Sam Paley (No. 28 McCumbee McAleer Racing) earned his second Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires pole position on Wednesday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. He will share the front row with Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) for Thursday’s Round 13 race, the first half of a championship-deciding double-header with $250,000 on the line.

Defending Champion and Promising Rookie chasing Championship leader with $250,000 on the line

When the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires 2023 schedule was revealed on August 5, there was one event missing from the calendar. That date is now confirmed to be WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Rookie standout Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) earned his third Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires victory of the season in Sunday’s race at VIRginia International Raceway. After a race-long battle with defending champion Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) and defending rookie of the year Sam Paley (No. 28 McCumbee McAleer Racing), Zilisch beat Wagner to the finish line by a half-second.

Tyler Gonzalez (No. 51 Copeland Motorsports) scored his third Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires win of the season at VIRginia International Raceway after starting from the last row of the grid on Saturday. Gonzalez fought through the field for 45 minutes to take the win by 0.076-second over Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports). Defending champion Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) completed the podium.