Inside MX-5 Cup: Grant West, helping others up the ladder

Grant West has been plugging along in Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin going on three seasons. Grant West the driver, though, is only part of the story.

In his third season with Spark Performance driving the No. 50 Mazda MX-5 (above), West is steadily improving and is having perhaps his best season yet. Simultaneously, he’s running – with help from family – his own Spec MX-5 and Spec Miata team, W2 Motorsports.

That Mazda ladder – Spec Miata to Spec MX-5 to MX-5 Cup – represents his own history in the sport, and a path followed by many. It also embodies the path the 26-year-old from Winder, Ga., is trying to lay out for young racers as he teams up with Nathanial Sparks [“Sparky”] and Spark Performance to create a cohesive route from exiting karting to MX-5 Cup, and beyond.

“We’re putting a lot of work into building a ladder system through all stages of motorsports,” West explains. “That’s something I want to put my best effort in to make work, being able to take a driver who’s maybe coming out of karting, going straight into Spec Miata, and developing them up into the GT4 world. That’s the path I’ve taken and know really well, and I know what it takes to succeed.”

The driving side is important as well, of course. Not only is West continuing to progress in MX-5 Cup, but he’s taking his first steps into GT4 with a few races in the French FFSA GT Championship. In MX-5 Cup, this year he also got a top 10 finish at Daytona. He followed it up with his second top five in the series, at St. Petersburg. That led to him sitting 12th in the points after Mid-Ohio, before a budget-preserving skip of the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park double-header dropped him to 20th.

West credits his own experience in upping his game, as well as some assistance from Sparks, the 2016 MX-5 Cup champ.

“The series just races so much different than any other kind of racing,” he says. “It was a big learning curve. I think you see that, year after year, where even a lot of the rookies who come in have a lot of pace, but kind of struggle that initial year due to the odds and ends of the racing. But I also think a lot comes down to Sparky helping me. We built a really good relationship over the last two-and-a-half seasons, and it finally feels like it’s starting to come together, for sure.”

West is well-liked around the paddock, which he credits to his calm demeanor, bringing a positive attitude, and having a little fun.

“You have to learn how to balance the competition – when the helmet goes on,” he notes. “But I think it’s a really important part of racing to be able to switch that off and enjoy the weekend.”

Grant West is a well-liked driver in the MX-5 Cup paddock, but he’s all business when the helmet goes on.

With all that West has going on, it would be easy for him to not be able to relax. But he’s got more than a little help from family in keeping W2 Motorsports churning.

“My dad is a master mechanic of sorts and has passed a lot of that on to me," he says. "I think I do a pretty decent job. And then my mom is the one that goes to pretty much every race with me. She packs the trailer, does all my inventory, helps me drive everywhere… She probably drives 90 percent of the time when we’re pulling the trailer to all the races. Without them, I wouldn’t have a successful race team.”

Success as a team owner and achievements as a driver are the ultimate goals for West; helping young drivers find their own progression as well completes the story.

All Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin races are streamed live on RACER.com and archived on The RACER Channel on YouTube. Catch them live on the RACER Network, too. Next up, it’s rounds 9 & 10 from VIRginia International Raceway, Aug.22 and 23. Check out the full 2026 MX-5 Cup schedule, plus find all the latest series news, at mx-5cup.com.