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< Back Jeremy Fletcher Takes Mazda MX-5 Cup at Martinsville Speedway with Photo Finish Catch Fence Oct 23, 2025 Winner At Martinsville Speedway MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 23, 2025) — The second-ever Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race at Martinsville Speedway somehow matched— and maybe even exceeded— the thrills of the inaugural race. In a green-white-checker finish, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) beat Westin Workman (No.13 BSI Racing) to the line by 0.003 seconds at the iconic half-mile NASCAR track. Coming off last year’s fantastically entertaining debut race, there was no shortage of hype surrounding the second year of Mazda MX-5 Cup racing at Martinsville. Once again, race fans got another amazing show with battles for the lead throughout the 100 laps and very few yellow flags. The drama started before the race even began because Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports), the fastest driver in qualifying, was sent to the back of the grid for failing post-qualifying tech. This put Frankie Barroso (No. 50 Spark Performance) in the pole spot for the first time in his Mazda MX-5 Cup career. Barroso held his own against Fletcher, the newly crowned MX-5 Cup Champion, and Workman before the trio began to battle for the lead. Behind them, Nicholson was making up ground quickly and sportscar superstar Earl Bamber (No. 31 Hendricks Motorsports), who started sixth, was moving in to claim a spot on the podium. When the caution flag came out for the lap 50 stage break, Workman was the leader, followed by Fletcher and Bamber, then Jagger Jones (No. 86 BSI Racing) and Nicholson. That would not be how the second stage started, however. New this year, during the stage break, a fan pulled a number out of a hat that set an inversion for the top 10. The fan pulled the number seven, which meant the top seven cars inverted for the start of stage two. Ironically, the driver who was seventh and thus inherited the pole for the next stage, was Barroso. On his second shot at leading the field to green, Barroso was once again able to defend his lead, but it didn’t take long for Nicholson, who had a great start, to get around him and into the lead and Fletcher followed. The race looked like it was reverting back to how the field was running at the end of stage one until Ethan Tovo (No. 30 McCumbee McAleer Racing) bounced off the side of Bamber and into the barrels at the entrance to the track’s former pit lane. A red flag was issued to clean up the area and replace the barrels, but Tovo and Bamber’s races were done. The race resumed with 27 laps to go and Nicholson in the lead. He and Workman were able to pull away from the field, but a late-race yellow created a green-white-checkered situation, just like last year. After finishing runner-up in last year’s race, Workman had learned re-starting on the inside, behind the leader, was the place to be. He lined up behind Nicholson for the start, with Fletcher taking the outside of the front row. Workman was unable to execute a bump-and-run on Nicholson, the way it was used on him last year, and Fletcher could only hang on to the outside for so long before he had to fall in line behind Nicholson. Coming off the back straight on the final lap, Nicholson went defensive, pulling to the inside, this slowed both his and Fletcher’s corner entry dramatically. The two made side-to-side contact as Workman quickly caught and tagged the rear bumper of Fletcher, who got sideways and nearly put Nicholson in the wall. Nicholson had to back out of the throttle plus Fletcher and Workman drag raced to the finish line for a photo finish. The timing screens showed the winner was Fletcher by 0.003 seconds. “I was on the radio asking for advice (about the restart),” Fletcher said. “My car chief Dalton Dow once called on the radio and tells me that I’m not here to win the race unless I go to the top side. So, I went to the top because I wasn’t going to let him say that and look where it got us.” Fletcher learned a lot from last year’s race that he was able to use toward this year’s victory. “We all knew that the invert was coming, and we wanted to stay clean for the first 50 laps,” Fletcher said. “I was happy to sit behind Weston [Workman]. It kind of turns to chaos in the last 50. “We learned that last year. I was just kind of waiting for that. I think I timed it decently. I wasn’t in a position I would ideally want to be on that last lap, on the top side, but it paid out in our favor.” On top of the $250,000 Fletcher got for winning the championship two weeks ago, he received a cool $25,000 for the win Thursday night and a Martinsville clock. Finishing second again was tough for Workman, but he knew he had done everything he could to get the win. “Last year was replaying in my head, and honestly, I just tried to do what happened to me last year,” Workman said. “Nicholson did a good job of holding his own. “I thought maybe Fletcher and Nicholson would take each other out, and I was going to slot through for the win, but just came up short this year. It sucks to finish second again, but I’m happy to be here and happy BSI finished two and three.” Jones was thrilled to complete the podium at Martinsville after finishing 16th in last year’s race and having to put a pause on his 2025 MX-5 Cup season after a big crash on the St. Petersburg street circuit. “I didn’t really get much practice today,” Jones said. “We had some issues, so if I hadn’t run here last year, I would have been in trouble. “I just took what I learned about protecting the bottom, which was huge, especially this year, and just took that experience and was able to come home P3.” Polesitter Frankie Barroso was able to finish fourth, while Sally Mott (No. 15 Spark Performance) earned her first-ever MX-5 Cup top-five finish. The 2025 Mazda MX-5 Cup season has officially come to an end. The 2026 season kicks off January 21 at Daytona International Speedway. All races from the 2025 season can be watched anytime on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels. About The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships. Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com . Previous Next

Jeremy Fletcher Racing, a website where you can follow a young an upcoming racecar driver in Jeremy Fletcher as he quickly jumps the ranks in the motorsports industry. Meet the 2025 IMSA Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion Jeremy Fletcher About This Site I’m so glad you’ve arrived. Jeremy Fletcher Racing is where I share with you my path as I am trying to pursue my dream of becoming a professional racecar driver, hopefully sparking your excitement so that you can nurture your own passions and projects. I hope you enjoy my work. Follow us on Instagram #wix @jeremyfletcherracing Load more Let’s Connect Name Email Subject Message Submit Thanks for submitting! Subscribe Form Join Thanks for subscribing!

< Back Mazda MX-5 Cup Race Win Gives Fletcher VIR Weekend Sweep IMSA Aug 25, 2025 McCumbee McAleer Driver Takes Points Lead with Two Races Left in 2024 Race 2 Results ALTON, Va. – After a thrilling drive from last to first in Saturday’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) followed it up with a photo-finish win on Sunday. Fletcher was joined on the podium by teammate Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing) in second, while Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) climbed from last on the grid to third at the checkered flag. Unlike Saturday’s race, Fletcher’s race started as strong as it finished. He was able to hook up with his MMR teammates Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Wagner, and the trio worked together to pull away. They had a six-second gap to the rest of the field when a full-course caution came out for a car stopped on course, erasing their advantage. “I was super thankful for the guys,” Fletcher said. “I think we all worked pretty good together and created that gap. We knew we had pace. The caution was kind of heartbreaking, but kind of expected in these races with how tight it is. I was still confident. I knew my car had pace. I knew we had pace as a team, and I figured we could conquer everyone else as a team and get it done.” While they were unable to replicate their breakaway, especially with a second full-course caution coming shortly thereafter, the MMR teammates continued to be a force at the front of the field. It wasn’t until three laps to go that two non-MMR cars pushed each other to the front. Previous Next

< Back Fletcher Makes Astonishing Comeback to Take First Mazda MX-5 Cup Win at VIR IMSA Aug 25, 2024 Fletchers Comeback DANVILLE, Va. – Showing flashes of pace and continued improvement of his racecraft, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) has been on the cusp of a Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race win all season. After one corner of Saturday’s race at VIRginia International Raceway, it looked as though he’d have to keep waiting, but a stunning comeback finally put Fletcher on the top step of the podium for the very first time. He was joined by young rookie Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) and 2021 series champion Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing). Starting second, Fletcher had the outside lane going into Turn One. He dropped a wheel and that was all it took for physics to pull him off the track and through the grass. He came to a stop just before the tire wall and was able to continue, albeit at the back of the field. “It was driver error,” Fletcher said. “I apologize to the team for making them stress out. I knew I had to put my head down and really get back after it. I knew the McCumbee McAleer guys provided me with a great race car.” Fortunately for him, a full-course caution was issued only a few moments later when three cars tangled in Turn 10. On the restart, Fletcher was able to pick up six positions in one lap to kick start his comeback. He was into the top 10 by lap six. The top 10 cars were glued nose to tail and it took everything Fletcher had to find his way through the pack, especially without another full-course caution for the rest of the 45-minute race. In a series where the draft is a huge factor and the winning pass is often made on the final lap, Fletcher made the surprise decision to execute a three-wide pass for the lead in Turn One with more than six minutes left on the clock. “Honestly, I haven’t really led much this year so far,” Fletcher explained. “So, I was really excited to get out there. I just wanted to stay consistent, and I was pretty confident I could do it from the front.” He was right. Even with heavy pressure from two-time series champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) for the final four laps, Fletcher stayed out front and finally got his first MX-5 Cup win. “You’ve just got to get them on your bumper and make it happen,” Fletcher said. “The Home Restoration Store, Home Decor and More, McCumbee McAleer machine got it done today and I’m so thankful for everyone.” Finishing second by 0.070-second, Workman also had a lot of work to do, to make the podium. The rookie started seventh on the grid but made a skillful restart after the full-course caution and was into second by lap six. “I think I was just able to get a good run on all the straightaways and was able to make up some time on the cars in front of me throughout that lap,” Workman said. “I was able to get to second. I stayed in second for a while, pushing whoever was leading me. It [the leader] was kind of flip flopping around a lot and I was always the second car in line, either pushing Gresham [Wagner] or Jared [Thomas]. Then, I finally went for the lead, and I was just managing the gap behind me.” Managing was hard work when the top eight were still nose-to-tail through the fast and technical circuit. “It’s a lot of trusting the drivers around you,” Workman said. “I’ve been racing with these guys all year, so I kind of know their driving styles and where they’re gonna brake and things like that. I was in second for so long, just to get to know the drivers around me. During that time that I was in second, I was able to find that breaking point and break there every single lap to manage the gap in front of me.” Previous Next

< Back Fourth Podium Of The Year For Fletcher RACER Staff May 12, 2024 A mistake in the final corner of Saturday’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race cost Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) a hometown victory. He redeemed himself in Sunday’s race with a decisive win. Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 JTR Motorsports Engineering) came home second, with Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finishing third. Starting from pole position, Jeansonne led all but one lap of the race, but each and every one of those laps was a fight to stay up front. For the first half of the race Jeansonne’s teammate, and Saturday race winner, Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was glued to his bumper. Any effort to work together and pull away from the field was spoiled by Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 Saito Motorsports Group), who had a great start and was breathing down the JTR duo’s necks. The top eight cars separated themselves from the rest of the field and were fighting for every inch of race track. Eventually, Thomas was sucked into the battle behind him and nearly fell out of the top 10. The tight battles gave Jeansonne some moments of reprieve, but he wasn’t able to pull away from the pack until the penultimate lap. “I didn’t look in my mirror one time,” Jeansonne said of the final two laps. “My spotter told me they were 15 car-lengths behind me coming to the white flag. I was like, ‘Okay, I got it. Fifteen car-lengths. I don’t need anything else.’” I just drove and knew I had the gap, a little bit of a margin, and came away with it.” WeatherTech Raceway is Jeansonne’s home track and site of his first-ever Mazda MX-5 Cup win last year. “There’s a lot of people here helping me and supporting me and that made yesterday really tough,” Jeansonne said of Saturday’s race. “I really wanted it yesterday and came so close. I am so happy to get it done today and in exciting fashion like that.” With the win, bonus points for two pole positions and leading the most laps in both races, Jeansonne provisionally takes over the championship points and inches closer to the $250,000 championship prize. A runner-up finish felt like a victory for Nicholson. His race began with a poor start and while fighting not to fall too far behind, he took a ride through the gravel in Turn Five and nearly spun. An early full-course yellow helped him stay in the top 10 and gave him a chance to refocus for the restart. Nicholson clawed his way back through the field and into second by the race’s halfway mark, but an attempt to take the lead slowed his momentum enough to fall back to fourth with two laps to go. Determined to earn his second-straight podium finish, Nicholson dug deep. “I got pushed off and the only thing I was worried about was just picking off one car by one car by one car,” Nicholson said. “It’s the exact same mindset as Sebring when I went 30th to 10th. You know, it’s the bad days, when stuff goes wrong, that matter and win championships.” MORE MAZDA MX-5 CUP! Wagner unstoppable in MX-5 Cup Race 2 win at Mid-Ohio Zilisch finally nabs first MX-5 Cup win of 2024 at Mid-Ohio Wagner breaks his own Mazda MX-5 Cup qualifying lap record at Mid-Ohio Defending for his life, and sometimes defying physics, Nicholson held onto second. “The team gave me a car that would stick anywhere, so I can’t thank them enough for that,” he said. Two podium results at Laguna Seca pushes Nicholson into the lead of the Rookie of the Year standings, which culminates in a $80,000 check at the end of the season from Mazda. Fletcher had the fastest lap of the race and clearly the speed to win but started seventh and found it extra tricky to pick up positions early on in the race. “I definitely fell back in the beginning,” Fletcher said. “I knew I had the car and suddenly felt really good and after the caution. I kind of just tried to pick them off one by one and go from there. There was a lot of contact, not with me, just around me and I think that helped us a lot to kind of move through. MMR had the car absolutely flying, so I can’t thank them enough and my grandparents and The Holster Store for bringing me out here and making this possible.” It is the fourth podium of the year for Fletcher who is in his sophomore season. Previous Next

< Back Fletcher is crowned champion RACER Staff Oct 10, 2025 Champions !! The 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin season ended in its traditional way: a wild last lap that had everyone second-guessing who would win at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The winner of that one-lap sprint to the finish was Parker DeLong (No. 42 Parker DeLong Racing) who won the first Mazda MX-5 Cup of his career. There was no guesswork needed when it came to the championship. By taking the start and having several cars drop out of the race early, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) secured the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship and the $250,000 prize that comes with it. Fletcher’s only challenger for the title, Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports), retired halfway through the race with mechanical trouble, further securing his championship. It seems that since the championship was settled, the Mazda MX-5 Cup field decided that drivers without a race win should tussle for victory. Only five laps into the 45-minute race, the top six cars were all drivers without a MX-5 Cup win to their name. That pack included three notable rookies: Helio Meza (No. 27 BSI Racing), Noah Harmon (No. 7 BSI Racing) and Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing). The leader of that pack when the first full-course caution came out, however, was Nicholson, who needed maximum points to steal Fletcher’s championship. It came as a shock, when, during the yellow, Nicholson slowed to a stop on track. He jumped out of his car to check the battery and under the hood, but it was no use; his day was done. When the race restarted, it was Harmon at the front, dueling with fellow rookie Marcello Paniccia (No. 19 Saito Motorsports Group). Soon DeLong was on the scene to crash the party. DeLong scored his first series podium at Road Atlanta last year and was on form once again this year. He took the lead just before the second and final full-course caution came out. The track crew worked quickly to clean up the accident scene and there was enough time left on the clock for a single-lap dash to the checkered. Paniccia was all over DeLong’s bumper but waited until Turn 10 to make his move. Delong took a defensive position, so Paniccia tried braking deeper on the outside. His car got unsettled and he dropped a wheel off track on corner exit. Paniccia needed to lift to keep his car straight and DeLong was home free to take his first MX-5 Cup race win. “This was amazing,” DeLong said. “We've worked really hard for this. I was fast here last year, and we had good pace all weekend. Yesterday, we struggled a little bit and made some mistakes, but we got a good night’s rest and came for the win today.” The winner's circle was an emotional one. PDR is small team run by Parker and his father Bill. They had a large group of family in attendance for the finale. “We've worked so hard,” DeLong said. “No one understands how much work we put in, and it's just me and my family doing this. This really means a lot.” Harmon followed DeLong across the line by 0.119s. While it was great to end the season on the podium, it wasn’t enough to surpass Meza for Rookie of the Year honors. He did, however, secure the team championship for BSI Racing with his runner-up result. “It was definitely a wild one,” Harmon said. “It was kind of a classic MX-5 Cup race to finish the season, so I was super happy with it and everyone at BSI who put in a lot of work and I can’t thank everybody enough. Thanks to Cube3 and Streetside Classics for even making it possible. I think there were a lot of moments that could have been better this season, but it’s nice to go out on a high.” Adakonis has learned a lot from teammate Fletcher this year and it paid off Friday at Road Atlanta with his first MX-5 Cup podium. “My teamate Jeremy Fletcher was really helpful in that race helping me navigate through traffic, he has been helping me all year with that. To have him there with me in the pack after starting 12th was great. Thanks to the MMR guys, they have been giving me good stuff all year, so it has been a long-time coming and it is great to get a podium. I'm glad we were able to get it done today. It is great to end the season like that.” Finishing fourth, Meza was able to stay ahead of Harmon in the point standings and earn the Rookie of the Year title. Two-time MX-5 Cup Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) completed the top five. There is still one more race left for MX-5 Cup, but it’s not a points race. The series returns to Martinsville Speedway, Oct. 23, for a money race, where the winner receives $25,000. All races from the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Cup championship are available to watch on demand on the RACER YouTube channel. Previous Next

< Back Timely Pass Nets Fletcher Mazda MX-5 Cup Race Win at VIR IMSA Aug 24, 2025 Race 1 Results ALTON, Va. – Round 11 of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin at VIRginia International Raceway was all about timing. The action-packed race had numerous off-course excursions leaving the drivers to wonder each time ‘are we going to go yellow?’ Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) timed his race perfectly, taking over the lead just before the final full-course caution that brought the race to an end. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup had already seen its share of incidents at VIR in the lead up to Saturday’s race. Two-time champion Gresham Wagner (No. 81 RAFA Racing by MMR) made contact with the wall in Turn 9 in qualifying, necessitating lots of repair work and new tires, putting him at the back of the grid. Another two-time champion, Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) had an off-course excursion into the tire wall in qualifying as well. It happened before he could turn in a true flying lap, so he started an uncharacteristic 13th on the grid. Rookie Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) started from pole, but it was the BSI Racing teammates starting from the second row that worked together to take over the lead on the opening lap. Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) got a helpful push from teammate Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) that put Gonzalez into the lead and Workman second before the first full-course caution was issued. A second full-course caution came out very shortly after the race was restarted. Continuing his bad day, Thomas made hard contact with the wall in Turn Three where his race ended. When green flag racing resumed, the lead pack became a BSI Racing versus MMR battle. Working together, Gonzalez and Workman could pull away, until an MMR interloper crashed the party. This happened with less than 20 minutes to go as Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) moved into second and briefly into the lead. He brought Fletcher with him, who also took his turn at the front, but Workman and Gonzalez were a formidable duo and he could not hold the spot for long. Fletcher took the lead again, in the Uphill Esses, with five minutes to go. As he did so a car came to a stop in Turn 17. The whole pitlane was fixated, waiting to see if the car would get going again or if the yellow flags would come out again. As the field entered the set of turns known as “Rollercoaster,” the safety car was deployed and the race effectively came to an end as there was only three and a half minutes left on the clock. Fletcher took the checkered flag behind the pace car. “I think Tyler [Gonzalez] and Weston [Workman] did a really good job of controlling the pack and keeping themselves at the front the entire time,” Fletcher said. “And I think the MMR side of that struggled, but I was just happy I could keep myself in that pack, keep the car cool and get it done in the end. Fletcher swept last year’s races at VIR and now continues that streak. “I don’t know (why I’m successful at this track),” Fletcher said. “The worst part is, it’s not even my favorite track, so maybe it should be. Everything kind of played in my favor there. I had good restarts. The McCumbee McAleer Racing, Simpson Racing Products, Paene Investments and Holster Store car was rolling this weekend for sure! Hopefully we can go four for four.” Previous Next

< Back Fletcher Wins Mx-5 Cup Finale, Wagner Wins Championship IMSA Oct 11, 2024 McCumbee McAleer Racing Finishes 1-2-3 in Last Race of 2024 Season 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.” Previous Next

< Back MEET THE TEAMS AND DRIVERS OF THE 2024 MUSTANG CHALLENGE SEASON Ford Performance Mar 21, 2024 Today, Ford Performance is proud to announce our provisional driver and team lineups that are set to compete in the 2024 season of Mustang Challenge. Participating teams for the season include some that may be familiar to Ford fans, and some that we are proud to welcome into the Ford racing family. In no particular order, those teams are McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR), Leaders Credit Union Competition Motorsports Racing, MDK Motorsports, Max Opalski Racing, Capaldi Racing, Southern Paley Motorsports, Robert Noaker Racing, Torre Racing, KOHR Motorsports, Ameriasian Fragrance Research & Competition Motorsports, JV Racing Team, and Automatic Racing, with more to be announced soon. In the driver seats heading into the season, well see a few Ford racing drivers that are familiar to the blue oval race vehicles and a few who will be competing with Ford for the first time. Those drivers are Zach Lee, Jack Lewis, Kel Kearns, Chad McCumbee, Jeremy Fletcher, Tom Tait Jr., Gabe Tesch, Nick Smither, Robert Noaker, Mitch Marvosh, Paolo Salvatore, Rodney Randall, DJ Randall, Gregory Bennett, Max Opalski, Wesley Slimp, Brandon Gdovic, David Russell, and more to be announced in the coming weeks. The previously mentioned drivers will be split into two classes; Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends. Dark Horse Legends is an optional entry for drivers 45 years and above, with Dark Horse being for all drivers. The first race of the season is set to wave the green flag at Mid-Ohio Sportscar course, June 5-7, followed by the full 10-race Mustang Challenge season going through early October of 2024. Find the full schedule here: https://performance.ford.com/series/mustang-challenge/news/articles/mustang-challenge-series/2023/10/mustang-challenge-updates.html For future news, standings, race updates, and schedule head over to the Mustang Challenge homepage on FordPerformance.com here: https://performance.ford.com/series/mustang-challenge/news/articles.htm l Previous Next

< Back Fletcher crowned VIR king with fourth Virginian MX-5 Cup win in a row RACER Staff Aug 24, 2025 4 for 4 Sunday’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race was a near repeat of Saturday’s, with Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) taking the win behind the safety car. Securing his fourth straight win at VIRginia International Raceway propelled Fletcher into the championship lead. Like Saturday’s race, a rookie started from pole: Helio Meza (No. 27 BSI Racing). The previous day’s polesitter, Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing), started from last after swapping to a backup car. Fletcher had a tremendous start and was able to take over the lead on lap two, while Meza was busy trying to hold off Ethan Goulart (No. 29 Saito Motorsport Group). Fletcher had to hang on through two restarts from yellow, but was saved by the last full-course yellow, which brought the race to an end behind the safety car. “Sweeping the weekend for the second time was definitely a nice feeling,” Fletcher said. “I can't thank Dalton Dow enough for being on the radio with me, and he got me both these wins today, calling these cautions. I want to thank the entire McCumbee McAleer Racing crew. They've given me the fastest car all year, and I just got to turn the steering wheel and hit the brake pedal sometimes. I’m super thankful for all of them. This means a lot to me, especially getting the points lead. “I definitely owe Gresham [Wagner],” Fletcher added. “He should have probably won that race. He had the pace.” With only two more races to go, Fletcher now leads the points championship by 150 points and is that much closer to winning the $250,000 prize from Mazda. Previous Next

< Back JEREMY FLETCHER’S RACING RENAISSANCE: A TALE OF DETERMINATION IN THE MX-5 CUP Ashley Feb 28, 2024 Jeremy Fletcher’s inaugural year likely didn’t unfold as anticipated, marked by a few top-10 finishes without any standout performances. However, at the onset of the 2024 season opener for the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin, Fletcher made it clear that he aimed to surpass his 2023 championship standing. Securing third and second place at Daytona International Speedway’s January opener, Fletcher enters Rounds 3 and 4 at Sebring International Raceway on March 14-15, tied for the points lead with McCumbee McAleer Racing teammate Gresham Wagner. “The move definitely had a positive impact, both driving-wise and surrounding myself with teammates that are consistently at the front,” says Fletcher. “Working with Stevan and Stuart McAleer, Chad McCumbee and the whole team creates an atmosphere that is just amazing. And working with drivers like Nate Cicero, Gresham Wagner and John Jodoin on track, I feel like it has made it a more positive place for me to be at the race track.” Transitioning to a new team, accompanied by fresh teammates and a revitalized focus for his second MX-5 Cup season, 17-year-old Fletcher’s program has progressed significantly. “I’m definitely starting to work on myself personally,” he adds, “doing some training, going to the gym more actively and trying to be the best I can be when I show up. Plus getting as much testing and practice as I can.” Having spent considerable time in karting with numerous national-level championships before briefly participating in Spec Miata, Fletcher commenced his MX-5 Cup journey with Copeland Racing. However, with Copeland no longer competing, Fletcher shifted to McCumbee McAleer Racing, a move that, alongside the presence of other skilled drivers, has notably enhanced his performance. Moreover, Fletcher is fortunate that the initial two MX-5 Cup weekends occur at familiar tracks, Daytona and Sebring, where he has raced and tested extensively, hailing from St. Cloud, Fla., equidistant from both venues. Coming from a lineage of motocross racers, with his grandfather establishing the Ocala Gran Prix kart track, Jeremy’s trajectory was set early on. “It’s definitely great to be surrounded by all the IMSA teams. And it also lets you, I would say, explore your options a bit with who you could run with, or what your dreams may be,” he explains. “You can talk to those people and figure yourself out and what you want to race in the future.” Motivated by the prospect of Mazda scholarship funding, MX-5 Cup became his chosen path, undoubtedly influenced by his former karting teammate and 2022 Rookie of the Year, Connor Zilisch. Now setting his sights on sports car endurance racing, Jeremy sees his presence in the IMSA paddock as a stepping stone towards that goal, acknowledging MX-5 Cup’s role as an excellent training ground. Observing drivers like Zilisch and Wagner has been educational, but Jeremy believes that assertiveness on track is the key to victory this season, a mindset that paid dividends at Daytona. “If you don’t have the racecraft, you’re not really going to be up there,” he says. “The field is so tight — and especially with the draft at a place like Daytona — that you have to use quite a bit of strategy. And even if you really aren’t driving that great, or you have some problems, you can still be there strategically as long as you’re kind of controlling the field. If you get the racecraft good enough, then you can run up front even if you don’t have the best car or best pace.” With Sebring on the horizon, Jeremy aims to sustain his early-season momentum on the challenging terrain of the classic Florida road course’s fast and bumpy runways and turns. “Not get pushed around,” he says of the key to his newfound podium abilities. “I feel coming into Daytona I was a lot more abrupt, a lot more decisive — like, I would make a move and make sure it stuck and make sure the guys knew I was out there. Last year I was kind of nervous to make a move, or not make somebody so happy with a move I made. I feel like that would always put me in a bad spot, not going for the opening.” Previous Next

< Back Third Podium Of The Season At Sebring RACER Staff Mar 15, 2024 “We definitely fell back at the start,” said Fletcher. “I thought I was personally falling off there and didn’t have the pace, but those cautions came out and I kind of got the motor temps down, tire temps down and went back hard after it and started moving up through the field. “This is definitely an amazing start to the year with three podiums. I can’t thank the MMR guys enough, my mechanic Dalton, the Holster Store, my grandparents for bringing me out here. Everybody that’s kind of helped me out with this. It was an unfortunate day yesterday, but glad that we come back today.” Previous Next