INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – It’s been six years, but the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s at this hallowed motorsport shrine that the true 2026 championship contenders will rise above the rest.
The last time Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup raced at IMS, there were no spectators because of COVID-19 and the series wasn’t even sanctioned by IMSA, but by IndyCar. That 2020 season was Jared Thomas’ (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) rookie year and he is, in fact, the only driver entered this year who took part in that 2020 event.
Thomas is one of two drivers who call Indiana home. The other is Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports), who hails from Bloomington. Nicholson has been a competitive presence since joining the series but has yet to score a victory and would love nothing more than to get his first Mazda MX-5 Cup race win at his home track.
“Racing at Indianapolis is incredibly special to me,” Nicholson said. “Growing up in Indiana, IMS is the place that sparked my ambition to become a race car driver and made me believe that I could one day compete at the highest levels of motorsports. Hopefully a win could bring that same belief and inspiration to another young kid out there. Knowing I’ll have so many friends and family there supporting me makes this weekend mean even more. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup has done so much for my career, and to earn my first win in the series at such a special place to me would be the perfect way to bring everything full circle. I want this one so badly.”
Since IMS hasn’t been on the MX-5 Cup schedule for several years, a two-day test was organized for teams in April. Not surprisingly, the quickest drivers in that test also happen to be the drivers fighting for this year’s championship. Point leader Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) turned the fastest lap in the test. Thomas was third quickest and Bobby Gossett (No. 44 BSI Racing) was fourth on the final time sheets. If Adakonis can translate his speed in testing to race wins this weekend, he could build a nice safety net for himself going into the season finale.
Two drivers who were not at the test are the two currently in the hunt to be Rookie of the Year. Frankie Barroso (No. 48 Spark Performance) and Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) did not take part in the official series test. Jacobs has never raced IMS before, but Barroso competed in Spec Miata at the 2021 SCCA Runoffs. Barroso currently leads Jacobs in the rookie standings by 190 points.
Two drivers we haven’t seen on the grid since Mid-Ohio are Tristan McKee (No. 7 BSI Racing) and Luke Pullen (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports). Pullen is once again making the trip all the way across the Atlantic from England for his second-ever MX-5 Cup event.
McKee has been busy, making his NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series debut with Spire Motorsports. He finished in the top 10 in races at Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He’s also been racking up wins in the ARCA Menards Series.
MX-5 Cup drivers will have two chances to kiss the bricks at IMS; Race 1 on Saturday, September 19 at 9:40am ET and Race 2, Sunday, September 20, at 10:15am ET. Both races will be streamed live on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.