I just wrapped up a spectacular week in sunny and warm Daytona Beach, Florida. The Rolex 24 is always an exciting event to be involved with, especially since it’s the kickoff to the sportscar racing season. There were so many exciting storylines at Daytona, as well as new cars and teams that were all part of the anticipation for the first race of the season.
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup series was no different, with a record 45 cars on tap for the first event of 2026. As we’ve come to expect with the series, there was incredibly close racing, and we were treated to two dramatic finishes during the double-header Daytona weekend. It was another postcard-worthy finish, like so many others in the series at the famed superspeedway.
45 Mazda MX-5 Cup cars on grid!
It was great to see a first-time winner, with Noah Harmon—Mazda’s Shootout Scholarship winner last season—finishing first in race one. Reigning series champion Jeremy Fletcher won race two, making it his first-ever win at Daytona.
Another dramatic photo finish for Race1!
I also had the unique opportunity to race with the Mazda Heritage Collection in the IMSA Classic. I participated last year in the inaugural showcase of historic cars at Daytona, and this year, Mazda brought two cars out for the event to compete alongside a great variety of cars from the 1990s and 2000s.
I had the privilege of driving the famed 767 Prototype, which is arguably one of the most iconic Mazda racecars ever made. This four-rotor fire-breathing monster was a crowd favorite, not only in the garages during warm-up, when we had rows of fans coming to witness that unique rotary sound, but also to watch these cars run a race at night around the high banks of Daytona.
I always enjoy this iconic Daytona event, and I feel very fortunate to be so involved in it from multiple aspects. Now that the motorsports season has kicked off, the next event is not far away at all.