After one week of Thursday Thunder action on the speedway’s quarter-mile “Thunder Ring,” the cream has already started to move to the top in some of the divisions of racing.In one particular division, last week’s double feature races gave competitors and spectators alike a preview of what the championship points battle could look like during the 2013 season.
In Bandits competition, the first feature race of the night saw Zach Leonhardi take the first win of the season. Taking the lead at the halfway point, Leonhardi held on as defending points champion Chandler Smith challenged him for the win during the waning laps, but came away with the runner-up finishing position.
The roles were reversed during the second feature race, as Leonhardi and Smith drove from the rear of the field to the top-two spots in three laps. Smith moved past Leonhardi for the point two laps later and would not look back, leading the rest of the way while Leonhardi was relegated to second.
With both drivers finishing in the top two spots in both races, the two drivers sit tied atop the season points standings. Leonhardi, who finished third in the standings a year ago with one win, will be looking to unseat the defending champion Smith, coming off a six-win season, as well as a Winter Flurry points title this past off-season.
This Week and Upcoming at Thursday Thunder
This week at Thursday Thunder will feature a Lucky 13 and Superstition Night. Racing and competitors are full of superstitions, so learn about what racers worry about this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fans will get to participate in a variety of superstitions throughout the night, and are encouraged to participate in their own personal superstitions, like wearing black.
Two of the racing machines that compete each Friday night at the speedway’s Friday Night Drags & Show-N-Shine will also be on display this week. The vehicles of Mark White and David Sisk, who both compete in the ultra-fast Super Pro division, will be on-hand for race fans to view, as well as learn about Friday Night Drags. Friday Night Drags is one of the country’s most-popular grassroots drag racing series, racing each Friday night through Aug. 16.
Each week, Thursday Thunder will present an interactive experience for families, with concourse activities such as face painting, woodworks, a petting zoo from Noah’s Ark and more. Every Thursday Thunder event will feature an autograph session with competitors. Plus there will be contests and games for spectators to participate in while in the grandstands, like a Root Beer Chugging contest, trivia, dance contests and more.
Tickets for the affordable, family-friendly racing series costs just $6 for adults, $2 for children ages six through 11 and is free for children ages five and younger. For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.
To test drive your own Legends machine, or for more information about Legends racing, call Legends of Georgia director Dwight Pilgram at (770) 707-2977 or visit www.legendsofga.com.