BOWMANVILLE, Ontario — Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) survived two late-race caution periods to win his fifth Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race of the season.
It was yet another Mazda MX-5 Cup close finish as Gonzalez beat his BSI Racing teammate Helio Meza (No. 27 BSI Racing) to the finish line at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) by just 0.222-second.
Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup races at CTMP often play out like the season opener at Daytona International Speedway; a train of a dozen or more cars glued together and drafting past each other every single lap. Saturday’s 45-minute race at CTMP was no anomaly, with the top 15 cars nose-to-tail with multiple lead changes.
The first half of the race featured a pair of BSI Racing drivers, a pair of McCumbee McAleer Racing drivers and a lone wolf Advanced Autosports driver.
Meza and Gonzalez worked well together to hold off polesitter Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Current championship leader Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports) made sure he was in the mix as well.
The race ran caution-free until lap 16, when Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) pulled off track with a mechanical issue at Turn Seven. This was a double-blow to McCumbee McAleer Racing, since Fletcher had pulled into pit lane earlier with a mechanical issue and went several laps down.
Two-time Mazda MX-5 Cup champion Jared Thomas was due to start from pole, but his car did not pass post-race tech and he started the race from the back of the grid. By the time the first full-course caution came out, Thomas was up to fourth.
Green flag racing resumed, but the field didn’t make a complete lap before the safety car was deployed again for Steve Weber (No. 68 JTR Motorsports Engineering), who contacted the tires in Turn Three.
When the green flag was back out, there were less than three minutes left on the clock, enough time for a green-white-checkered finish.
At the drop of the green flag, Gonzalez led the field with Meza playing tail gunner. The teammates managed to pull the slightest of gaps on the field as Thomas was fighting with Nicholson and Gresham Wagner (No. 81 RAFA Racing Team by MMR) for the final podium spot.
Meza, a rookie in search of his first Mazda MX-5 Cup race win, took a look at passing Gonzalez in the final turn complex, but thought better of it and followed his teammate across the finish line.
“I started up front for once (outside of row two), which is kind of an anomaly for me, and I was able to keep it clean,” Gonzalez said. “I started working with Helio really well, but made a mistake that was completely my doing, just kind of drove it off, but stayed calm. It was a long race and I worked my way back up. Helio and I got hooked back up together and we were able to check out for a little bit.
“I just figured he [Meza] was going to try and set it up for the last corner, which is what happened,” Gonzalez added. “I defended a little bit, not as much as I would have if it was somebody else, but at the same time, honestly, you know, I was super happy for either one of us to get the win for BSI. I can’t thank BSI enough.”
Nicholson maintained his points lead with a fourth-place finish and reigning Rookie of the Year Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) completed the top five.
The late-race yellows also produced a great battle for the highest-finishing female award. Sally Mott (No. 15 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and Ashlyn Speed (No. 31 Hendricks Motorsports) went back and forth all the way to the checkered flag, where Speed crossed the line 0.19-second ahead of Mott.
