BRASELTON, Ga. – It seems the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Championship always comes down to the final race. No matter how dominant a driver might appear at the start of the season, there’s always a shakeup to keep everyone biting their nails until the last checkered flag.
This season the drama came from Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) who slowed to a stop only yards away from the finish line in Race 2 at Indianapolis. This meant he was scored last and received only 30 points. Coming into the Road Atlanta finale, Adakonis has been outscored by rival Bobby Gossett (No. 44 BSI Racing) to the tune of 390 points.
Instead of protecting his lead in Rounds 13 and 14, Adakonis will be forced into attack mode as he arrives in Atlanta 100 points behind Gossett.
“The most important thing for me to do going into Road Atlanta is to execute,” Adakonis said. “We have had the speed all year, and we have worked really hard to put ourselves in this position to fight for the championship. Now, we just need to execute and get two solid results.
“Unfortunately, our points situation is not as favorable as we had hoped, however our speed and performances have been great all year and we just need to eliminate the mistakes to put ourselves in a good spot for the championship.”
Despite scoring three race wins so far this season, no one is more surprised to see Gossett at the top of the championship than Gossett himself.
“I am very surprised going into Road Atlanta with the points lead,” Gossett said. “I’m going to try and not let it affect me. Normally I just show up to the track and then drive and what happens, happens. If we’re quick at Road Atlanta, then we’re going to be quick. If we’re slow, then we’re probably not going to come out with the points lead. I’m going to try and race like I always do and not let it affect me in the slightest.
“I do like Road Atlanta. Honestly, it’s a fun track for me. I did pretty good last year in qualifying. My race wasn’t great, but obviously since then I worked a lot on being aggressive in the race. So, I’m pretty confident at that track and for me a top five in both races or maybe a top 10 would be pretty good for the championship. Maybe Jared [Thomas] or Justin [Adakonis] gets a little aggressive and make a mistake. I need to stay consistent and hopefully win it.”
Gossett and Adakonis aren’t the only two at play for the championship. It is possible for series veteran Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to earn his record-breaking third MX-5 Cup Championship. Thomas is only 140 points out of the point lead and isn’t experiencing any of the pressure Adakonis and Gossett are encountering.
Perhaps out of the mix for the overall championship, but very much the leader in the Rookie of the Year standings is Frankie Barroso. Currently fourth in the points, Barroso has a healthy 500-point lead over Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) in the rookie race. That’s not to say it will be easy for Barroso—Jacobs is fast at Road Atlanta, it’s where he got his first MX-5 Cup podium.
A lot of point figures and possibilities are at play, but the biggest, most important and certain numbers on Friday are $250,000 going to the MX-5 Cup Champion and $80,000 going to the Rookie of the Year.
Prize money is not on offer for the Team Championship, but pride is. Last year, BSI Racing beat out McCumbee McAleer Racing by only 10 points for the team crown. This time around McCumbee McAleer Racing has arrived at the finale with a healthy (but not insurmountable) 190-point lead.
A wildcard on the entry list is Ethan Goulart (No. 29 Saito Motorsports Group) who’s only done a handful of MX-5 Cup races this year but is a proven race winner and more than capable of battling at the front.
Anything could happen, and usually does, at the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup season finale. If you’re not at Road Atlanta to watch it, make sure to catch both races live on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels. Race 1 will take place at 2:15pm ET on Thursday, October 1. On Friday, October 2, Race 2 will go green at 9:35am ET.