An iconic short track will now host a new racing series as the Mazda MX-5 Cup heads to Martinsville Speedway in October.
The IMSA-sanctioned series will hold an exhibition race on Saturday, Oct. 26, as part of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale event. A field of around 30 racers will take on the .526-mile paved oval while driving purpose-built race cars based on the fourth-generation Mazda Miata.
This event marks the first-ever oval race for the Mazda MX-5 Cup, albeit one that won't count in the championship.
Welcome to The Short Track, @MazdaMX5Cup 😏@IMSA | #MX5Cup pic.twitter.com/YKSY1K69E9
— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) July 17, 2024
"Martinsville Speedway has such a unique and rich history of racing, and we couldn't be more excited to add another incredible event to that history," said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell in a statement.
"It'll be the first time we have open top cars racing on track since our early days in the 50s, tapping into our past and also our roots as we host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finale on the same weekend. We're excited to bring the Mazda MX-5 Cup to Martinsville, and I know this will be one the fans enjoy."
The event will feature two practice sessions, single-car qualifying, and then a 100-lap main event split into two stages. There will be prize money awarded to the top three drivers at the end of the first stage.
The winner of the exhibition event will walk away with $15,000 and a Martinsville grandfather clock. The runner-up will secure $5,000 while third place will receive $4,000. Payouts will continue through 10th place.
Photo credit: IMSA
The Mazda MX-5 Cup event is not strictly limited to active drivers in the racing series. Instead, organizers want to see a variety of competitors participate while filling out the starting grid.
"We already have a paddock that's about 30 for us for our main championship series," Jonathan Applegate, Senior Manager at Mazda Motorsports, said in a press conference.
"So a lot of our races already showing a lot of excitement. But we want to see some of these NASCAR iconic guys. Some of the young, ambitious racers coming from other places and maybe local."
The idea to have Mazda MX-5 Cup cars compete at Martinsville Speedway began as a conversation between IMSA and NASCAR leadership. It came closer to becoming a reality last August when a select group of drivers tested the Miatas at the short track.
NASCAR Hall of Fame members Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were both on hand for the two-day test, and they completed laps in the MX-5 Cup cars. Earnhardt, in particular, said that an MX-5 Cup race at Martinsville "would be fantastic."
There was no promise of a Mazda MX-5 Cup event after that initial test. Now, however, the compact race cars will take on the historic short track.