Since its inception in 2021, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin has established a thrilling tradition of racing at Daytona International Speedway, showcasing some of the most exhilarating competitions in the motorsport calendar. On Thursday, this legacy continued as Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) made an impressive leap from 14th place on the grid to claim victory under the iconic speedway lights, even amidst challenging mixed weather conditions.

The weather at Daytona has been notably cold, with unseasonably chilly temperatures and gusty winds since the arrival of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup teams. This trend persisted into Thursday’s race, creating an environment that was not only frigid but also featured light rain as the 36 cars lined up on the grid. Anticipating worsening conditions during the 45-minute event, race officials declared it a wet race, necessitating that all competitors switch to specialized rain tires.

In the early laps of the race, the track conditions appeared too dry for rain tires to perform optimally. Nate Cicero (No. 19 Saito Motorsports Group), who started on pole, took a gamble by pitting to change to slick tires, a risky move that resulted in a significant time loss.

This strategic decision allowed the defending champion, Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing), to take the lead, followed closely by Gonzalez, who made a remarkable start, moving up to third place by the end of the first lap.

However, not long after, Wagner had to pull into the pit lane, not for a tire change, but due to a mechanical issue that forced him to retire from the race.

With Wagner out of the picture, Gonzalez ascended to the lead just as the rain began to intensify on the track.

“It was dry, then it wasn’t dry, and then it went dry again for a little bit, and then it went really wet,” Gonzalez reflected on the unpredictable conditions. “At the beginning of the race, we were debating whether to switch to dry tires. I’m relieved we didn’t, and I’m glad we chose to endure the conditions.”

Without a drafting partner, it wasn’t long before Bryce Cornet (No. 65 Spark Performance) caught up to Gonzalez and overtook him.

“We were all questioning how effective the rain tires would be on a mostly dry track,” Cornet mentioned. “The track was slick throughout, and the rain only made things more complicated, especially since our rain tires were already warm.”

Gonzalez and Cornet exchanged the lead multiple times, and soon they were joined by rookie Ethan Goulart (No. 29 Saito Motorsports Group), forming a trio that began to create a gap from the rest of the competitors.

As the rain intensified, their group expanded to six cars, incorporating Helio Meza (No. 27 BSI Racing), Parker Delong (No. 42 Parker Delong Racing), and Ethan Tyler (No. 80 BSI Racing), all aware that time was quickly running out.

Any pre-race strategies they had for positioning themselves on the final lap were abruptly disrupted when Christian Hodneland (No. 32 BSI Racing) suffered an engine failure that resulted in a fire. He managed to steer his car to safety, but the incident prompted race control to deploy a full-course yellow flag to allow safety crews to respond.

At the moment the yellow flag came out, Gonzalez had secured the lead with just two laps remaining, effectively making him the winner of the race. This victory marks his third win in the MX-5 Cup at Daytona.

Following him to the finish line were Goulart and Cornet, rounding out the podium.

“The yellow flag really complicated my plans,” Gonzalez admitted. “I didn’t want to be in the lead, but I was also in a tricky position. We were in a tight three-car pack, but there was a larger group behind us, so I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks that could turn this into a chaotic 14-car race instead of a focused three-car contest. It’s unfortunate that the race ended this way, but I’m happy I was in the lead when it mattered!”

It may seem remarkable for a rookie to finish second in his first MX-5 Cup race, especially at a venue like Daytona, but Goulart is no stranger to success as a Miata specialist. He previously clinched the Spec Miata SCCA National Championship and was a finalist in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout. Nonetheless, his debut in the MX-5 Cup proved to be a significant learning experience.

“That was probably one of the wildest races I’ve ever been a part of,” Goulart shared. “We faced a setback during practice due to a mechanical failure and had limited laps before qualifying. I qualified in fourth, but unfortunately, I was penalized for a lap time infringement, which was my mistake. I promised my team I would deliver a strong performance, and going from 19th to second is pretty incredible for my rookie debut. We were close to winning! Huge congratulations to Tyler Gonzalez for an awesome race and a big thank you to my entire team at Saito Motorsports.”

In contrast, Cornet, who is no rookie, celebrated his first podium finish in his fourth season within the MX-5 Cup.

“I can’t express enough gratitude to my family,” Cornet said appreciatively. “I had fantastic sponsors this weekend, including the Braxton Byrd Foundation, and Spark Performance is an exceptional team to work with. Securing third place is a significant achievement for me, and I’m feeling very optimistic as we enter the season. It’s a bit uncertain if I’ll be able to participate in the full season, but that’s part of the journey. We’ll build on this momentum and see where it takes us.”

Meza, a scholarship recipient from the MX-5 Cup Shootout, finished his inaugural MX-5 Cup race in fourth place. His teammate, Tyler, achieved a career-best finish in fifth place.

The prestigious Penske Shocking Performance of the Race Award went to Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing), who started in last place but skillfully maneuvered his way up to eighth by the race’s conclusion.

“After qualifying, I was feeling quite down on myself,” Fletcher admitted. “It was largely due to my own mistakes, and I apologized to my team. However, the backup car has never let me down; we’ve managed to fight our way through the field before, like at Canada last year and at VIR. I’m not overly concerned about it. Unfortunately, the caution flag cost us a few more positions. Daytona always has surprises on the last lap, and I was hoping for a few cars to not finish, but finishing in the top ten after starting 36th is an incredible achievement.”

Alex Bachoura (No. 33 Spark Performance) received the Takumi Award, which honors drivers who have dedicated decades to honing their skills in the MX-5 Cup. Bachoura, despite missing Wednesday’s sessions due to flight cancellations, finished 15th after only getting into the car for the first time during Thursday morning’s qualifying. He recently set a new record for career starts in the MX-5 Cup and achieved a podium finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last July.

Thursday’s race featured an impressive lineup of six female drivers. The most experienced among them, Heather Hadley (No. 54 Hendricks Motorsports), was the highest-finishing female competitor, crossing the line in 18th place.

The second race of the MX-5 Cup at Daytona is set to commence on Friday at 10:15 AM ET, with live streaming available on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.

MX-5 Cup PR