Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup: Record-breaking, show-stopping

The 21st season of Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin, and the 11th with the fourth-generation Mazda MX-5, began with a record-setting grid for the Jan. 22-23 season-opening doubleheader of races on the Daytona International Speedway road course and continued its tradition of show-stopping competition that highlights some of the best young sports car talent in motorsports.

A field of 45 cars was on hand for the Daytona doubleheader, which bettered the previous record of 40 at Laguna Seca for the first race of the ND era in 2016.

But with MX-5 Cup, it is seldom just about quantity; it’s the tooth-and-nail fighting, the drafting battles, the fifth-to-victory surge on the final lap that makes the show, and there’s no reason to expect that to change in 2026. The fields will once again be stacked with champions and race winners, starting with defending champ Jeremy Fletcher.

“I’m excited to be coming back to MX-5 Cup with McCumbee-McAleer Racing,” said Fletcher, who will also drive the famously brutal Mazda RX-7 GTO in the historic race preceding the Rolex 24 At Daytona. “Being the reigning champion is something I’m extremely proud of. To be back with MMR is amazing, as this team feels like family, and I truly believe we have everything it takes to fight for another championship.”

Fletcher, naturally, won’t have it easy. Two-time champ Gresham Wagner returns, this time with JTR Motorsports Engineering. That means the only double champions are together, as team owner Jared Thomas is the other driver to accomplish that feat.

2025 race winners Tyler Gonzalez (five victories), Ethan Goulart and Parker Delong will all be attempting to better their position in the standings from last year. With Fletcher, Wagner and Thomas putting checks in the victory column, too, six drivers won races in 2025. Will 2026 feature even more winners?

There’s a host of rookies that would like to make that happen. An impressive list of Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout winners and finalists join the series for 2026; Advanced Autosports alone will be campaigning cars for 2025 finalists Ethan Lampe (runner-up), Vaughn Mishko, Matthew Novak and Cam Ebben, joining previous finalist Nathan Nicholson on the team.

Latest Shootout winner Max Stallone is coming with Wheels America Racing as Bob Stretch’s team joins the series. Mazda’s Women in Motorsport scholarship winner Charlotte Traynor is with PDR Racing for her first full-season campaign. They join other rookies such as Tristan McKee, a 15-year-old racer who has already won in ARCA. Then there are the family ties – twin brother and sister Bobby and Ellie Gosset, and Ben Jacobs joining his son Ethan.

Aside from new drivers, the 2026 season will feature a few more changes. The qualifying procedure is new, as cars will line up in pit lane according to season points (practice times will be the criteria for the first weekend at Daytona).

Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup is stacked with returning champions and talented rookies; 14 races will reveal who prevails.

Back to the Brickyard

As it has for several years, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup begins and ends with the IMSA season, starting at Daytona International Speedway and finishing up with the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. In between are returning circuits St. Petersburg with IndyCar, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and VIRginia International Raceway.

But it’s the penultimate round of the 2026 championship that’s creating the biggest buzz. The series returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 2020, racking up its third visit to the storied track. Only the most veteran of MX-5 Cup drivers have raced in the series at the Brickyard, making it a new experience for most of the field.

• All Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin races are streamed live on RACER.com and archived on The RACER Channel on YouTube. Following the opening rounds at the Daytona International Speedway road course, next up is a pair of races on the streets of St. Petersburg, Feb. 28-March 1, with five more doubleheaders to follow. Check out the full 2026 schedule, plus find all the latest series news, at mx-5cup.com.