NASA Southeast returned to Road Atlanta for June’s “Flatten the Curves” event, bringing with it all the excitement and heat you’d expect from a summer showdown in Atlanta. With storms threatening across the Southeast, teams kept a watchful eye on the radar. Fortunately, the rain and wind held off until the evening, leaving the track dry for racing during the day.
Qualifying was smooth for some and challenging for others. Javier Laurnaga, a consistent front-runner, forgot to check his tire pressures and ended up all the way back in P15. John Palazzolo ran out of gas on lap three, starting him in P14. Teen Mazda Challenge driver Dean Dybdahl found himself in a “jam” when his transmission got stuck in fourth gear, landing him in P13. Meanwhile, Julian Pollard secured the pole with a fast lap of 1:46.891, beating out veteran Keith Williamson, who clocked a 1:47.018.
In true Spec Miata spirit, the paddock came together to help Dybdahl swap out his transmission before the start of race one. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort that paid off. Come race time, the front row showcased a striking contrast in age with Pollard, the youngest driver, on pole, and Williamson, the oldest, on the outside.
Once the race began, Dybdahl put his freshly installed transmission to the test. He climbed 12 positions in just three laps, slicing through the field with skill and precision. By lap seven, Dybdahl had caught and passed the leader to secure the top spot.
Laurnaga also charged forward, steadily and methodically picking off his competitors. On lap 11, he had caught up to Luis Romero and Jeremy Barnes, who were duking it out for P3 through Turn 10a. Their side-by-side fight slowed them enough for Laurnaga to seize the moment and muscle his way past. With that move, he completed his climb gaining 13 positions to land on the podium. The final results were Dybdahl in P1, Pollard in P2, Laurnaga in P3, Romero in P4, and Barnes in P5.
Sunday morning’s race began with Dybdahl and Pollard on the front row, and Laurnaga starting P3. These three ran a clean and consistent race, maintaining their starting positions from start to finish. Behind them, transmission trouble struck again with Barnes, who got stuck in fourth gear and saw his hopes of a strong finish crumble.
Meanwhile, a fight for P4 unfolded between Romero and Yan Dia. As the race wound down, Williamson and Agustin Garcia Flores charged toward the pair, who were locked in combat while also dealing with faster out-of-class traffic. In a pivotal final lap moment, Romero and Dia went side-by-side into Turn 10a, slowing just enough to allow Williamson and Garcia Flores to close the gap. As they exited Turn 10b, Williamson came flying up the hill with perfect momentum, diving inside at Turn 11 for a thrilling three wide pass to steal fourth place. The race finished with Dybdahl in P1, Pollard P2, Laurnaga P3, Williamson P4, Dia P5, Garcia Flores P6, and Romero P7.
In the final race of the weekend, Dybdahl and Pollard once again led the Miata field to green. Dybdahl quickly asserted control and never relinquished the lead. More mechanical drama struck midrace when Romero suffered a wheel hub failure and spun into the gravel outside of Turn 10b. This triggered a full-course double yellow. Track workers arrived swiftly and attempted to remove Romero’s car, but time ran out, and the race finished under double-yellow. Dybdahl capped off the weekend with a clean sweep, taking the win in all three races. Pollard finished P2, Laurnaga P3, Williamson P4, and Garcia Flores P5.
