Jared Thomas secured his third Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup victory at Daytona International Speedway, winning Race 2 by a mere 0.038 seconds over Todd Buras.

The race began with chaos as a major incident at the start collected several front-runners, forcing a lengthy cleanup and leaving just 16 minutes of green flag racing. Thomas, starting fourth, quickly worked his way through the field after the restart, moving past rookies Helio Meza and Bailey Cruse to challenge pole-sitter Nate Cicero.

In typical Daytona fashion, the final lap proved decisive. Jeremy Fletcher, who had charged from 26th to lead the white flag lap, lost his advantage without a drafting partner. Thomas, getting a clean exit from the Le Mans Chicane and a crucial push from Buras, timed his move perfectly to take the lead. Though Buras attempted a last-moment pass on the inside, Thomas held on for the win.

The victory marks Thomas's third MX-5 Cup win at Daytona, following his successes in 2022 and 2023 – both years in which he went on to win the season championship.

Key race highlights:

• Todd Buras finished second and won the Takumi Award for best driver over 40
• Ren Messinger took third in his MX-5 Cup debut
• Nathan Nicholson earned the "Penske Shocking Performance Award" for advancing from 31st to 4th
• Ashlyn Speed, the Mazda Women in Motorsports Initiative Scholarship winner, finished 16th after starting 34th

The series continues with Rounds 3 and 4 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, February 28-March 2.

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