Friday, June 11, 2004

Fayette drivers come out strong at AMS

Atlanta Motor Speedway kicked off its seventh season of Thursday Thunder last week with a near-record crowd and an evening full of spills and thrills. Below is a look at the Fayette County drivers who competed and how they fared.

• Ed Clark of Peachtree City finished 9th in his first race of 2004 in the Tanger Outlet Center Masters division. Clark, president and general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway, is in his second season of Thursday Thunder racing. Clark also has one Goody’s Dash (now I-Power Dash) race under his belt: he finished 12th in the 1979 Rockingham race.

• Tina Johnson, 33, of Senoia races in the Bandolero Outlaws division. After leading the first part of last week’s race, a crashed knocked her out of contention, leaving her in 6th place. Tina was the first woman to win a Bandolero Outlaws race at three different tracks: AMS, Senoia and Albany Speedway.

• Trey Maughan, 18, of Fayetteville moved into the Outlaws division this year after winning the Young Guns title last year, but he never missed a step. Trey won his first race in the Outlaws division, giving him the early lead in the standings. Trey also recently graduated from Starr’s Mill High School, where he helped the soccer team to a state runner-up title.

• Vince Ponder of Brooks finished fifth in the Outlaws division last week. This is his third year racing in the Thursday Thunder series, where he won the Outlaws division in 2002 and last year finished second in the Chargers division.

• Bre Sharp, 14, finished third in the Young Guns division last week. A Fayetteville resident, Sharp has been racing in Thursday Thunder for three years. She finished sixth in points last year.

Racing begins each Thursday at 6 p.m. at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Thunder Ring, the quarter-mile track situated along the frontstretch. Tickets can be purchased the evening of the race at Gate 13 (located on the front of the property running parallel to Hwy 19/41).

Tickets are just $5 for adults, $1 for children 6-11, and children 5 and under are free.

For more information visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com, www.legendsofga.com or call (770) 946-4211.