After a thrilling drive from last to first in Saturday’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race at VIR, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) followed it up with a photo-finish win on Sunday. Fletcher was joined on the podium by his 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 checker.
Unlike Saturday’s race, Fletcher’s race started just 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 from the rest of the field. They had a 6s gap to the rest of the field when a full-course caution came out for a car stopped on course, which erased 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 break away, 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.
Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) briefly took the lead with help from Thomas, who then passed Workman for the lead in Turn 1 with two laps to go.
“On the last lap, at the end of the back straight away, I think Jared [Thomas] saw us all kind of fighting, so he didn’t decide to stack it up,” Fletcher said. “We get onto the front straight and luckily Gresham [Wagner] decided to push me.”
Wagner pushed his teammate past Thomas for the victory. Fletcher took his second Mazda MX-5 Cup win by 0.061s.
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“I’m super thankful for that [push from Wagner] and came away with the win,” Fletcher said. I think I’m starting to like VIR a little more than I have in the past! The McCumbee McAleer guys, Flis Performance, Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Home Store, Home Decor and More, Home Restoration Exchange; all these people do so much for me, and I’m so thankful that I get to bring home some hardware.”
Thomas may have been bummed to not get the win, but considering that he started from last, in a backup car, a runner-up finish felt like a win.
“It was just about trying not to get in a wreck in the first turn, because it’s always hectic here at VIR, and then just try to methodically work my way through the pack,” Thomas said. “I knew it could be done. Jeremy [Fletcher] did it yesterday, so I just kind of put my head down and went to work. The car was great. The team stayed up really late last night preparing a backup car for me, and I had confidence that it was going to be a good car. We just did our job and it worked out well.”
Wagner may have finished third in Saturday and Sunday’s races, but his willingness to be a team player certainly helped Fletcher get the two VIR race wins.
“We didn’t have the car to win today,” Wagner said. “Jeremy [Fletcher] had the car to win, which is why he won. So, I was happy to work with him and still get a result that I deserved. The whole team deserved more though.”
Workman just missed the podium, but was the highest finishing rookie, strengthening his lead in the Rookie of the Year Championship, which comes with a $80,000 check at the end of the season.
Although he led seven laps of the race and was a winner at VIR last year, Cicero had to settle for a fifth-place finish, making it three MMR cars in the top five.
Fletcher has provisionally taken over the lead in the championship points followed by Thomas and Wagner. The top five are covered by 220 points as the series heads to the final two races of the season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, October 9 – 11, where the 2024 champion will receive $250,000.
But first, MX-5 Cup teams head to Martinsville Speedway on Monday, August 26, for an open test ahead of the series’ oval track debut on October 26.