The 2009 IMSA Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-sixth Atlantic Championship season. It was the first full season of the Championship under the sanctioning of the International Motor Sports Association. After a three-way title battle into the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, John Edwards became the series' youngest champion, beating Jonathan Summerton on a tie-breaker, after both drivers finished on 182 points. They also finished tied on four victories, but Edwards broke the tie with four second-place finishes compared to Summerton's three.
| Round | Race name | Circuit | City/Location | Race date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring[1] | Sebring International Raceway | Sebring, Florida | March 20 | |
| 2 | Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix[2] | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, Utah | May 17 | |
| 3 | Mazda Formula X – Race 1 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, New Jersey | June 13 | |
| 4 | Mazda Formula X – Race 2 | June 14 | |||
| 5 | Northeast Grand Prix | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, Connecticut | July 18 | |
| 6 | Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1 | Autobahn Country Club | Joliet, Illinois | July 25 | |
| 7 | Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2 | July 26 | |||
| 8 | Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | August 8 | |
| 9 |  Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières[3] | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | August 16 | |
| 10 | Grand Prix of Mosport | Mosport International Raceway | Bowmanville, Ontario | August 30 | |
| 11 | Petit Le Mans | Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia | September 26 | |
| 12 | Monterey Sports Car Championships[4] | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | October 11 |
Seven rounds are held jointly with the American Le Mans Series: Sebring, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.
The series planned to open its season on a road course on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Georgia, on March 15. The race was postponed until 2010, as further work on the track was required before it could be homologated for professional open wheel racing. A second race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club were added instead.[5]
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. All teams are using the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3-litre inline-4 engine and Cooper tires. C2 Class teams use the Swift 014.a chassis.
| Team | No | Drivers | Rounds | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Markus Niemelä | 1–4 | Mr. Jones / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy | |
| 34 | Jonathan Summerton | 5–12 | ||
| 36 | John Edwards | All | MAZDASPEED / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy | |
| Jensen MotorSport | 1 | Markus Niemela | 6–12 | |
| 2 | Matt Lee | 1 | ||
| James Winslow | 2 | |||
 David Garza | 3–4 | |||
| Barrett Mertins | 12 | |||
| 3 | Michael Nacol | 1–7 | ||
| Eric Jensen | 9–10 | |||
| 13 | 7 | |||
| Condor Motorsports | 6 |  Borja García | 1–10 | CJ Consulting |
 Frédéric Vervisch | 12 | |||
| 7 |  Max Lefèvre | All | DOTMOBiL | |
| Conquest Racing | 12 | James Winslow | 1 | |
| Matt Lee | 5 | |||
| 21 |  Harald Schlegelmilch | 1 | ||
| 17 | Frédéric Vervisch | All | Quartier / Isomo / Shinokki | |
| 18 |  Tõnis Kasemets | 2 | ||
| Robert Wickens | 10 | |||
 Greg Mansell | 11 | |||
| James Winslow | 3–4, 9–10 | |||
| 19 | 5–7, 11 | |||
| Jonathan Summerton | 1–4 | |||
| Mathiasen Motorsports | 26 | Jonathan Bomarito | 1 | |
| Polestar Motor Racing | 35 | Tõnis Kasemets | 1, 3–12 | |
| 66 | Richard Zober | 3–5 | ||
| Paladin Motorsports | 45 | James Winslow | 12 | |
| Team Stargate Worlds | 77 | Frankie Muniz | 1-9 | Stargate Worlds |
| Jonathan Bomarito | 11–12 | |||
| 78 |  Simona de Silvestro | All | ||
| C2 Class | ||||
| Swan Racing | 29 |  Ahsen Yelkin | 1 | Everclear Specialty Lubricants |
| 68 | Chris Lee | 1 | Everclear Specialty Lubricants | |
| 71 | Michael Mällinen | 1–4, 8 | Mallinen Properties | |
| 75 | Sadat Yelkin | 1 | Everclear Specialty Lubricants | |
| 80 | Hans Peter | 8 | ||
| 88 | Mirl Swan | 1, 8 | Everclear Specialty Lubricants | |
| Round | Race Name | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Most Laps Led | Winning Driver | Winning Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | ||
| 2 | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | |||
| 3 | Mazda Formula X – Race 1 | Genoa Racing | |||||
| 4 | Mazda Formula X – Race 2 | Markus Niemelä | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Team Stargate Worlds | ||
| 5 | Northeast Grand Prix | John Edwards | Team Stargate Worlds | ||||
| 6 | Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1 | John Edwards | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing | |
| 7 | Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2 | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing | |
| 8 | Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio[6] | Newman Wachs Racing | |||||
| 9 | Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières | Team Stargate Worlds | |||||
| 10 | Grand Prix of Mosport | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing | ||||
| 11 | Petit Le Mans | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Newman Wachs Racing | |
| 12 | Monterey Sports Car Championships | John Edwards | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing |
The point system was modified from previous years for the 2009 season.[7] Points are awarded as follows:
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For the 2009 season, a new Atlantic Championship high-definition television package was announced on HDNet, which features live coverage of certain events, and replays of others.[9]
Web video of events has also historically been available on the series website, and the series also has its own official YouTube channel under the username "AtlanticRacingSeries."