Martinsville - MX-5 Cup
This past Thursday marked the second year that the Mazda MX-5 Cup returned to Martinsville — except this year, we were running as a support series for the Slim Jim 200 with NASCAR. I was extremely excited to be back with Spark Performance and to have Brad Little back as my car chief — it truly felt like being back with family! I had such a blast last year, and this year was just as special.
My car featured Coble Commercial Properties this weekend. In Practice 1, I was P3 out of 18 cars. We had great pace, and I was feeling confident. In Practice 2, I was P6 as we made some setup adjustments for qualifying.
During qualifying, we had just two laps to put down a flyer, but unfortunately, I struggled to find grip after overdriving the car to get heat in the tires as quickly as possible. I ended up P11 — not ideal, but I knew the car was well set up for the long run.
Interestingly, in practice I was actually the 2nd most consistent driver in the entire field, which gave me confidence that we could bring pace and racecraft to make up positions in the race.
During the race, I focused on making smart passes, staying heads-up, and capitalizing on the break between Stage 1 and Stage 2 to make adjustments for a strong finish.
On the last lap, in a green-white-checkered finish, I was able to secure my first Top 5 finish in my Mazda MX-5 Cup career!
It was an intense finish, but we were able to capitalize on it. I was screaming with excitement in my helmet!
I had so much fun and got great coverage on the broadcast thanks to Tony LaPorta and Shea Adam in the booth.
This was an incredible way to wrap up the year and end on a high note as I prepare to transition to oval racing next year in Late Models. Until next year!
October 23, 2025
