Thomas Dominates St. Pete for Second Mazda MX-5 Cup Victory
Experience proved crucial in Round Three of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) secured victory, with teammate Glenn McGee (No. 69) taking second and Nathan Nicholson (No. 56) claiming third.
Three racing cars at Daytona
Early leader Jeremy Fletcher dominated until the first full-course caution, building a 3.5-second lead before fluid on the track caused multiple incidents in Turn 10. After the restart with 12 minutes remaining, Fletcher went wide in Turn 1, allowing Thomas to take the lead.
The race concluded with a green-white-checkered finish after another caution. Thomas maintained his lead for his second St. Pete victory, while McGee secured his first career podium finish. Nicholson inherited third place after Luis Gonzalez received a post-race penalty.
Notable achievements included:
- Peter Atwater won the Takumi Award
- Sally Mott earned the Penske Shocking Performance Award
- Heather Hadley received the highest finishing female driver award
The race also marked the announcement of "First to the Finish," a new docuseries following female drivers Mott and Hadley, premiering March 25 on Prime Video.
Round 4 of the Mazda MX-5 Cup continues Sunday at 3:45pm ET.
Final Top 5:
- Jared Thomas
- Glenn McGee
- Nathan Nicholson
- Jeremy Fletcher
- Justin Adakonis (Top Rookie)