Fletcher Wins Mx-5 Cup Finale, Wagner Wins Championship

Race 2 Results

Provisional Championship Points

BRASELTON, Ga. – The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin has its second repeat champion as Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) added the 2024 title to the first one he captured in 2021. His teammate and championship rival Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) won the final race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday, but it wasn’t enough to surpass Wagner, who finished the race in third.

The podium for Round 14 was in fact a McCumbee McAleer sweep, with Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finishing second. All three drivers were in contention for the title and up against defending champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and his teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering).

Cicero started from pole but had some extra time to prepare for the start when Woody Heimann (No. 82 JTR Motorsports Engineering) got into the wall on the pace lap. This required the field to remain behind the pace car for an additional 10 minutes while the stricken car was removed.

When the race finally went green, Cicero and Wagner worked together at the front of the field and were quickly joined by Fletcher, but Jeansonne was also on the scene to break up the MMR party.

Fletcher was the race leader when a full-course yellow was issued to retrieve a car stuck in the Turn 10 gravel trap. Circulating for six laps under yellow was helpful for Fletcher, who received 10 bonus points for leading the most laps of the race.

He continued to lead after the restart and had his sights firmly set on a race win, while his teammates shuffled back and forth with JTR teammates Thomas and Jeansonne. The continuous passing prevented any pack of cars from pulling away and resulted in a long train of a dozen cars ready to pounce on any mistake.

Fletcher made zero mistakes and drove it home for the victory, although the final lap was under full-course caution after a nasty accident for Jonathan Neudorf (No. 55 BSI Racing) in Turn 1.

Even with the race win and most laps led, Fletcher was not able to overcome the points deficit created by his Round 13 DNF. He ends the season third in the championship standings, only 70 points out of the lead.

“I really wish I could go home and celebrate a championship and a win with the team like they deserve tonight at the banquet, but things were out of our hands yesterday,” Fletcher said. “I’m pretty sure we had second place locked up coming out of that last corner, but contact was made. I just kind of shrugged it off and came out here and did what I do and did it for the team. And I did it for my sponsors, the Holster Store, McCumbee McAleer Racing, The Gun Store, Home Restoration Exchange, Mazda Motorsports, Flis Performance and everyone who puts this on for us. I’m just happy to get my third win of the season, and it really proves that I had the car to beat throughout the season. I just wish I could have gotten the championship because I feel like things that were out of my control and out of the team’s control are what really cost us that championship.”