By alley - Mar 15, 2018, 2:24 PM ET

Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup preview

New and familiar faces line up to win the title and a Mazda scholarship to move up the ladder

The 2018 edition of the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires kicks off at with a doubleheader at Circuit of the Americas next week, the first of a six-weekend season that concludes at Monticello Motorsports Park on Sept. 28-29. In between, the series heads to the likes of Barber Motorsports Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Portland International Raceway, offering racers challenges in the form of both racers and circuits.

The series held its official pre-season test at Barber on March 3-4, and while testing doesn't necessarily mean much in terms of how the season will go, it offers a glimpse of who could be a contender. Consistently at the top of the charts were 2016 champion Nathanial Sparks, 2017 Rookie of the Year Robert Stout, Robby Foley, Nikko Reger, Joey Bickers and Hernan Palermo. Reger set the fastest time of the test, and while he didn't complete the 2017 season, he has his sights set on the title in 2018 if he can secure the funding.