STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — It has been a quiet three months since the checkered flag flew in St. Petersburg, but it’s finally time for the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin to return to the race track for Rounds 5 and 6 this weekend.
The setting is Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which never fails to produce some of the best racing of the season. A field of 39 cars is expected, including a few new faces that could shake up the championship.
Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup arrives in Ohio following a weekend that featured two first-time race winners on the streets of St. Petersburg. One of them, Bobby Gossett (No. 44 BSI Racing) took over the points lead as a result. In his sophomore season, Gossett leads two-time champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) by 20 points with a long season yet to go.
Another first-time winner at St. Petersburg was Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) who finds himself third in the point standings entering Mid-Ohio. Also in his sophomore season, Adakonis would likely be leading the championship if not for a malfunctioning transponder in Race 1 at St. Pete, which forced him to come into the pits for a new one.
One driver looking to add his name to the first-time race winner list this season is Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports) and he nearly got his first win at Mid-Ohio last year. He led the field to the white flag in Race 2, but was passed by Ethan Goulart, who went on to win his first MX-5 Cup race that day. It’s hard to believe that after 31 races, the ever-competitive Nicholson is still searching for that first MX-5 Cup race win.
Leading the rookie chase is Frankie Barroso (No. 48 Spark Performance), who scored two top-five finishes at St. Pete. He is sixth in the point standings but would be higher had he not picked up a post-race penalty in Race 2 at Daytona.
Speaking of rookies, this year’s MX-5 Cup Shootout Scholarship winner Max Stallone (No. 3 Wheels America Racing) has had a rocky start to his season but has been doing his homework. The Texan picked up two Spec Miata race wins at Mid-Ohio during a SCCA weekend in May. Stallone was one of several MX-5 Cup drivers who took advantage of the SCCA event to get more laps around Mid-Ohio.
Adding some international flavor to the entry list is Luke Pullen (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports). The Brit is making his MX-5 Cup debut this weekend. He has a season of Spec MX5 under his belt with two podium finishes at Mid-Ohio. Pullen has been a finalist for the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout the past two years.
More drivers making their series debut this weekend include Massimo Sunseri (No. 15 BSI Racing), Michael O’Dell (No. 46 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and Amilio DeLauro (No. 67 BSI Racing).
