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| The first professional race cars of the season to hit the Daytona road course track in anger for 2024. Image Credit: IMSA Video (2024) |
Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup At Daytona - First Two Races In USA Based Motorsports 2024 Season
Well. here we go, and leave it to the newly Whelen sponsored Mazda MX-5 Cup entry ladder into the higher levels of IMSA Sportscar series season racing, to open up the season in typical, exciting, door to door, close quarters action.
IMSA Report #1:
Wagner Leads Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Train Of Cars Across Daytona Finish
Line
The absolute first race of the professional racing series was held on
Thursday, January 25th and after a very tussled 45 minutes of green flag
racing, 11 cars approached the finish line at Daytona International Speedway
with a shot at winning the first event of the 2024 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup
presented by Michelin series season. When the pack crossed the line and the
timing screens updated, it was Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer
Racing) with the win, 0.060-second ahead of Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 Saito
Motorsports).
In true Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup fashion, even in the final moments of the
race, nobody could predict who the winner would be.
It took a few laps, but the pack of 28 cars that took the green flag
eventually broke into two groups, one of them an 11-car train at the front.
Six different drivers led laps during the race, and that’s only as they
crossed start-finish, the strong draft on Daytona’s high banks caused the
order to change numerous times between turns.
Wagner, who won the very first Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Daytona in 2021,
qualified outside the top 10. His experience at the 3.56-mile roval told him
that would not be a disadvantage.
“It would have before, but you do this enough times and you end up starting
from every spot on the grid,” Wagner said. “I felt like 12th was at least in
the hunt.”
The same could be said for Gonzalez who qualified 14th but was up to fourth
by lap six.
“Last year I won from 18th, so qualifying wasn't an issue. I’d like to say
it’s all skill, but it’s not really here at Daytona,” Gonzalez said. “You
all have to work together.”
In the early stages, BSI Racing teammates Connor Zilisch (No. 72 BSI Racing)
and Selin Rollan (No. 87 BSI Racing/Rollan Racing) worked well together and
held the front two spots, but it was only a matter of time before JTR
Motorsports Engineering swooped in with Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports
Engineering) and Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering).
BSI team member and Mazda Shootout Scholarship winner Westin Workman (No. 13
BSI Racing) came along to support Zilisch and Rollan, but it all allowed
McCumbee McAleer Racing teammates Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer
Racing) and Wagner to squeeze their way to the front.
The teamwork happening amongst the pack made for thrilling racing but left
several cars with damaged rear bumpers from all the drafting. Rollan,
Workman and Wagner all had loose bodywork potentially hurting their
aerodynamic performance.
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| Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup on the Daytona banking, in full song and cooperation during Race 1 of a scheduled 14 race season over seven race weekends. Image Credit: IMSA (2024) |
Exiting the Le Mans Chicane on the final lap, it was rookie Julian DaCosta
(No. 78 BSI Racing) who led, but MX-5 Cup veterans know that is the last
place you want to be to take the win. Two trains of cars split DaCosta as
they headed toward the checkered flag.
With a nice push from Gonzalez, Wagner crossed the line first with Gonzalez
second and Fletcher third.
“It is tough, because you don’t want to go too early, and you also don't
want to get hung out if you go out too late,” Wagner said. “I think I did it
with just the right amount of patience. We went two-wide in the bus stop! It
was really hard to stay back and know you had the run coming to the line.
You almost see the race disappear in front of you, and then all of a sudden
coming out of (turn) four it comes back to you. It's an art to race here.
Especially at the front coming to the line.”
Twice a MX-5 Cup winner at Daytona, Gonzalez couldn’t complain about a
runner-up finish this time around.
“Gresham [Wagner] and I worked great for the race, but honestly congrats to
him and his team,” said Gonzalez. “Thank you to my parents and thank you to
Saito Motorsports. I couldn’t lose to a better person honestly, he’s one of
the fastest guys out there.
“All I know is it was a mad dash and I just couldn’t get unhooked from
Gresham’s bumper to pop out and I didn’t want to risk spinning and taking
out the whole field,” Gonzalez said of the finish. “It was a great race,
12th to second—I can't be too mad about that.”
Now in his sophomore season of MX-5 Cup, Fletcher was thrilled to get his
first podium at the storied Daytona International Speedway, even if he spun
after the finish line.
“It’s definitely an amazing feeling,” Fletcher said. “I can’t thank the MMR
guys enough for the car they supplied me. After a tough rookie season, it is
great to accomplish this. It is amazing to have teammates like I do. I ended
up crossing the line backwards, but during the race I felt more secure and
it was good to be in that lead pack. I was in a good spot and waited through
the bus stop and then just shot my shot.”
Jeansonne just barely held on to fourth place, crossing the finish line
0.003-second head of Zilisch.
There’s sure to be more of the same in the second half of the MX-5 Cup
doubleheader at Daytona. Friday’s Round Two race will go green at 10:15am ET
with live coverage on RACER.com.
IMSA Report #2:
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| Different day, same task for Race 2 of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at Daytona race weekend. Image Credit: IMSA (2024) |
Nate Cicero Wins Second Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Race At Daytona After
Explosive Last Lap
Reigning Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Rookie of the Year and
former MX-5 Cup Shootout winner Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer)
survived a last lap frenzy to win at Daytona International Speedway on
Friday. He was closely followed across the finish line by his teammate
Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) making it a McCumbee
McAleer Racing 1-2.
The second Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Daytona played out much like the
first, as the draft was key once again ahead of a scrappy final lap.
Connor Zilisch (No. 72 BSI Racing) had an incredible opening lap, going from
11th to fourth. Two laps later, he was in the lead, at the front of an
eight-car pack.
Not long after, the dangers of Daytona’s high banks were on display. Preston
Pardus (No. 52 Rick Ware Racing), got loose in the draft and hit the wall
exiting NASCAR Turn Four. He bounced back down the track to the infield and
eventually came to a rest near Turn One. Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR
Motorsports Engineering) moved to avoid hitting Pardus, but that turned the
car and sent him into the wall at start/finish.
The first and only full-course caution of the race was issued with Zilisch
still leading the field.
After four laps behind the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup safety car, the green flag
was back on display.
Zilisch continued to lead for several laps afterwards, but his strong
defense came to a sad end when his car’s ABS failed. He locked up his brakes
several times on a single lap before making his way to pit lane.
At the front, Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 Saito Motorsport), Cicero and Jared
Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) were working together to stay up
front.
On the final lap, Cicero led the field into Turn One followed by Thomas and
Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing). Entering Turn Five a chain reaction that
started at the back of the pack ended with Thomas and Workman spinning into
the grass.
Cicero now had a healthy lead going into the Le Mans Chicane, a spot history
says you do not want to be in on the final lap of a Mazda MX-5 race at
Daytona. However, Cicero managed to build enough of a gap to prevent
Gonzalez, Fletcher and Rollan from drafting by him before the checkered
flag.
“I was just watching the mirror the whole time,” Cicero said. “They had a
whole train coming but my spotter was saying I had a 10- or 12-car gap. I
was just hoping we had enough. The MMR car was absolutely on wheels and the
team swept the weekend. To have the DNF yesterday after having such a
strong start, we needed redemption today. It never gets old winning races,
so I’m so happy to do this today.
“I think there was a small crash behind me and so I ended up with a huge
lead and just held on.”
Gonzalez crossed the line in second but was issued a 10-second penalty for
an incident early in the race, bumping him to ninth in the final results.
That gave the runner-up spot to Fletcher, who got his second podium finish
of the weekend.
“It is definitely nice to be consistent here with two podiums,” Fletcher
said. “The car was on fire. I can’t thank the whole McCumbee McAleer team
enough, all my sponsors: The Holster Store, Home Decor and More. It has been
great. On the last lap, going into the Horseshoe I got hit from behind.
Everyone kind of got plowed out of the way. Not sure who it was, but I felt
it! For the rest of the season, hopefully I can stay up front and stay
consistent and start making new drafting buddies.”
Finishing third, Rollan is still waiting to get that elusive Daytona win,
but was happy with third after starting the final lap in 11th place.
“It seemed to be similar to yesterday,” Rollan said. “I tried to get as many
positions as I could. I saw Jared [Thomas] spinning up top, so I just stayed
tight. I got some pushes and I’m happy to be here getting the first podium
for Rollan Racing and BSI.”
Thursday race winner Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finished
fourth and rookie Noah Harmon (No. 99 Spark Performance) completed the top
five.
Both MX-5 Cup races at Daytona are available to re-watch on the RACER
YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TheRacerChannel).
Teams have plenty of time to regroup before Rounds 3 and 4 at Sebring
International Raceway, March 13 – 16. For more information visit
www.mx-5cup.com.
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... notes from The EDJE
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