BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 7, 2024) – With a field full of evenly matched Mazda MX-5 Cup machines driven by talented racers, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin races are often decided by mere feet with just slivers of a second being the margin of victory. And historically the Mazda MX-5 Cup Championships have been just as close as the races themselves.
With six different drivers covered by just 200 points coming into the final two rounds, that is certainly true again this year. Every position and every point will matter for these half-dozen drivers aiming for the $250,000 championship prize.
Leading the way is Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) fresh off his spectacular performance at VIRginia International Raceway, where he earned his first Mazda MX-5 Cup race win and went on to sweep the weekend.
“You know confidence is pretty high right now after getting that weight off my shoulders of winning my first MX-5 Cup race and then going back-to-back at VIR,” Fletcher said. “I can't thank the MMR crew enough, my mechanic Dalton and really everyone that has done so much for me this season. I just really want to go into Atlanta with my head held high and get it done and come away with the championship. Also, I couldn’t do it without the support of The Gun Store, The Holster Store, and Home Restoration Exchange. All in all I am ready to take on the final round!”
Of the six drivers in contention for the Mazda MX-5 Cup crown, two have won it previously: Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering). In fact, last season, Thomas became the first-ever repeat champion. His first championship, in 2022, was by a mere 10 points and came down to a competitor who finished ahead of him getting a post-race penalty. He is only 60 points behind Fletcher.
“One thing I’ve learned about the two championships I’ve won is that you never win them the same way,” Thomas said. “They always end up different and I think I can take bits and pieces from each and use that to my advantage; what I did right, what I did wrong, and try to handle high-pressure situations a little bit better.”
Wagner, the 2021 MX-5 Cup Champion, is a further 50 points behind in third. He’s proven to be adept at collecting valuable bonus points in the championship, 90 so far, for winning pole position, turning the fastest race lap or leading the most laps of the race. That’s more than any other driver this year.
Last season’s finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta was a rough one for Wagner, who finished outside the top 15 in both races. Ironically, the only two drivers on the grid who have won previously at Road Atlanta are Thomas and Wagner.
“I think the track [Road Atlanta] is a perfect balance for the kind of racing MX-5 Cup tends to have,” Wagner said. “The first part of the track is a really flowing and high-speed section of corners with a really smooth flow and elevation changes as a bonus and allows everyone to set themselves up for the big drafting section along the back straight. Having such a long straight toward the end of the lap, with a heavy braking zone, definitely contributes to the side-by-side racing, battles, and shuffling you see all the time. Plus, being the finale, you have everyone in the points fighting hard against each other for the end of the championship, and plenty of other people without much to lose that just want to end the year on a high note. That all comes together to make some pretty dramatic and crazy racing here, and the track lends itself to it.”
Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) comes into the finale fourth in the standings, 20 points behind Wagner. Cicero makes it three McCumbee McAleer drivers in the running for the championship.
Speaking of Rookie of the Year, the driver on target to take that title, Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing), is sixth in the points coming into the finale. He is 690 points ahead of the next rookie, Julian DaCosta (No. 78 JTR Motorsports Engineering) who is seventh in the standings. Workman has scored two wins so far this season, one at Sebring and one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, while DaCosta is still searching for his first MX-5 Cup race win. Whomever is crowned the Rookie of the Year will take home $80,000 from Mazda for their 2025 MX-5 Cup season.
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is the perfect place to conclude the 2024 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup season. Year after year, drivers defy the laws of physics as they fight for every last point. This finale could prove to be the wildest of them all with so many drivers in the mix, so don’t miss Race 1, Thursday, October 10 at 2:15pm ET or Race 2 on Friday, October 11, at 9:50am ET. Both races will be streamed live on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.