Sunny skies greeted the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin field as they rolled up to Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday morning. The weather did a complete 180 from Saturday, but the podium lineup seemed pretty familiar. Tyler Gonzalez from BSI Racing snagged the top spot once again, with teammate Westin Workman right behind him.
Nate Cicero from Saito Motorsports Group, who came in second on Saturday, started Sunday’s race in pole position. However, he couldn’t quite hold off Gonzalez for long, only managing to stay in the lead for four laps before the first full-course caution. Cicero did manage to reclaim the lead in Turn 8 after the restart, but another caution came out just two laps later.
The tables turned on the second restart when Gonzalez got a boost from two-time Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion Jared Thomas and took the lead. Gonzalez then got some help from teammate Helio Meza, who moved into second place. Meza, however, faced a tough battle from Jeremy Fletcher of McCumbee McAleer Racing and made a risky move for the lead on the final lap, which unfortunately sent him spinning off track and down to 10th place.
Gonzalez mentioned, “I don’t know why, but we were really down on straight-line speed. The yellows helped a lot, because honestly, I do not think we had the pace. On that last lap, I have to thank Helio [Meza] for pushing me coming to the white flag, because if he didn’t, I would have been swallowed up by the pack.”
Fletcher managed to secure second place, with Cicero close behind. The three drivers battled it out side-by-side in the final corners, making for an intense finish. Fletcher attempted a daring move on Cicero in the last corner, but ended up colliding with Gonzalez’s car, sending both Fletcher and Cicero off track.
Workman, who was trailing closely behind, seized the opportunity and slipped into second place, trailing Gonzalez across the finish line. Harmon from AAG Racing took third place, narrowly missing out on a second-place finish in a drag race to the line with Workman.
Harmon expressed, “We started the race 15th and I was just trying to focus on moving through the field. I knew we had a really fast car in the dry, and I was just trying to make passes one by one, and got a little bit of help.”
The race was not short of drama, with Fletcher and Cicero’s collision allowing Workman and Harmon to secure their spots on the podium. Adakonis from McCumbee McAleer Racing finished fourth, followed by Thomas.
Cicero managed to recover from the chaotic final lap to finish in 14th place. Cornet from Spark Performance was awarded the Penske Shocking Performance Award for advancing an impressive 17 positions during the race.
Among the six female drivers in the competition, Sally Mott from JTR Motorsports Engineering once again claimed the Highest Finishing Female Driver Award. Hodneland from BSI Racing earned the Takumi Award for finishing 16th, the highest placement among drivers over 40.
The upcoming races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 6-8 promise more thrilling action for fans. Don’t forget to catch the live streams on the IMSA and RACER YouTube Channels. And if you missed any of the previous races, they’re all available for your viewing pleasure.
