Ed Lever, Bakersfield, California, drove away with the Western Conference title in Formula Atlantic. Lever had not even considered running the Majors, but entered the race at Buttonwillow Raceway Park at the prompting of a friend. From there, the rest was history.

“I was absolutely thrilled to win the championship,” Lever said. “I never thought I could do this, especially in Formula Atlantic. I’ve won regional and divisional titles before in Formula Mazda and Formula S, but Majors events are far more competitive and I really had to up my game.

“In fact, I never planned to run Majors this season because my modified Star Mazda only qualifies as Formula S, which is not a Majors class. But I was encouraged by a friend to compete as FA at Buttonwillow, with 2nd place Saturday and a win on Sunday, a big surprise and very encouraging. After that, I considered running two more Majors at Pacific Raceway and Portland, just to see how I’d do.”

Lever said he had some ups and downs throughout the season, but that he enjoyed his the season very much, overall.

“The extra horsepower from the modified engine was exhilarating - really a test to see if I wanted to move up to a faster car. The answer, of course, was YES, but the strain utterly destroyed a gearbox, a distributor and a few mufflers during competition weekends. Nevertheless, thanks to a great mechanic, Tom Dragoun, and a comprehensive spares package, we were able to finish all the races.

“This was challenging for me, personally, early in the season, since my mom passed away last year and I retired from teaching with some health issues. But by the end of first quarter, I was in great shape again and went on to compete in 20 events.”

A turning point came for Lever when he realized he had qualified for the Runoffs at Daytona International Speedway.

“I should mention that work demands prevented me from competing in 2014, thus missing the chance to participate in the Runoffs at my home track, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” Lever said. “Heartbreaking. Not only was the Majors win this year a great honor, but also my gateway to the Runoffs at Daytona.

“After the weekend at Pacific Raceway in Washington, I knew I had a chance. The wins at Portland sealed the deal, so I bought a Swift 014a (a real Formula Atlantic) for the runoffs at Daytona. FA has always been my dream - now a reality thanks to the Majors path - and a wonderful turnaround from last year.”

Lever made sure to point out who had helped him throughout the season.

“So many races, so many issues of all kinds - all masterfully conquered by Tom Dragoun of 7s Only Racing out of Buttonwillow Raceway Park,” Lever said. “I also had great coaching and encouragement from him, as well. I never bothered with Majors events before - because I thought I wasn’t good enough - but Tom [Dragoun], Mike Miserendino and Jack Crone boosted my confidence to work hard and give it my best shot. Thanks to Chris Emmanuel who first convinced me to try FA.

“Many, many kudos to my girlfriend Linda Anderson for her patience and stalwart support, on and off the track, and to my family who made this financially possible. Last but not least, a big hurrah for the fine folks at SCCA who always made me feel at home, no matter where I was.”