Good stories, the ones that move and inspire, often result in few victors and a slew of heartbroken characters. The Skip Barber Racing School Summer Series ended in dramatic fashion at Road Atlanta with one of the most unforgettable finishes in the season’s history. With many talented young racers vying for the coveted championship, emotions were heightened and the tension was thick. But every driver gained valuable knowledge that will help in their future careers.

Entering the weekend, there were four drivers in contention for the Championship. The clear underdog going into the season, Chase Owen, winner of the Skip Barber Academy Shootout and a new racer in the group, led the points, but hot on his heels were two talented drivers, Timo Reger and Dakota Dickerson. Reger topped the first qualifying session and nabbed the pole position, but like most things driven with passion, nothing comes easy.

Race 1 saw more than 10 lead changes between four drivers in 14 laps, but the underdog would prevail. Chase Owen took home the win and extended his lead in the Championship, while 2014 Karts to Cars Champion Daniel De La Calle claimed second followed by Jorge Herra, who also nabbed the fastest lap for the group.

Reger narrowly missed the the podium by 0.281 seconds and finished fourth, while Dickerson’s 14th place left the title out of his grasp. After the first day of races, Owen led the standings by nine points. This would make it near-impossible for Reger to claim the championship.

Entering the second day, Reger had hope and a vision. He calculated what he needed to do – grab the pole, win the race, get fastest lap time and Owen would have to finish in fourth or worse. He had a mountain to climb. On the other hand, entering the second day of races, Owen also knew what his performance could mean. He would be the first Skip Barber Racing Academy Champion to win a season championship if he could keep the lead. Not even Michai Stephens had succeeded in that. Despite Owen’s lead, he understood there was more work to do.

In qualifying, with one lap to go, Owen had provisional pole position, and but Reger managed to snatch it from him with his final flying lap. With Reger’s pole, Owen’s lead was shortened to six points. Owen, like a true competitor, shook off the pressure and focused on the race. But he could do nothing about Reger, who took off from pole and win by more than 7.0s.

Despite Reger’s performance, Owen’s finish also mattered. Due to Reger’s first place finish, he couldn’t rely on the draft to nab the fastest lap of the race. Owen needed to take home fourth to tie the championship points.

Entering the second lap, Owen maneuvered himself to second, but it failed to stick amid ongoing pressure from Daniel De La Calle abd Kyle Massin. Owen was eventually shuffled back to fifth, and he lost the title by a mere two points.

Despite the loss, Owen’s run at the championship was nothing short of spectacular. As the underdog of the group and a new racer in the motorsports family, his performance in Road Atlanta and the season was fantastic.

“The racing this season was unbelievably close,” said Casey Carden, Director of Competition. “And it underscores the value and competitiveness the series brings to the ecosystem of motorsports. Less than 0.800 of a second separated the first and second place winner in the first race and 1.4 seconds separated positions two through four in the second race.”

Racers won’t have much rest as the group enters another shootout on Monday to win $200,000 presented by Mazda in the Championship Shootout.