DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — With 44 cars entered in rounds one and two, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin 2026 season is set to commence in spectacular fashion at Daytona International Speedway this week.
The sizeable field sets a record for the series and includes a deep roster of talent with three former champions as well as more than a dozen rookies.
The first two rounds of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup always produce incredible racing. As part of IMSA’s Rolex 24 at Daytona event, they also attract a lot of attention. This makes a Mazda MX-5 Cup win at Daytona a bucket-list item for many drivers.
The 2026 season opener welcomes back many familiar faces and quite a few new ones. Three former champions are back for another shot at the title: Gresham Wagner (No. 5 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and the reigning champion, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing).
In a surprise move, Wagner has jumped ship from McCumbee McAleer (MMR) Racing to JTR Motorsports Engineering. This pairs Wagner and Thomas, the only two repeat MX-5 Cup champions together, among JTR’s nine cars, and creates a veritable super team.
Fletcher returns with MMR and the confidence of a proven champion, but the Florida native has yet to earn that coveted Daytona victory.
“Having won the championship, it makes you want to do it again and it makes you feel like you can do it again,” Fletcher said. “I’m just going to take it easy. We know how to win a championship now: it’s all about results, not race wins. It’s about being consistent. Hopefully we can achieve that again.
“Daytona’s always a chaotic race,” said Fletcher. “You’ve got to have the brains, have the speed, and a lot of luck compared to a lot of other places. I really want to win at least one race at Daytona and a race at St. Pete. Those are my two big ones that I want to check off.”
Could 2026 finally be Tyler Gonzalez’ (No. 57 BSI Racing) year? Now in his sixth season of MX-5 Cup, Gonzalez has always been a championship-caliber driver and has netted three wins at Daytona since 2022. Last year was his closest shot yet at winning the title. He had more wins than any other driver (five), but came up one spot shy last year, finishing second in the final point standings.
All three Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout winners have found homes in the paddock for 2026. Winner Max Stallone (No. 3 Wheels America Racing) has opted to bring his Spec MX-5 team, Wheels America Racing, with him to the pro racing level. He will team with another rookie, Logan Stretch (No. 98 Wheels America Racing) who finished fourth in the 2025 Spec MX-5 Championship.
Shootout runner-up Ethan Lampe (No. 31 Advanced Autosports) is part of an all-star lineup for Advanced Autosports. Lampe is joined by Matthew Novak (No. 11 Advanced Autosports) and Cam Ebben (No. 55 Advanced Autosports), who were both selected to participate in the 2025 MX-5 Cup Shootout, plus Vaughn Mishko (No. 9 Advanced Autosports) who started six MX-5 Cup races last year and finished in the top 10 at Mid-Ohio.
These four outstanding rookies are led by series veteran Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports), who led most of last year’s MX-5 Cup Championship, before ending the season in third.
Charlotte Traynor (No. 43 PDR Racing), who earned the Mazda Women’s Initiative Scholarship, picks up where she left off in 2025, teamed with Parker DeLong (No. 42 PDR Racing) who earned his first ever MX-5 Cup race win in last year’s finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
MX-5 Cup is becoming a family affair with both a father-son team and a brother-sister combo on the grid. Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) and his dad Ben (No. 71 JDH Racing) form JDH Racing. Ethan is another driver who’s been a Shootout finalist and even finished on the MX-5 Cup podium in the final race of the 2025 season.
Bobby Gosset (No. 44 BSI Racing) is in his second season of MX-5 Cup after a strong rookie campaign. This year, he is joined by his twin sister Ellie (No. 77 BSI Racing) who’s already been giving him a run for his money in SCCA Spec Miata competition.
