The final race for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge provided quite a bit of drama Friday at Road Atlanta.

After only one lap, celebrations began for the No. 46  TGM Mercedes-AMG Team, who came into round 10 with a commanding lead in the GS standings that only required the team to finish one lap to clinch their first title. With an 11th-place finish, they finished with a 25-point lead (281-256) over Kyle Marcelli and Nate Stacy in the No. 60 KohR Motorsports / Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT4.

The race later developed into a battle for second place. With the #82 Bimmerworld Racing car out front they had a chance to leap frog the #60 Roush Performance / KohR Motorsports team and the #28 RS1 team. Marcelli worked his way through traffic to pull within a cars length of the #28 car. The two battled back and forth for 3 laps before Marcelli made a move inside on turn 12 taking over 5th position on the grid and 2nd position in the overall standings. The #28 car eventually fell back to 8th leaving the #82 BMW in third place in the overall standings and a win at Road Atlanta.

Overall it was still a successful finish for the Roush Performance / KohR Motorsports team with 3 wins, 4 podiums, and a big hand in the Manufacturers Championship won by Ford. Team Owner Dean Martin also won the ExtremeSpirit Award presented by Continental Tire.

The recipients of the ExtremeSpirit Award have demonstrated great respect for fellow competitors, sponsors, track operators, officials, media, and fans throughout the 2018 season. They act as ambassadors for IMSA on and off the track and show an ability to accept victory with humility and defeat graciously. They also display the positive qualities of sportsmanship and have a commitment to excellence that is second-to-none. Their on-track performance speaks for itself while their off-track efforts are revered.

“Over Continental’s previous nine years in the IMSA paddock, we’ve seen firsthand the talent among the paddock,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire. “And that’s not just the talent we see at the track, but what we see away from it as well. We recognize those individuals whose contributions on and off track inspire others. This year we had a wide variety of nominations – including crew members, drivers, and team owners. Their incredible stories are what fuels our passion. These individuals are the heart and soul of their respective paddocks and we are honored to recognize them for their efforts.”

Members of the IMSA paddock were nominated by their fellow team members and competitors alike through a month-long voting process over the summer.

In the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, KohR Motorsport team owner Dean Martin won the award in the GS category while Compass Racing team owner Karl Thomson won for TCR. James Clay who serves as both Team Owner and GS driver at BimmerWorld Racing won in the ST category.

Martin received multiple nominations for being “simply the best”.

“Dean (Martin) has been doing this a long time – he’s been a driver for years, so he knows the ins and outs of strategy and he knows how to talk to the drivers and interpret what they’re saying,” said Jesse Cox, Lead Mechanic for KohR Motorsport. “He was also an engineer at Ford, so he knows what to do with the cars, from set-ups and what changes will do what. He goes above and beyond on pretty much everything he does. He knows what he wants to do and expects things to go that direction.”