ROAD ATLANTA RACE RECAP: A PODIUM, A CHAMPIONSHIP SLIPPING AWAY, AND REAL PROGRESS

Road Atlanta was a pretty good picture of our season.

We came into the weekend still trying to get a better handle on the Mustangs, find more speed, and give the No. 64 one last shot at the Bronze Championship. And for most of the weekend, it looked like we had finally put a lot of those pieces together.

Both cars were fast in Thursday practice. Qualifying went well too, with Paul putting the No. 46 P2 overall and me qualifying the No. 64 P2 in Bronze, not far off the main championship competition.

The speed was there, and this time the results were starting to show it.

THE 46 PUT TOGETHER ITS BEST RACE OF THE WEEKEND

Paul started the race and settled into P2, holding that position for most of his stint. After the driver change, Matt took over and kept the car right in the fight. He never dropped outside the top five and ultimately brought the 46 home P2 overall, with a real chance at the win along the way.

Even better, the 46 finished as the fastest Mustang in the race.

That was a strong result for the team and a good confirmation that the work we have been doing on the cars is moving in the right direction. Ford seemed pretty pleased with the performance too.

ONE SMALL MISTAKE CHANGED THE 64’S RACE

The No. 64 started with Ted hanging onto the back of the pack and staying in touch with the Bronze competition. Then, around Lap 12, a mistake through the esses led to a slight off.

It did not look catastrophic, but it created enough separation from the group to matter.

When we later made the driver change under green-flag conditions, that gap contributed to the 64 going a lap down. Then, about two laps after our stop, the yellow came out.

Had that yellow happened just a little earlier, we likely could have made the stop under caution and stayed on the lead lap.

But racing does not give you do-overs.

P2 IN BRONZE, BUT NO CHAMPIONSHIP

The 64 still finished P2 in Bronze. Unfortunately, it was not enough to hold onto the Bronze Championship.

That one hurts, especially because we came into Road Atlanta with a real chance to finish the season on top. But I also do not want the disappointment to erase the progress.

The 46 finished P2 overall.

The 64 finished P2 in Bronze.

And both cars showed more speed than we have seen for much of the season.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2027

We did not get every result we wanted this year.

There were races where we had the pace and something happened. There were weekends where the setup was not quite there. And there were moments, like Road Atlanta, where a few laps of timing changed the outcome.

But the important thing is that we are finishing the season with the cars moving in the right direction. We are learning them. We are getting faster. And we have a much better idea of what we need going into 2027.

That is a pretty good place to start the offseason.