The 29th season of Thursday Thunder’s opening night saw tight battles, frantic finishes, and one driver’s pursuit of an unprecedented accomplishment begin.
Jensen Jorgensen (Stockbridge, Ga.) enters this season as the three-time defending champion of The Associates Group Pro division. Now in his 18th year of Thursday Thunder competition (10th in the Pro Division), Jorgensen is chasing a fourth consecutive championship, a feat no one has accomplished on the EchoPark Speedway Thunder Ring in its previous 28 seasons. The only other driver in Thursday Thunder history to win three-consecutive Pro division championships was Doug Stevens from 1998-2000.
Jorgensen began his quest for history from the pole and with a familiar challenger in Nick Woodall (Canton, Ga.) starting to his outside. The two briefly battled for the lead in the opening laps, with Jorgensen ultimately solidifying his spot out front in the early stages of the feature. Woodall kept the pressure on Jorgensen throughout the 30-lap feature, staying within striking distance of Jorgensen’s No. 32 throughout the race.
“I thought I had more separation, but I was going into the corner kind of getting nudged,” Jorgensen said post-race. “I looked up and I was like, ‘Okay, I got to get going!’
“It’s been quite a few years since I’ve had to run 30 hard laps like that.”
Despite the pressure, Jorgensen never made the mistake Woodall was hoping for, leading from flag-to-flag en-route to victory. With nine rounds of racing remaining in his quest for the four-peat, Jorgensen anticipates more hard-fought races with Woodall in the near future.
“He's gotten really good,” Jorgensen said in victory lane after his battle with Woodall, “He's gotten right on my bumper, and in recent years he’s beaten me a couple times. He was the only car that beat me two times last year.”
Stevens also kicked off his bid for a four-peat with an opening night victory in 2001, but came up just six points short of the title at season’s end. Only time will tell if history be made, or repeated, this summer.
Jorgensen wasn’t the only driver to lead flag to flag in feature racing action Thursday night. Bryce Sanders of Ola, Ga. (WJP Investments Semi Pro Legends), Colt Johnson of Houston, Texas (Bennett Transportation & Logistics Young Lions), and Jeff Bolen of Leesville, S.C. (Circle C Auto Sales Masters Legends), all dominated their respective races to capture opening night victories.
Carson Sherman of Loganville, Ga., had a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle with Jackson Jones for the win of the Incentive Risk Management Outlaws series feature. Thursday night marked Sherman’s seventh Thursday Thunder win and first of his 2026 campaign as the reigning Outlaw’s champion.
Earlier in the night, Lucas Harrison of Columbia, Tenn., traded the lead five times with second place finisher Daylan Pennington before capturing the win. Ryleigh West of Cumming, Ga., (Incentive Risk Management Rookie Bandoleros) and Bryce Castille of Vancleave, Miss., (WJP Investments Chargers Division) both led the most laps in their respective series on the way to their wins in last night’s round of Thursday Thunder.
Thursday Thunder Racing continues next week at EchoPark Speedway with Round 2 on Wednesday night, June 3, and Round 3 on Thursday night, June 4.
Here are the complete results from Round 1 of Thursday Thunder 2026:
Incentive Risk Management Rookie Bandoleros
1. West, Ryleigh (Cumming, Ga.)
2. Pressley, Grayson (Woodstock, Ga.)
3. Byrum, Bryson (Alpharetta, Ga.)
4. White, Corbin (Barnesville, Ga.)
5. Cooper, Rylan (Kodak, Tenn.)
6. Bailey, Nolan (Arabi, Ga.)
7. Wright, Brody (Courtice, Ont.)
8. McMillian, Braylee (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Incentive Risk Management Bandits
1. Harrison, Lucas (Columbia, Tenn.)
2. Pennington, Daylan (Radiator Springs, Ariz.)
3. Sanders, Connor (Dublin, Ga.)
4. Tate, Casen (Zebulon, Ga.)
5. Pedulla, Anthony (Mooresville, N.C.)
6. Treschl, Ava (Hogansville, Ga.)
7. Clapp, Carter (Greenville, Ind.)
8. Powers, Camden (Hernando, Fla.)
9. Shirley, Reese (Rainbow City, Ala.)
WJP Investments Semi-Pro Legends
1. Sanders, Bryce (Ola, Ga.)
2. Wrisley, Sterling (Summerfield, N.C.)
3. Wrisley, Preston (Mooresville, N.C.)
4. Wright, Mitch (Courtice, Ont.)
5. ONeil, Baylor (Grantville, Ga.)
6. Flater, Mitchell (Conyers, Ga.)
7. Reynolds, Jackson (Marietta, Ga.)
8. Soto, Javier (Marietta, Ga.)
9. Stearns, Cameron (Sharpsburg, Ga.)
10. Harbison, Peyton (Senoia, Ga.)
11. Griffis, Brayden (Griffin, Ga.)
WJP Investments Chargers
1. Castille, Bryce (Vancleave, Miss.)
2. Johnson, Evan (Vancleave, Miss.)
3. Mallette, Kamryn (Vancleave, Miss.)
4. Stevens, Kendall (Griffin, Ga.)
5. McMillian, Matthew (Warner Robins, Ga.)
6. Smith, Zoey (Harrisburg, N.C.)
7. Wright, Corey (Rome, Ga.)
8. Green, Lincoln (Atlanta, Ga.)
9. Barfield, Trent (Hamilton, Ga.)
10. Palermo, Nova (Fort Mill, S.C.)
11. McMillian, Michael (Juliette, Ga.)
12. Rudolph, Briella (Griffin, Ga.)
13. Pounds, Carson (Butler, Ga.)
14. Kasmen, Hayden (Atlanta, Ga.)
Incentive Risk Management Outlaws
1. Sherman, Carson (Loganville, Ga.)
2. Massey, Mason (Lucedale, Miss)
3. Bauer, Jordan (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
4. Brewer, Tate (Big Cove, Ala.)
5. Emberton, Brantley (Bowling Green, Ky.)
6. Grizzard, Wyatt (McDonough, Ga.)
DQ: Jones, Jackson (Concord, N.C.)
Bennett Transportation & Logistics Young Lions Legends
1. Johnson, Colt (Houston, Texas)
2. Laine, Emerson (Cumming, Ga.)
3. Plate, Alex (Bartlett, Tenn.)
4. Behnke, James (Canton, Ga.)
5. Burnett, Jaxon (Snohomish, Wash.)
6. Wong, Nicolas (Johns Creek, Ga.)
7. Bishop, Brenten (Social Circle, Ga.)
8. Leslie-Kubat, Matthew (Nashville, Tenn.)
9. Louisnord, Ayden (Cocoa, Fla.)
10. Tatum, Kinsley (Cordele, Ga.)
Circle C Auto Sales Masters Legends
1. Bolen, Jeff (Leesville, S.C.)
2. Young, Phillip (Dallas, Ga.)
3. Wrisley, Brandin (Greensboro, N.C.)
4. Plemons Jr, Bill (Locust Grove, Ga.)
5. Swan, Mark (Athens, Ga.)
6. Ragan, Lee (Catasla, Ga.)
7. Fox, James (Acworth, Ga.)
8. Cosier, Brian (Marietta, Ga.)
9. Curran, Mike (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
10. Carpenter, Stephen (Land O Lakes, Fla.)
11. Young, Lisa (Dallas, Ga.)
12. Turkett, Byron (Griffin, Ga.)
13. Moseley, Scott (McDonough, Ga.)
The Associates Group Insurance Pro Legends
1. Jorgensen, Jensen (Stockbridge, Ga.)
2. Woodall, Nick (Canton, Ga.)
3. Bacon, Kyle (Buchanan, Ga.)
4. Taylor, Jonathan (Roswell, Ga.)
5. Bongiovanni, Dylan (Cumming, Ga.)
6. Treschl, Jason (Hogansville, Ga.)
7. Jorgensen, Taylor (Stockbridge, Ga.)
8. Oliver, Boston (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
9. Daniels, Jadyn (Harrisburg, N.C.)
