and I was being pushed, and he was being pushed, and I'm not sure, but it was a great race."
Canipe, who won seven races in 2016, would place second, behind Younginer, to polish off his second Thursday Thunder title in as many seasons, while Roberts finished third in the race to round out the podium.
Plemons Investments Masters Division
Scott Moseley of McDonough put an exclamation point on a nearly perfect championship season with his eighth straight win Thursday night and his ninth out of a possible 10 on the year in the Plemons Investments Masters Division. The only blemish on his record was a runner-up finish to Bill Plemons, Jr. of Locust Grove in Week 2.
Whether he ever imagined he'd win 90 percent of the races coming into the season, the veteran Thursday Thunder driver said he could never have even dreamed of it.
"Any time you go anywhere, no matter how many races there are, and you win 90 percent of them, you know it's kind of hard to complain about that one that got away," he said.
The title is Moseley's first after finishing second in the Masters Division in each of the last two seasons.
"It's a good thing we don't race every Thursday all year," Moseley quipped. "Because my wife would be mad, because it would be hard not to come out here with a car running like it is right now."
Moseley led all 20 laps of Thursday's feature, with Robbie Woodall of McDonough, Mark Swan of Atlanta, and Tina Johnson, last season's Masters Division champ, crossing the line behind him in order.
Plemons Investments Young Lions Division
In the Plemons Investments Young Lions Division, Brody Pope of Harrisonville, Missouri entered the race with a comfortable 42-point lead in the overall standings over second-place Sammy Smith of Des Moines, Iowa. By the end of the race, Pope had notched his sixth win of the year, capping an impressive division championship run in just his first season on the Thunder Ring.
Pope led all laps, finishing ahead of newcomer and runner-up Braden Langille of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia and Griffin's Cale Hall. Rafe Slate of Eatonton and DJ Canipe rounded out the top-5.
Bandits Division
While Clay Thompson had already wrapped up the 2016 Bandits Division championship before ever taking the green flag, it was history he sought Thursday night.
After rewriting the record books by snapping Joey Logano's (2000) and Chandler Smith's (2014) record eight consecutive wins in a single season last week with his ninth straight victory, Thompson entered the evening trying to add to that mark and post an unprecedented 10-win season sweep.
It seemed likely, what with the nine-win driver starting on the pole and leading the first six laps of the final race of the year, but a chaotic, caution-filled race would end up costing him dearly, as his win streak came to an unlikely halt.
After several cautions and restarts, Thompson found himself caught up in the Big One, as all but two cars made contact entering Turn 2 on the seventh lap, which brought out the caution and a nearly completely inverted running order.
With the time limit fast approaching, Thompson faced an uphill battle, restarting mid-pack with his streak in jeopardy. But Thompson's speed carried him into a three-car battle for the lead with Kenneth Henderson of Alto and Michael Gannon of Canton as the time expired and brought out the pink flag, signaling that the next displayed flag would end the race.
Just as Thompson was making his move on race leader Gannon, a caution behind him forced the checkered flag to fly, awarding Gannon the win and denying Thompson a 10th straight trip to Victory Lane.
But with his first Thursday Thunder title under his belt, Thompson was in good spirits.
"I'll take that," he said. "It was a good season, and you can't let one bad moment spoils a bunch of good ones."
Racing Radios Pro Division
The tightest battle entering Thursday's championship finale spanned all of 10 points in the Racing Radios Pro Division standings between two-time winners from Douglasville Mike Massey and William Martin.
For Martin, who trailed Massey in the standings, he needed to finish four spots ahead of Massey Thursday night to steal the unlikely come-from-behind championship. But a poor starting position from the very back of the field would prove difficult to overcome.
Mike Weed of Franklin started on the pole for the first time on the season and used a fast car to lead every lap for his first win. The most important battle, though, raged behind him, as Massey did his best to keep Martin at bay.
Late in the race, Martin had worked his way back up to the middle of the running order and just behind Massey, who was running a conservative race with his eyes on the ultimate prize.
As Martin began to make his last-ditch effort with two laps to go, an aggressive move to the inside rounding Turn 3 would cause heavy contact with none other than Massey, resulting in Martin's car lying on its side and his hopes for a last-ditch rally dashed.
Weed hung on through a green-white-checkered finish to claim his only win of the season, while Massey cruised comfortably to his fourth overall Thursday Thunder championship and a fifth-place finish in the race.
Kaden Honeycutt of Bridge City, Texas matched his best performance of the season with a runner-up finish, while Matthew Barnard of Fort Worth rounded out the podium in third.
Below are the complete results from Thursday night's Week 8 racing, as well as the 2016 season champions:
Chargers Division
1. Andrew Dollar, (Atlanta, GA)
2. Audrie Ruark, (Suwanee, GA)
3. Annabelle Mohwish, (Cumming, GA)
4. Frank Speights, (Forsyth, GA)
Wallace Electric Rookie Bandolero Division
1. Wil Griffis, (Homerville, GA)
2. Keaton Hendrix, (Homerville, GA)
3. Justin Campbell, (Griffin, GA)
4. Ashton Whitener, (Monticello, GA)
5. Mikie Mohwish, (Cumming, GA)
6. Aprilia Holt, (Senoia, GA)
7. Carson Ruark, (Suwanee, GA)
8. Luke Cooper, (Woodrufd, sc)
9. Shelby Ruark, (Suwanee, GA)
10. Cameron Potter, (Covington, GA)
Atlanta Heart Associates Semi-Pro Division
1. Jensen Jorgensen, (Stockbridge, GA)
2. Christopher Clanton, (Brooks, GA)
3. Scott Joy, (Louisville, NC)
4. Nolan Pope, (Harrisonville, MO)
5. Jason Treschl, (LaGrange, GA)
6. Brandon Brock, (Hampton, GA)
7. David Lawrence, (Senoia, GA)
8. Hudson Halder, (Cumming, GA)
9. Jonathan Timms, (Calhoun, GA)
10. Amber Fleeman, (Dacula, GA)
11. Miranda Meredith, (Locust Grove, GA)
2016 Champion: Jensen Jorgensen
Live Oak Plantation Outlaws Division
1. Connor Younginer, (Stockbridge, GA)
2. DJ Canipe, (Fallston, NC)
3. Gage Roberts, (Milledgeville, GA)
4. Trey Tadrzak, (Stockbridge, GA)
5. Ricky Springer, (McDonough, GA)
6. Gauntt Hudgins, (Savannah, GA)
7. Blaise Maddox, (Locust Grove, GA)
8. Kenny Brady, (Marietta, GA)
9. Annabelle Mohwish, (Cumming, GA)
10. Savannah Bart, (Cumming, GA)
11. Andrew Dollar, (Atlanta, GA)
12. Max Brady, (Marietta, GA)
2016 Champion: DJ Canipe
Plemons Investments Masters Division
1. Scott Moseley, (McDonough, GA)
2. Robbie Woodall, (McDonough, GA)
3. Mark Swan, (Atlanta, GA)
4. Tina Johnson, (Senoia, GA)
5. Tony Armbruster, (Covington, GA)
6. Mike Kennedy, (Alpharetta, GA)
7. Bill Plemons Jr., (Locust Grove, GA)
8. Wes Potter, (Covington, GA)
9. Robert Cheney, (Stockbridge, GA)
10. Barry Bowen, (Jackson Lake, GA)
11. Dennis Hecht, (Hoschton, GA)
12. Bill Whatley, (Acworth, GA)
13. Rod Nelson, (Knoxville, TN)
14. Randy Shubert, (Conyers, GA)
2016 Champion: Scott Moseley
Bandits Division
1. Michael Gannon, (Canton, GA)
2. Clay Thompson, (Bowersville, GA)
3. Kenneth Henderson, (Alto, GA)
4. Nathan Jackson, (McDonough, GA)
5. Ryan Howell, (McDonough, GA)
6. Grant Thompson, (Mobile, AL)
7. Wilder Etheredge, (Atlanta, GA)
8. Ryan Younginer, (Stockbridge, GA)
9. Samantha Bart, (Cumming, GA)
10. Holt Halder, (Cumming, GA)
11. Max Hennebaul, (Monroe, GA)
12. Logan Nalley, (Canton, GA)
2016 Champion: Clay Thompson
Plemons Investments Young Lions Division
1. Brody Pope, (Harrisonville, MO)
2. Braden Langille, (Shubenacadie, NS)
3. Cale Hall, (Griffin, GA)
4. Rafe Slate, (Eatonton, GA)
5. DJ Canipe, (Fallston, NC)
6. Hunter Johnson, (Hampton, GA)
7. Davis Rochester, (Lebanon, TN)
8. Lawson Ingold, (Social Circle, GA)
9. Sammy Smith, (DeMoines, IA)
10. Harrison Halder, (Cumming, GA)
11. Cody Hall, (Griffin, GA)
12. Connor Younginer, (Stockbridge, GA)
2016 Champion: Brody Pope
Racing Radios Pro Division
1. Mike Weed, (Franklin, GA)
2. Kaden Honeycutt, (Bridge City, TX)
3. Matthew Barnard, (Fort Worth, TX)
4. Joshua Hicks, (Senoia, GA)
5. Mason Massey, (Douglasville, GA)
6. Dylan Murry, (Cumming, GA)
7. William Martin, (Douglasville, GA)
8. Dawson Fletcher, (Canton, GA)
9. William Plemons III, (Acworth, GA)
10. Jeff Holden, (Gainesville, GA)
11. Corey Heim, (Marietta, GA)
2016 Champion: Mason Massey
The Thursday Thunder Legends Racing Series presented by Papa John's Pizza returns in the summer of 2017 for its 20th anniversary season, while off-season AMS legends racing gets underway Aug. 13-14 with its first two of five fall-season road course races.
For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
