Wagner wins first MX-5 Cup Race
Today’s 45-minute Mazda MX-5 Cup race was won in fine style by Gresham Wagner. The 26-year-old Virginian navigated the lead pack in the final laps of the race masterfully, snatching the win over the line in the #5 amid a drag race to the line between two trains of cars.
Daytona race winner @GreshamWagner rolls into victory lane with flat tire from damage after the checkered flag 😮 #MX5Cup pic.twitter.com/bjhY9GvzSZ
— Mazda MX-5 Cup (@MazdaMX5Cup) January 25, 2024
Tyler Gonzalez in the #57 finished second, just 0.060 away from victory, ahead of Jeremy Fletcher who took the final spot on the podium in the #22.
Connor Zilisch, who is doing double duty this weekend with a drive in the Rolex 24, took pole and led the race at various points, but finished fifth.
Rookie Westin Workman’s performance also deserves a mention. He came to the fore late in the race and held the lead going into the infield on the final lap.
His hopes of a podium finish though would vanish in the blink of an eye, when he was hit from behind before the leading pack of 11 cars reached the banking for the run to the Bus Stop. He dropped back and crossed the line eighth, still the best-placed Rookie despite the setback.
IMSA accessibility a pleasant surprise for Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace is racing in tomorrow’s BMW M Endurance Challenge, the four-hour Michelin Endurance Cup opener at Daytona, headlining a trio of Toyota-backed NASCAR drivers with John Hunter Nemechek and Corey Heim sharing a Smooge Racing GR Supra GT4 Evo.
Wallace was very up-front in wanting to run this race, saying that he needed ‘massive help’ to bring his road course skills up in NASCAR. But the star driver of 23XI Racing has also come away with a deeper appreciation of the culture of sports car racing versus his regular walk of life in NASCAR.
“I think the culture is actually really cool,” remarked Wallace today. “To me, it feels like a massive car meet, and there just so happens to be a 24-hour race!
“There’s so much to do for the fans. I think the accessibility that the fans have – where, if you buy a ticket, and you’re just able to go wherever, I think it’s really, really cool. It makes them feel a part of the sport. And I think for us, on the NASCAR side of things, we can learn a lot. Which is mind-boggling, because NASCAR owns IMSA!
“You have people that are car people, they have dream cars, and they get to purchase a ticket and come see these cars in person, and see them race, see how they perform – and give them that feeling that they can’t really experience fully themselves. And then they get to meet some of their favourite drivers, get to ask questions about it, and free roam the garage.
Wallace says that there’s a lot that NASCAR can learn from its subsidiary series. “I’m a car person. I have other things that I like to drive. That culture, you adapt to that, it’s just like going to a normal car meeting, and seeing so many walks of life – whether that’s cars or that’s people, seeing and hearing different stories.
“But for us, it’s a little bit more basic. But we make it a little bit more harder for fans to be a part of it. And so I think there’s some crossing of paths that need to happen.”
Siegel impresses in first IndyCar test
Nolan Siegel was fast on his NTT IndyCar Series testing debut with Dale Coyne Racing as the Indy NXT star posted the sixth-fastest lap on Wednesday. https://t.co/dgNfNJch7A
— RACER (@RACERmag) January 25, 2024
Sean Creech Motorsports’ Nolan Siegel hopped down to Homestead-Miami Speedway to join over a dozen other IndyCar Series regulars for the final day of the pre-season test on Wednesday.
In a last-minute deal arranged by Dale Coyne Racing, Siegel set the sixth-fastest time around the Homestead road course – just two-tenths behind the fastest time set by Ganassi driver Linus Lundqvist.
Siegel is set to return to Indy NXT for a second season but has now impressed in testing top-tier single-seaters on both sides of the Pacific, following his run at the Super Formula Rookie Test at Suzuka in December and now his first ride in an IndyCar.
Siegel is one of 14 IndyCar drivers listed to race in the Rolex 24.
Win The Weekend Returns, 2024 series to focus on GT
“Win the Weekend” is back! The highly popular YouTube docuseries taking fans inside the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns for a second season in 2024 and will be available for the first time this year on Facebook.
The inaugural season in 2023 focused on the debut of the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) hybrid-electrified class grabbing 15.4 million views across eight episodes.
This year’s eight episodes will delve into the action of the Grand Touring classes, GTD PRO and GTD. Produced again by automotive creative agency Tangent Vector and sponsored by Michelin, Season 2 will capture all of the drama, excitement and competition of the GT3-spec classes featuring 11 of the world’s top auto manufacturers.
“Designed to introduce new fans to IMSA, ‘Win the Weekend Presented by Michelin’ was an overwhelming success by all measures last year, with over 80 percent of viewers new to IMSA’s YouTube channel,” said David Pettit, IMSA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Operations. “The docuseries offers viewers unprecedented access to the inner workings of the WeatherTech Championship that they can’t get elsewhere.
“This year we’re telling the stories of the teams, drivers and cars in the GT classes – aspirational cars from Acura, Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren and Porsche that each have their own passionate followers. We’re sure they’ll enjoy these episodes and are confident the compelling storylines will earn us additional new fans of IMSA racing.”
“Win the Weekend” takes viewers deep inside the WeatherTech Championship paddock, capturing behind-the-scenes video and audio of drivers, team members and manufacturer representatives as they strive for race wins and championships in the highly competitive GT field. The combination of unique on-track and garage footage, interviews with those in the know, unscripted driver/team conversations, team radio chatter and more weave together the emotional story of what those in the sport undertake to overcome the many challenges necessary to succeed.
The first episode of 2024 will centre on the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the iconic 24-hour race that opens the race season this weekend, with an expected release date leading into the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.
Sowery managing travel schedule, first 24-hour experience
Crowdstrike Racing by APR’s Toby Sowery says he is taking the Rolex 24 one day at a time, amid a punishing travel schedule to start the year. The Briton will fly back to Europe on Sunday night before heading to the UAE with the team for the final portion of the Asian Le Mans Series season early next week.
“It’s kind of burying my head in the sand and resting when I can,” Sowery told the media today. “This is all new to me as my first 24-hour race. I’m focusing as best I can, it’s easy to stay awake when you’re at a race track and there’s so much going on.”
Sowery set the fastest LMP2 time of the opening two practice sessions of the Roar and said that despite it being too early for predictions, Crowdstrike by APR expects to be in the running for the win on Sunday.
“Setting the fastest lap… It’s easy to get carried away but the expectation from Crowdstrike at APR is to win the event, it always is.”
Legge: Gradient NSX “The best handling car I’ve had at Rolex”
Gradient Racing’s Katherine Legge feels that the team’s Acura NSX GT3 EVO feels better than any car she’s previously driven at the Rolex 24.
Legge, who has been fast throughout the track action at Daytona so far, ran fastest in GTD earlier today and appears confident that Gradient has a shot to win it all.
“I think everyone is super stressed out,” she joked. “It’s the best car we’ve had handling-wise, I’ve done this 12 times and it’s the best handling car I’ve had here. It’s going well, so there’s pressure that comes with that.
“It’s about trying to keep your head down and control and what you can control. I’m just thankful the NSX is fast and solid.
“For us the conditions, being twin-turbo, really affects our straight-line speed. The car feels sloppy when it’s warmer. In the race, it’s going to be noticeably different from the heat in the day and survive the night. I saw the rain forecast today too. Thankfully our car is really good in the rain. But who knows what will happen?”
AO Racing for Anthony
The #77 AO Racing Porsche is carrying an additional name alongside its three drivers above the doors, that of Anthony Putnam, a big ‘Rexy’ fan who passed away suddenly on January 12th aged just five.
The team is also promoting a GoFundMe page that has been set up in his memory, which can be found HERE >>>
