In the first day of track action at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing) turned the quickest lap in qualifying for Rounds Three and Four of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires.

Defending Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) timed the final lap of Friday’s race perfectly and beat Thursday’s race winner, Tyler Gonzalez (No. 51 Copeland Motorsports) to the finish line.

After 45 minutes of frantic, all-green flag running with nearly 30 identically prepared Mazda MX-5 Cup machines fighting for position on the high banks at Daytona International Speedway, it was all of 0.015 of a second that separated winner Tyler Gonzalez (No. 51 Copeland Motorsports) and runner up Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) as the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires delivered another thriller. The margin of victory is the fourth closest in series history.

Fans will be able to catch some of the best racing in the country live from their computers or phones as the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires will once again be streamed live at racer.com in 2023.

Bigger per-race payouts, large class of rookies and new Mazda Scholarship winners set to do battle with a large roster of returning Mazda MX-5 Cup winners and champions to launch 2023 season.