When Nasr won the pole at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday, the No. 31 – with Mike Conway on board as the endurance specialist – was just nine points behind the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 co-driven by Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi in the championship battle.
The best finisher in the race, then, would be the champion. Sounded simple, but it was anything but.
As Nasr led Taylor into Turn 10A on the final lap, Taylor sent the No. 10. His flying run led to contact and a bumpy ride through the gravel trap and grass. Taylor emerged on track in front of Nasr, who had the momentum to regain the lead heading into the final turn.
“Why does it have to be so hard in the final corner?” Nasr said afterward. “I saw the (No.) 10 make a very late move and I knew he wasn’t going to make the corner. I just focused on getting through the exit clean and getting to the finish line.”
Taylor, who finished 0.405 seconds behind Nasr, was gracious in defeat.
“The championship literally came down to the last corner,” Taylor said. “After last year, I’m happy for those guys. They deserve it; they had a great year.”
The championship translated into trophies: the drivers’ championship for Nasr and Derani, a team championship for Action Express Racing and a manufacturers’ title for Cadillac. And a touch of disbelief.
“I just can’t believe we’re champions,” Derani said. “It was such a difficult end to last season and a difficult beginning to this year. With a lot of belief in God, and in my family, I rebuilt my trust and here I am, a 2021 IMSA champion.”
