For 32 years, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) was the sanctioning body for the Atlantic Championship series. Back in 1976, the series was known as the IMSA Formula Atlantic Championship Series, and utilized tracks in the United States of America, while its counterpart, the Canadian Automobile Sports Club (CASC), sanctioned the Formula Atlantic Championship Series north of the border. The two organizations worked hand-in-hand to ensure that the racers had the opportunity to run both in Canada and the USA. The two series opened the doors for many chassis manufacturers but the specified engine for all teams, was Ford. Four of the chassis manufacturers included March (the title winner), Tui, Chevron and Lola. The winner of the IMSA, and the CASC, sanctioned series was a certain Gilles Villeneuve from Quebec, Canada.

2008 marks the Atlantic series' return to the Road Atlanta road course in Braselton, Georgia, home to Panoz Motor Sports Group (PMSG) which owns IMSA. The dormant association seems to have been revived as the Georgia road course will be the scene of this year's season finale on October 4th.

The 2008 Atlantic Championship have held two events already this racing season. The season opener was on the street circuit in Long Beach and the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was the site of round two. The next race for the series will be held this weekend on Circuit Mont-Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, CAN in the Laurentian mountains. Mont-Tremblant has hosted F1 races, sports car racing series and of course, the Atlantic series in the past.

Vicki O'Connor, the president of the Atlantic Championship, started the year under the sanctioning of the Champ Car World Series (CCWS), which was eventually shut down by a merger between the owners of CCWS and the Indy Racing League. O'Connor, who has overseen the management and growth of the Atlantic series for 23 years, is not one to grasp at straws; instead, she held talks with the two series co-owners, Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, along with meetings with the American-based sanctioning bodies in order to make the best decision.

"After a lengthy period of negotiations, we are delighted to announce that IMSA will now be the sanctioning body for the Atlantic Championship," O'Connor said. "As a road racing championship in North America, it certainly makes sense to align Atlantic with North America's premier road racing sanctioning organization. Atlantic has some previous history with IMSA and-in our 35th anniversary season-we are excited to begin a new chapter with IMSA."

This agreement is effective immediately for the remaining seven events (nine races) scheduled for the rest of the 2008 season. Three of the events will be held alongside the American Le Mans Series, owned by PMSG with IMSA sanctioning. Two of the events are stand alone in the providence of Quebec. While one will be held on the same track as the Grand-America Rolex Series,the other will be conjunction with the IRL in Edmonton, Alberta.

"IMSA is extremely proud to extend its sanction to the Atlantic Championship," said IMSA Chief Operating Officer Tim Mayer. "Over the past four decades, the Atlantic Championship has produced some of the world's greatest race car drivers including Formula One world champions, IndyCar champions and sports car champions.

"We believe that the Atlantic Championship provides a great basis for professional drivers. The series is superbly managed; it offers a great car, engine and tire package," added Mayer. "If proof were needed we can simply point to 2006 series champion Simon Pagenaud's recent success in the American Le Mans Series and his great performance at Le Mans."

The 4.26-mile (2.65 km) Mont-Tremblant circuit will host the third round of the Atlantic competition this weekend, from June 27 to 29.