Jonathan Summerton came within two laps of taking the Atlantic Series title at the first attempt, but suffered the disappointment of seeing rookie rival Markus Niemela take both the overall and newcomers' titles as the Road Atlanta finale took a cruel twist.
Newman Wachs Racing driver Summerton had set a new track record for the Atlantic class in claiming pole for the final round in Georgia, but dropped back at the start of the race after running into a minor engine glitch. However, with championship leader Jonathan Bomarito dropping out after just ten of the 35 laps, the American knew that third place would be enough to take the crown by a single point.
Although Niemela, who was just two points behind Summerton in the standings, held second spot behind race leader Dane Cameron, things appeared comfortable for the Newman Wachs driver until the Finn changed his tactics in a bid to stifle the American's hopes.
Knowing that all it would take for the tables to turn was for Summerton to lose a place or two, Niemela attempted to back the American into the chasing pack, blocking the NWR machine every time it looked for a passing opportunity and allowing those behind to close in. Eventually, the ploy worked, with JR Hildebrand getting close enough to Summerton to make a move into turn one.
Summerton, however, wasn't about to back down and made life difficult for Hildebrand, who entered the corner too tightly and ran out of road on the exit, finding the tyre wall as a result. This, though, was where the race finally turned on the NWR driver.
Despite Hildebrand getting going again, race officials decided to throw a full course yellow and send the safety car out to bunch up the field. Although that allowed Summerton to close back in on Cameron and Niemela, it also allowed those behind to sense an opportunity to make the podium, and reduced the number of racing laps available to all.
![Jonathan Summerton - Newman Wachs Racing [pic credit: Atlantic Championship/Phil Sedgwick]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/478071.jpg)
