Clayton News Daily

Photo by Derrick Mahone Doug Stevens, who was substituting for Sean Rayhall in the Pro division, greets fans on the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway before the feature races at Thursday Thunder.

By Derrick Mahone

dmahone@news-daily.com

It seemed like old times at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Thursday during the Thursday Thunder racing series.

Doug Stevens was back in a Legends car, and he produce familiar results during the Pro division race.

He won the division race after substituting for Sean Rayhall, who was in Boston for a race. Drivers are allowed one substitute per season.

During his time as a driver in the Thursday Thunder racing series, there was none better than Stevens, who at one point was the all-time winningest driver in the series. He had five division championships, the last coming in 2005.

"It felt good getting the win for Sean," Stevens said.

Stevens, 34, spends most of his time now working on the cars of the majority of the drivers in the Thursday Thunder series. He was the perfect choice to fill in for Rayhall since he works on his car.

"I enjoy seeing my customers do well," Stevens said. "I feel very comfortable in this car since I work on it."

Steven will have some bragging rights this week around the garage. Jeff Haynie, who finished eighth last week, was the runner-up in the five-car race.

"The car ran pretty good out there," Haynie said. "It wasn't running good in practice (Wednesday), but I'm pretty happy. It was good seeing Doug back out here."

Because of his work schedule, and his duties at the track on race day helping customers, Stevens doesn't have as much time to compete in Thursday Thunder, a series he once dominated with 27 wins.

Last season, Rayhall won the Young Lions series with seven victories.

Stevens has had success racing late model dirt cars, where he has won the last three weeks.

"I still enjoy racing, it is just a time thing," he said. "I think I'm still competitive. It is like riding a bike, you never forget."