McCumbee notches first Mazda MX-5 Cup win at CTMP

In a substitute driver role, Chad McCumbee, of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, scored the first win for the newly-formed ModSpace racing crew in Round Seven of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as part of the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix Presented by Hawk Performance. Peter Portante, of Plainville, Connecticut, finished second with Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, California, completing the podium.

McCumbee brought home the first win for the first-year team of which he is a co-owner, with former series Champion Stevan McAleer, in a race that featured four full-course yellow flag periods. Eight of the 20 laps were run behind the pace car in a race that was slowed to an average speed of 73.933 mph around the 10-turn, 2.459-mile circuit.McCumbee stared in sixth and was able to improve one position after Dean Copeland (No. 7 Copeland Motorsports/SyncSpeed Inc. MX-5), who started fifth, stalled on the grid. Following the early pair of full-course yellows, McCumbee was on the move through the field during the only lengthy stretch of green-flag racing. During those nine green-flag laps, McCumbee worked his way up to fourth, then inherited third place after Patrick Gallagher's No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5 suffered a left-front suspension failure on lap 12.McCumbee found himself behind the three Sick Sideways teammates who were attempting to drive away from the field. On lap 13, then-leader John Dean pulled off to the side of the track before turn eight as his No. 16 Bulb Jacket/PPG/Sick Sideways MX-5 stopped working. That created quite a shuffle up front, which allowed McCumbee to drive to the lead in his No. 29 ModSpace MX-5. From there, McCumbee held off the rest of the field through until the race was called seven minutes early following a Turn Three wreck that required more time for cleanup than there was time remaining in the race. The car of McCumbee crossed the finish line behind the pace car and tallied the win."We were almost able to get into a rhythm during the one long green-flag portion during the middle of the race," McCumbee said. "I think it actually hurt us quite a bit since our car was so good as the session wore on. All weekend we knew we needed a long span of green to get this ModSpace car to the front."We were coming really hard and driving toward the lead when John [Dean] broke. At that point, I didn't really want the lead because I was worried about getting passed on the back stretch during the last lap. But, I took the opportunity to jump into the lead. Looking back, I was glad that did happen since that is what won us the race."In his No. 24 Intercity Lines MX-5, Portante's fortune mirrored that of McCumbee. Starting in sixth, Portante benefited from the same situations that allowed McCumbee to gain positions through the field. Portante stayed glued to the rea bumper of McCumbee, following him to a second-place finish during the yellow-flag-filled race."Today was just about following the pace car," Portante said. "We only had a handful of laps under green, so going from eighth to second was really great for us. When that last full-course caution came out, I was popped out looking to take the lead. It was just terrible timing for us."The guys gave me a great car. It was a lot better than it was during qualifying. I'm looking forward to our next race having some more green-flag laps and having more people to work with. It's about building friendships out on course. I worked with Chad [McCumbee] all day and we finished one, two. He's the type of guy you can really work well with. Next time I think it'll be the same, but in reversed order."Kemper was able to hold station in his third-place grid position until the end of the race. Each time by the flag stand, he held that position in his No. 99 Royal Rugby/Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5. Initially, Kemper was the last of a Sick Sideways breakaway at the front of the field, until Dean dropped out of the race. Kemper was able to recover and hold onto his third-place position until the checkered flag flew."We're pretty disappointed," Kemper said. "As a team, we lead every green-flag lap out there except for one. On that one green lap, the car of John [Dean] just died. It produced a whole lot of drama."Initially, we all fanned out and changed positions. It was a pack of 10 cars heading into Turn Eight. Luckily, I was able to hold onto third and Sparks was able to get around Tim Paul for Fourth. Our cars were solid. All we wanted to do was come out and race under green, but we couldn't do that. At least we don't have to wait until tomorrow since we have another race in six hours."Nathanial Sparks finished the shortened 39-minute race in fourth, at the wheel of his No. 8 OOTSK Performance/Sick Sideways MX-5. Sparks spent a majority of the race in second behind his teammate until Dean's car lost its fire. When Dean pulled off to the side of the circuit, Sparks dropped back to fifth. However, mechanical attrition allowed Sparks to move up to fourth.Devin Jones drove to a fifth place finish in his No. 35 ALARA Racing/VeriStor MX-5. Jones started eighth, but was able to make one on-track pass before the final two full-course yellow flags were displayed. That pass moved Jones to seventh where he then was the benefactor of early retirements by Gallagher and Dean.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Ben Albano, of Greenwich, Connecticut, guided his No. 61 Project Yellow Light/Manfredi Jewels SBMX-5 to a class win. Albano was second on the starting grid behind Sam Adams, but was able to get around Adams before the flurry of full-course yellow flags began. From there, Albano was able to hold off the challenges of Bryan Hixon."This race was just about getting out front as soon as possible, before the yellows came out," Albano said. "This track is notorious for that. So, we just stayed out front and ran quick, consistent laps."You can't plan for anything in racing. You can anticipate and prepare for some things, but planning for something, especially here at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, is really difficult."Finishing second in class was Hixon, of San Antonio, Texas, in his No. 63 TheHotelContessa.com/Seven Devils Lodge SBMX-5. Robby Foley, of Randolph, New Jersey, completed the class podium.Round Eight of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires is slated for later today, at 4:30 p.m. (EDT).Like the series on Facebook, at Facebook.com/MazdaMX5Cup, and follow the series on Twitter and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.Bowmanville, Ont., Can. – Provisional Results from Sunday's 45-minute SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Round Seven race, part of the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with position, class, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps, and gap.1,MX,{6},Chad McCumbee,Ocean Isle Beach N.C.,MX-5,20,2,MX,{8},Peter Portante,Plainville Conn.,MX-5,20,0.4013,MX,{3},Drake Kemper,Toluca Lake Calif.,MX-5,20,2.8754,MX,{2},Nathanial Sparks,Spanish Fort Ala.,MX-5,20,4.4125,MX,{10},Devin Jones,Mooresville N.C.,MX-5,20,4.8996,MX,{7},Timothy Paul,Mahopac N.Y.,MX-5,20,5.3367,MX,{11},Ara Malkhassian,Houston Texas,MX-5,20,6.098,MX,{9},Kyle Loustaunau(R),Vacaville Calif.,MX-5,20,6.419,MX,{13},Forrest Landy,Great Falls Va.,MX-5,20,7.07510,MX,{14},Sarah Montgomery,Lafayette La.,MX-5,20,7.67211,MX,{16},Hernan Palermo(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,20,8.12512,MX,{20},Alex Bachoura(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,20,8.80713,MX,{22},Brent Mosing,Lafayette La.,MX-5,20,10.25614,MX,{17},Keith Jensen(R),Dallas Texas,MX-5,20,10.87815,MX,{21},Tim Probert,Houston Texas,MX-5,20,12.08416,MX,{19},Beth Chryst,Hemdon Va.,MX-5,20,14.3517,MX,{15},Zach Lee,San Antonio Texas,MX-5,19,1 Lap18,MX,{23},Marc Boily(R),West Chester Pa.,MX-5,18,2 Laps19,MX,{18},Charles Paquin,Ottawa Ont. Can.,MX-5,17,3 Laps20,MX,{1},John Dean II,Sebring Fla.,MX-5,13,Mech21,MX,{4},Patrick Gallagher,Thornville Ohio,MX-5,11,Mech22,MX,{12},Matt Koskinen(R),Harper Woods Mich.,MX-5,2,Crash23,MX,{5},Dean Copeland,Bowie Md.,MX-5,,Mech1,SBMX,{25},Ben Albano,Greenwich Conn.,SBMX-5,20,2,SBMX,{28},Bryan Hixon,San Antonio Texas,SBMX-5,20,0.9453,SBMX,{27},Robby Foley,Randolph N.J.,SBMX-5,20,1.6184,SBMX,{24},Sam Adams,Richfield Wis.,SBMX-5,20,2.1755,SBMX,{26},Nikko Reger,Houston Texas,SBMX-5,20,2.8766,SBMX,{29},Kieron O'Rourke,Grand Cayman,SBMX-5,20,3.4657,SBMX,{30},Chris Beaufait,Freeland Wash.,SBMX-5,20,4.075Image: Chad McCumbee clawed his way to the front during a yellow-flag marred Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Round Seven race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.Credit: Al Merion Padron