ALANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 1 - 2009
SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

EDWARDS WINS SEBRING

"It was an incredible feeling just pulling into pit lane and seeing all of the cameras coming to me," Edwards said. "It was a great race."

RACE RESULT SEBRING MARCH 20, 2009

POS  NAME                   TEAM                       LAPS
 1   John Edwards           Newman Wachs Racing         19
 2   Frederic Vervisch      Genoa Racing                19
 3   Jonathan Summerton     Genoa Racing                19
 4   Harald Schlegelmilch   Conquest Racing             19
 5   Simona De Silvestro    Team Stargate Worlds        19
 6   Borja Garcia           Condor Motorsports          19
 7   Tonis Kasemets         Polestar Motor Racing       19
 8   James Winslow          Conquest Racing             19
 9   Matt Lee               Jensen MotorSport           19
10   Frankie Muniz          Team Stargate Worlds        19
11   Mirl Swan              Swan Racing                 19
12   Sadat Yelkin           Swan Racing                 19
13   Ahsen Yelkin           Swan Racing                 19
14   Michael Nacol          Jensen MotorSport           18
15   Chris Lee              Swan Racing                 18 
16   Michael Mallinen       Swan Racing                  1 electrical
17   Markus Niemela         Newman Wachs Racing          0 contact
18   Jonathan Bomarito      Mathiasen Motorsports        0 contact
19   Max Lefevre            Condor Motorsports           0 DNS 

Time of Race: 45:00 439
Margin of Victory: 4 731 seconds
Lap leaders: Edwards  1-19
Lead changes: None
Caution Flags: Laps 1-5  contact between cars 1 and 26 in Turn 17

         SERIES POINTS LEADERS 
         1  Edwards              20
         2  Vervisch             16
         3  Summerton            15
         4  Schlegelmilch        12
         5  De Silvestro         10
         6  Garcia                8
         7  Kasemets and Winslow  7
         9  M  Lee                5
        10  Muniz                 4

EDWARDS VICTORIOUS AT ATLANTIC SEASON OPENER IN SEBRING

Sebring, FL (March 20, 2009) - It was a bittersweet day for NWR. On the positive side, driver John Edwards led flag to flag of the season-opener at Sebring International Raceway, scoring his first Atlantic victory in style. On the other end of the spectrum, teammate Markus Niemela tangled with another competitor on the end of the first lap heading into turn 17. He got upside down into the tire barrier in spectacular fashion, but despite the obvious soreness following an accident, he was unhurt.

Edwards, 18, from Cincinnati, Ohio, started on the outside front row for today's race. He got a good jump on pole sitter Jonathan Summerton and led every lap. He was not challenged for the lead following the re-start and eventually pulled out a 4.7 second gap to second place. In addition to winning the race, John also earned the bonus point for turning the fastest lap and obviously takes an early lead in the Championship standings.

Edwards is the reigning Star Mazda Champion, and earned one of the coveted MAZDASPEED Motorsports driver development scholarships for his efforts last year. This allowed him the opportunity to make the move up to Atlantics with NWR for the 2009 season. He has made a statement with this win and is already proving to be a winner.

For the defending Atlantic Champion, Markus Niemela, his birthday did not have such a happy ending. After starting 6th, Markus was racing his 2008 Championship rival Jonathan Bomarito into turn 17 and the two came together. Markus's car was sent flying into the tire barrier upside down and came to a rest in a mass of rubber on his roll bar. Fellow competitor Bomarito got out of his damaged race car and went to the aid of Markus. He assisted the corner workers in getting Markus right side up and out of the car. This act of unparallel sportsmanship did not go unnoticed and is a sign of a first-rate competitor. Markus was transported to the local hospital for precautionary purposes, but after undergoing a CAT-scan and several x-rays, he was released Friday evening. Fortunately, under the new rules, each competitor is allowed to drop one race, so Niemela will still be in the Championship hunt.

John Edwards, #36 MAZDASPEED/ Entergy/ Nuclear Clean Air Energy "It was an incredible feeling just pulling into pit lane and seeing all of the cameras coming to me. It was a great race. I have to thank my engineer, Nick Harvey, and the team for putting the car together, because it was really easy to drive. Luckily, I had the teammates (Genoa cars) racing behind me, so I got to pull out a little more of a gap. From there, I just kept looking forward and pulling a gap."

Newman Wachs Racing heads into its fourth year of competition in the Atlantic Series in 2009. In its three years of competition, NWR has earned 1 pole position, 4 victories, 7 podium finishes, and 11 top-fives.