October 4, 2022 – It was an intense season-ending race in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BF Goodrich as valuable championship points were on the line. For Max Opalski, he was looking to finish the season strong and close a rookie campaign that featured both highs and lows. Taking on Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Opalski ended the year with a ninth-place result.
After finishing 16th and 17th in the two practice sessions on Wednesday, Opalski returned to the track Thursday with a point to prove. Looking to show his pace and complete his goal of top-ten finishes, the teenager started the day off on the right foot with a 12th-place effort in qualifying. The plan was to move forward by beginning the first wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend from the outside of row six.
“I had a great start and gained a few positions,” explained Opalski. “Things were going well as I ran in the eighth or ninth position and continued to push. I was forced to defend a fellow competitor who had a run on me. While he contacted my car, he then went spinning into the grass causing a caution. I didn’t think that I did anything wrong, but the series officials reviewed the video and gave me a penalty for avoidable contact. Unfortunately, that stripped me from a top-ten result and pushed me all the way down to 18th.”
Disappointed with the ruling, Opalski looked to put everything behind him and shift his focus to the final Mazda MX-5 Cup event of the 2022 season. Lining up tenth courtesy of his lap time in race one, it was going to be full attack as the Opal Enterprises driver looked to close the season out with momentum.
It was an intense battle up front as drivers battled for championship points while Opalski looked to reset his career-best result. Running inside the top-ten before slight contact with an out-of-control car in turn five relegated him to 16th, it was going to be a hard-fought battle to drive his way back forward. After a brief caution period, Opalski moved back forward when the race went back to green and was back in P12 before the field was slowed under another caution period.
Again, moving forward as the race progressed, Opalski was able to make some bold passes as he took advantage of some other drivers' misfortunes. Advancing forward to P8 in the latter stages, Opalski ended his season with a top ten-result in ninth.
“It was a good way to finish the season and build momentum towards the 2023 season,” explained Opalski. “I have learned so much this season and I owe a lot of credit to Copeland Motorsports for a good year, Opal Enterprises, and my family for all the support. Bring on 2023!”
For more information on Max Opalski, please search for him via his social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching Max Opalski Racing.