The Mazda MX-5 Cup and VP Racing Fuels SportsCar Challenge provided fans with racing action prior to and after the main events for IndyCar and NASCAR last weekend, as both series look ahead to their third weekends of the season.

VP Racing Fuels SportsCar Challenge Recap

In the VP Racing Fuels SportsCar Challenge at COTA, Jonathan Woolridge took home Round 3 to start the weekend, being in the right place at the right time as the two GEBHARDT entries ran out of fuel on the final lap of the race to secure the win. Jake Walker brought home Turner Motorsports’ first win in the GTDX class of the season, while Kiko Porto earned his third straight GSX class win for RAFA Racing.

In Round 4 of the VP Challenge, Valentino Catalano was able to return to victory lane after a dramatic, heartbreaking finish in Round 3 (Race 1). Jake Walker was able to double up for Turner in the GTDX class, while Ian Porter brought home the GSX win for RAFA Racing.

Through four races in the series, Valentino Catalano carries a 100+ point lead over the Canadian Woolridge in the P3 category for GEBHARDT. AJ Muss, former Super Trofeo driver, has shown that consistency is key with his GTDX lead in the class, while Kiko Porto’s three race wins to open the season have given him a 250-point advantage.

Mazda MX-5 Cup Recap

In St. Petersburg, the Mazda MX-5 Cup wrapped up their respective Round 3 and 4 races on the streets of the Florida city.

Jared Thomas took the opening race win of the weekend (Round 3) in a wild race that saw a multi-car pile-up, including Bryce Cornet, which brought out the first caution of the afternoon. Thomas would have to defend his race lead with a less than 10-minute full course yellow. However, he was able to pull away on the restart to take the victory.

In Round 4, Tyler Gonzalez was able to take the win in a race that saw a platoon of lead changes and a wild pass from Nathan Nicholson, who got around four cars to take the lead entering Turn 1. While Nicholson was not able to hold onto the lead, the Advanced Autosports driver was able to wrap up the weekend with a pair of podium finishes.

“It was about getting the tires prepared correctly under the safety car and really getting them hot,” Nicholson said when discussing his move for the lead. “Everyone was struggling with tire temps. It was a hot day out here. It was a balance between getting them too hot and not hot enough. We just got it perfect, and I was able to cross everyone up. I saw Westin (Workman) go deep on the inside and knew it was going to be chaos. I backed it up and looked for the opportunity. Glad I was there.”

When asked what was going through his mind when the safety car came out, Nicholson jokingly said, “I had been praying for a safety car for about 20 minutes before that.”

Round 4 winner Tyler Gonzalez shared his thoughts on the final ten minutes of the race.

“Other than that, the whole race was really smooth,” Gonzalez said. “One of the cleanest races I’ve been in here in St. Pete. But yeah, that caution came out. I was able to do the over-under on first and second and get the lead. I knew I was in a good spot. Wasn’t expecting the oil in Turn 1, so that threw everybody off guard. But Nathan Nicholson and I were just able to walk away and run some clean laps. I was able to get around him. BSI gave me a great car, so I was able to just pick them off one by one, and I’m happy we ended up on the podium.”

Gonzalez added on taking this momentum into Barber in May, stating, “Can’t thank BSI enough. These guys gave me a great car, and I’m just happy I can be up here for them. We know we will be fast in every race. That’s the goal. So just want to keep it rolling and stay up front.”

Entering Barber, Jared Thomas leads the points standings by 100 points over Jeremy Fletcher, while Nathan Nicholson’s podium finishes put him in third.

 
 

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