Mazda MX-5 Cup 2024 | Round 10 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | Race Highlights

Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup 2024 race highlights of Round 10 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Watch race highlights of Round 9: https://bit.ly/4bW2t6E

Tune in live August 24-25 for MX-5 Cup at Virginia International Raceway: https://bit.ly/4dnIyOW

For more information on the Mazda MX-5 Cup visit: https://bit.ly/3M4DYtD

▬▬ Description ▬▬
With five minutes left in the Round 10 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, it didn’t look like a win was in the cards for Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Then, a series of events transpired that quickly launched Cicero from fifth to first. Joining him on the podium was rookie Julian DaCosta (No. 78 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and the driver with more Mazda MX-5 Cup starts than anyone else: Alex Bachoura (No. 33 Spark Performance).

In a déjà vu moment that echoed Saturday’s race finish, the driver who crossed the finish line first, was not declared the winner. Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) had been issued a 10-second penalty earlier in the race for contact with another car. With the time penalty assessed at the checkered flag, the win went to his teammate Cicero.

Another similarity to Saturday’s race was the number of cars in the lead pack. A train of 11 cars circulated the track nose-to-tail and Cicero was right in the middle of it.

At the front of the pack, polesitter Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was working with teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to keep the lead and hold off Saturday’s race winner, Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing).

When contact damaged Jeansonne’s wheel and necessitated a pit stop, Workman began to take looks at Thomas for the win. It was about this time that Workman and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) made contact, sending Wagner into the Turn Nine tires. This brought out the first of two full-course caution periods during the 45-minute race.

Workman resumed his fight with Thomas when the green flag came back out, but this time he was being pressured by Thomas’ teammate, Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR Motorsports Engineering).

The trio came together in the same spot as Wagner’s crash. Unbelievably, nobody spun or hit the wall, but the three leaders all took evasive action to stay pointed straight. That was all Fletcher needed to go from fifth to first.

A lap later, the safety car was deployed again for Heather Hadley (No. 54 BSI Racing), who lost a wheel exiting Turn Eight, sending her sideways into the tire wall. Hadley walked away unscathed, but less than three minutes remained on the race clock, so the race ended under yellow.

Cicero was ecstatic as he crossed the finish line, but not for himself; he was unaware of Fletcher’s 10-second penalty.

He continued to heap praise on his MMR teammates for helping him get the win and was greeted at the podium by Wagner, who was unharmed in his lap eight incident.

The drivers sharing the podium with Cicero were equally surprised.

DaCosta, the runner-up, started the race dead last due to an engine change after Race 1. It is the rookie’s first podium finish.

Jeansonne went on to finish fourth, salvaging valuable championship points.

Woody Heimann (No. 82 JTR Motorsports Engineering) earned a career-best fifth place.

He was followed by Mazda Women in Motorsport Scholarship winner Sally Mott (No. 15 Spark Performance) who earned a career-best sixth.

Next up for MX-5 Cup is Virginia International Raceway for Rounds 11 and 12, August 23-25.

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Every event on the Mazda MX-5 Cup schedule will feature two, 45-minute sprint races to be livestreamed on RACER.com. The livestreams are produced by NASCAR Productions, and feature play-by-play and commentary from the IMSA Radio squad headed by John Hindhaugh and Shea Adam.