Sick Sideways Team Dominates Road Atlanta Race 1 in Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Championship - Speedway Digest

It was a near perfect 45-minute race for the Sick Sideways team, with John Dean II (No. 16 Sick Sideways), the defending series champion, scoring his first race win of the 2016 season. Dean was followed across the line 0.393 second later by his teammate Nathanial “Sparky” Sparks (No. 8 Sick Sideways), who is primed to clinch the $200,000 Mazda Road to 24 scholarship prize in the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires.

John Dean II was all smiles when asked about the race.

“It feels incredible to get my first win this season. Sparky has been incredibly fast this year, and it’s the way we work as a team. We don’t really have to think too much about where to put the car since we’ve been teammates for so long. And, I’m so excited to be on the podium with him winning the championship.”

Entering the weekend, four drivers were in contention for the much-sought-after Mazda Road to 24 Scholarship, which awards a $200,000 Mazda scholarship to the champion of the series. The near-perfect race by Sparks has all but clinched the championship for him and his team.

When Sparks was asked if he was more conservative in the race knowing he had to have a solid finish, he shook his head passionately.

“No, absolutely not! Have you ever played a sport and tried to back it down to nine or eight or seven? It’s harder than doing what you’ve done every single time. I knew the key to finishing well was to do what I’ve been doing—driving the way I drive. I was focused. A few of the drivers were really pushing me like Chris Stone, and it was exciting! Chris and I were racing side by side at the end of the race from turn 10 to turn 3 and oh boy, that was exciting!”

This was the 11^th race in the 12-race championship, and it was a perfect all-green race with the lead draft ranging from four to eight cars. While Dean II led all but one lap, he never had more than a few tenths of a second lead. Among the challengers were ALARA Racing teammates Ara Malkhassian and Chris Stone. Malkhassian was the only other driver besides Dean to lead the race while Stone finished in third place.

Tim Probert (No. 26 ALARA Racing) was the Battery Tender Hard Charger of the race, advancing nine positions from 24^th to 15^th in the 30-car field, while Corey Rueth (No. 39 Winding Road/TFB Performance) set the fast race lap at 1:39.404, breaking the MX-5 Cup lap record.

The season will conclude with the 12^th and final race this afternoon at 5:45 p.m. (Eastern) and will be streamed live on http://www.ustream.tv/MazdaLIVE Dean and Sparks will be starting on the front row.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.