August 17, 2013. Mazda racers like the feeling of being in Kansas. The Mazda teams made their first-ever visit to Kansas Speedway a night to remember, taking wins in both the Grand-Am GX and the Continental Tire ST races.

The race was similar to Road America with the #70 Castrol Edge Mazda6 of Sylvain Tremblay and Tom Long qualifying on pole, with teammates Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez scoring the race win in their #00 VISITFLORIDA.com Racing Mazda6.

With their seventh straight Grand-Am GX-class win the SpeedSource Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D team extended the manufacturers' championship points' lead for Mazda over Porsche. The win also closed the gap in the drivers’ championship with Mazda racer Joel Miller in second behind Porsche racer Jim Norman. Joel Miller continues to lead the Grand-Am Rookie-of-the-Year standings.

Earlier in the evening, the i-Moto MAZDASPEED3 team of Taylor Hacquard and Derek Jones scored their first Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge ST-class win this year. The victory was the fourth of the year for Mazda, embroiled in a tight three-way battle with BMW and Honda for the manufacturers’ championship. Five Mazda teams are in the top ten in team points.

John Doonan, Motorsports Director, Mazda North American Operations:
“If someone had told me coming into the season that we would win seven races in a row, I would have never believed it. What a thrill to get lucky number seven and the fifth of the season for the VISIT FLORIDA Mazda6. We continue to have some driveshaft issues - which is what hurt the #70 car tonight, but as we continue to turn up the performance of the engine in preparation for 2014, we will continue to learn.”