Successful the penultimate Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup offered by Michelin race has propelled Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) to the factors lead. A wild final lap at Michelin Raceway Highway Atlanta had main implications for the 2024 championship.
Wagner’s Spherical 13 race acquired off to a rocky begin when he acquired huge getting into Flip One and dropped to ninth. Climbing again by means of the sphere was hardly a problem for Wagner who was again to second seven laps later regardless of damaging his automotive.
“I’m unsure what precisely occurred,” Wagner stated. “I went into the nook and acquired hit in the fitting entrance and broken the automotive a bit. So not a really perfect begin to the race. It took me just a few laps to come up with the harm and the steadiness of the automotive, as a result of it was positively a handful after that.”
As soon as Wagner recovered, he was again together with his teammates Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) on the entrance of the sphere.
Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 Saito Motorsports Group) was fast to interrupt up the MMR occasion on the entrance and took over the lead for a number of laps earlier than close to disaster in Flip 5. Gonzalez slid sideways and throughout the gravel entice, however miraculously acquired the automotive again on observe and pointed straight.
Wagner re-took the lead, however that’s when the remainder of the championship challengers: Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) and Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) entered the fray.
Lap after lap, Wagner continued to guide when the one full-course warning of the race got here out for a automotive within the tires at Flip 1. When Wagner was credited with main one other three laps underneath yellow earlier than the race restarted, he formally earned 10 bonus factors for main essentially the most laps of the race.
The race resumed with three and a half minutes remaining and the championship struggle was on.
Workman, the collection’ high rookie, made his technique to the lead and introduced an up-to-speed Gonzalez with him.
Not far behind them, having the very best race of his MX-5 Cup profession, was rookie Parker DeLong (No. 42 PDR Racing). He was as much as fourth earlier than the full-course yellow, however had a poor restart and fell out of the highest 5.
On the ultimate lap, Gonzalez led the sphere into Flip 10, however out of the blue slowed and pulled off observe. This gave Wagner the lead with Workman and Fletcher side-by-side behind him. Because the pack climbed the hill to Flip 11, there was contact between Fletcher and Workman, which ended with Fletcher in gravel. It additionally killed Workman’s momentum and enabled DeLong and Thomas to slip previous.
On the end line, it was Wagner with the win by 0.592s over DeLong in second and Thomas in third.
Fletcher couldn’t escape the gravel, didn’t take the checkered flag, and ended up labeled in twentieth place.
Along with main essentially the most laps, Wagner set the quickest lap of the race including one other 10 bonus factors to his complete for the race. This bumps him to the championship lead.
“I believed we had been in a very great place there with about 10 minutes to go, after which actually didn’t like seeing that yellow come out,” Wagner stated. “Would have favored to finish the race the way in which it ought to have been, with three quick guys up there combating for it. Glad I may simply maintain on, on the restart and produce dwelling a win to begin the weekend.”
A runner-up end for DeLong was an awesome reward after a making an attempt season.
“It’s wonderful,” DeLong stated. “I’m having a good time out right here racing. I wish to thank my dad, my crew chief Chris [Smith], and all people working their butts off final night time to get this factor quick. I wish to thank Bridgehaul and Bennett Trucking for all their assist, they’ve carried out lots to assist me and I’m very completely satisfied.
“My toe was knocked out, so the automotive wasn’t as quick on the straightaway, and I used to be struggling. All season, we’ve actually been combating automotive setup. We’re a single automotive workforce, so we’re simply actually discovering the automotive arrange. I knew I had the tempo to run up entrance, however simply needed to get the automotive proper and we acquired the automotive proper this weekend. We had been quick and on the final lap I made the lunge for it.”
Thomas pulled his automotive into pitlane not sure how he ended up in third, since he was sixth exiting Flip 10.
“We had been mixing it up, the entire race, and it was a typical MX-5 Cup championship weekend antics,” Thomas stated. “I used to be combating for all the things I had on the market and so was all people else. I knew it was going to get loopy on the finish and I didn’t know the way it was going to pan out, however this time it was in my favor a bit bit.”
It’s a robust factors end for Thomas, who strikes into second within the factors forward of the season finale race.
Workman completed fourth, adopted by Jeansonne, protecting the championship tight with just one extra race to go.
Provisionally, Wagner leads with 3,470 factors, adopted by Thomas with 3,450 and Cicero with 3,350. Fletcher’s championship hopes aren’t dashed simply but; he’s fourth with 3,330 factors. Jeansonne is fifth with 3,260 factors.
Workman has clinched the Rookie of the 12 months together with his fourth-place end and level complete of three,170 heading into the final race.
Friday’s season finale race is slated to start at 9:50am ET with reside streaming on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.
