# 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup

The 2023 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BF Goodrich is a single-make motor racing championship, the 19th season of the Mazda MX-5 Cup and the 3rd under a new sanctioning agreement with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The series began on January 25 at Daytona International Speedway, and concluded on October 13 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta after 14 rounds. Jared Thomas defended the driver's championship, with his team JTR Motorsports Engineering winning the entrant's championship as well. Nate Cicero from McCumbee McAleer Racing won the Rookie of The Year award.

## Schedule

The schedule was announced on August 5, 2022, featuring 14 rounds across seven double-header weekends, one of which was not confirmed at the time. On September 1, the missing round was revealed to be Laguna Seca. All races are 45 minutes in length.
| Rnd. | Circuit | Location | Dates | Supporting |
| 1 | Daytona International Speedway (Road Course) | Daytona Beach, Florida | January 25–27 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2 | Daytona International Speedway (Road Course) | Daytona Beach, Florida | January 25–27 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 3 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 3–5 | NTT IndyCar Series |
| 4 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 3–5 | NTT IndyCar Series |
| 5 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | May 12–14 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 6 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | May 12–14 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 7 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | June 22–24 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 8 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | June 22–24 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 9 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | August 4–6 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 10 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | August 4–6 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 11 | Virginia International Raceway | Alton, Virginia | August 25–27 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 12 | Virginia International Raceway | Alton, Virginia | August 25–27 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 13 | Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia | October 11–13 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 14 | Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia | October 11–13 | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| Source: |||||

## Entry list

All competitors utilize the Mazda MX-5 Cup car, modified to their homologated racing specification by Flis Performance.
| Team | No. | Driver | Driver | Rounds |
| Carter Racing Enterprises | 03 | John Hansen | R | 5–6 |
| Copeland Motorsports | 2 | Maximilian Opalski | | All |
| Copeland Motorsports | 22 | Jeremy Fletcher | R | All |
| Copeland Motorsports | 51 | Tyler Gonzalez | | 1–2, 7 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 3 | James Hinchcliffe | | 4 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 3 | Cody Powell | R | 6 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 4 | Zane Hodgen | R | 1–3 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 23 | Glenn McGee | | 1, 3–4 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 24 | Aaron Jeansonne | | All |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 26 | Peter Atwater | | 1–3, 5–7 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 69 | Anthony McIntosh | | All |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 81 | James Hayosh | R | 1, 4–5 |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 82 | Woody Heimann | | All |
| JTR Motorsports Engineering | 96 | Jared Thomas | | All |
| Spark Performance | 5 | Gresham Wagner | | All |
| Spark Performance | 15 | Sally Mott | R | 7 |
| Spark Performance | 20 | Hernan Palermo | | All |
| Spark Performance | 33 | Alex Bachoura | | 1–6 |
| Spark Performance | 50 | Grant West | R | 1–5, 7 |
| Spark Performance | 54 | Heather Hadley | R | All |
| Spark Performance | 65 | Bryce Cornet | | 1, 3 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 10 | Thomas Annunziata | R | All |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 32 | Christian Hodneland | | 7 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 44 | Bailey Cruse | R | 5–7 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 48 | Rossi Lee | | 2 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 55 | Jonathan Neudorf | R | All |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 72 | Connor Zilisch | | 1–3, 6–7 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 73 | Steven Clemons | R | 1 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 74 | Hanna Zellers | | 1, 3–5 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 78 | Julian DaCosta | R | 6–7 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 80 | Ethan Tyler | | 1, 4–6 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 85 | Bruno Smielevski | R | 1–3 |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 87 | Selin Rollan | | All |
| Hixon Motor Sports | 95 | Farhan Siddiqi | R | 2, 4–7 |
| Robert Noaker Racing | 13 | Robert Noaker | | All |
| Robert Noaker Racing | 17 | Joe Rainey | R | 5, 7 |
| Robert Noaker Racing | 25 | Bryan Heitman | R | 5, 7 |
| Robert Noaker Racing | 30 | Joey Rainey | R | 5 |
| Robert Noaker Racing | 88 | Justin Brigandi | R | 4 |
| Saito MotorSport Group | 19 | Clayton Ketcher | R | 4 |
| Saito MotorSport Group | 19 | Michael Carter | | 6 |
| Saito MotorSport Group | 19 | Ben Keating | | 7 |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 28 | Sam Paley | | 1–4 |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 39 | John Jodoin | | All |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 49 | Andrew Wilson | R | 5 |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 76 | Matthew Dirks | | 1–4 |
| McCumbee McAleer Racing | 83 | Nate Cicero | R | All |
| Sources: |||||
R = Eligible for Rookie's Championship

## Race Results

Bold indicates overall winner.
| Round | Round | Circuit | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Driver |
| 1 | R1 | Daytona | #72 Hixon Motor Sports | #28 McCumbee McAleer Racing | #51 Copeland Motorsports |
| 1 | R1 | Daytona | Connor Zilisch | Sam Paley | Tyler Gonzalez |
| 1 | R2 | Daytona | #28 McCumbee McAleer Racing | #5 Spark Performance | #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering |
| 1 | R2 | Daytona | Sam Paley | Gresham Wagner | Jared Thomas |
| 2 | R1 | St. Petersburg | #13 Robert Noaker Racing | #5 Spark Performance | #5 Spark Performance |
| 2 | R1 | St. Petersburg | Robert Noaker | Gresham Wagner | Gresham Wagner |
| 2 | R2 | St. Petersburg | #5 Spark Performance | #72 Hixon Motor Sports | #72 Hixon Motor Sports |
| 2 | R2 | St. Petersburg | Gresham Wagner | Connor Zilisch | Connor Zilisch |
| 3 | R1 | Laguna Seca | #5 Spark Performance | #72 Hixon Motor Sports | #72 Hixon Motor Sports |
| 3 | R1 | Laguna Seca | Gresham Wagner | Connor Zilisch | Connor Zilisch |
| 3 | R2 | Laguna Seca | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering |
| 3 | R2 | Laguna Seca | Aaron Jeansonne | Aaron Jeansonne | Aaron Jeansonne |
| 4 | R1 | Watkins Glen | #5 Spark Performance | #13 Robert Noaker Racing | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering |
| 4 | R1 | Watkins Glen | Gresham Wagner | Robert Noaker | Aaron Jeansonne |
| 4 | R2 | Watkins Glen | #87 Hixon Motor Sports | #87 Hixon Motor Sports | #87 Hixon Motor Sports |
| 4 | R2 | Watkins Glen | Selin Rollan | Selin Rollan | Selin Rollan |
| 5 | R1 | Road America | #55 Hixon Motor Sports | #2 Copeland Motorsports | #5 Spark Performance |
| 5 | R1 | Road America | Jonathan Neudorf | Maximilian Opalski | Gresham Wagner |
| 5 | R2 | Road America | #2 Copeland Motorsports | #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering | #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering |
| 5 | R2 | Road America | Maximilian Opalski | Jared Thomas | Jared Thomas |
| 6 | R1 | Virginia | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering | #22 Copeland Motorsports | #83 McCumbee McAleer Racing |
| 6 | R1 | Virginia | Aaron Jeansonne | Jeremy Fletcher | Nate Cicero |
| 6 | R2 | Virginia | #72 Hixon Motor Sports | #19 Saito MotorSport Group | #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering |
| 6 | R2 | Virginia | Connor Zilisch | Michael Carter | Jared Thomas |
| 7 | R1 | Road Atlanta | #24 JTR Motorsports Engineering | #5 Spark Performance | #72 Hixon Motor Sports |
| 7 | R1 | Road Atlanta | Aaron Jeansonne | Gresham Wagner | Connor Zilisch |
| 7 | R2 | Road Atlanta | #5 Spark Performance | #51 Copeland Motorsports | #72 Hixon Motor Sports |
| 7 | R2 | Road Atlanta | Gresham Wagner | Tyler Gonzalez | Connor Zilisch |

## Championship Standings
### Points System

Championship points are awarded at the finish of each event according to the chart below.
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30+ |
| Points | 350 | 320 | 300 | 280 | 260 | 250 | 240 | 230 | 220 | 210 | 200 | 190 | 180 | 170 | 160 | 150 | 140 | 130 | 120 | 110 | 100 | 90 | 80 | 70 | 60 | 50 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
For each race, bonus points are awarded for the following:
| Award | Points |
| Pole Position | 10 |
| Most Race Laps Led | 10 |
| Fastest Race Lap | 10 |
* The ten (10) additional points for achieving pole position are not awarded if the starting grid is determined by “Other Means”.
* In the case of a tie for the most laps led, the competitor that finishes the highest in the running order is declared the winner.
* In the case of a tie for the fastest Race lap, the competitor that first achieves the fastest Race lap is declared the winner.

### Driver's Championship

IMSA recognizes driver champions based on the total number of championship points earned during the season.
| Pos. | Driver | DAY | DAY | STP | STP | LGA | LGA | WGL | WGL | ELK | ELK | VIR | VIR | ATL | ATL | Bonus | Points |
| 1 | Jared Thomas | 9 | 1 | 13 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3930 |
| 2 | Aaron Jeansonne | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 21 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 60 | 3570 |
| 3 | Selin Rollan | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 3370 |
| 4 | Maximilian Opalski | 11 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 3050 |
| 5 | Gresham Wagner | 5 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 100 | 2990 |
| 6 | Nate Cicero R | 26 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 2990 |
| 7 | Robert Noaker | 12 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 6 | 20 | 2980 |
| 8 | Connor Zilisch | 2 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 22 | | | | | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 110 | 2920 |
| 9 | John Jodoin | 18 | 23 | 8 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 2890 |
| 10 | Thomas Annunziata R | 8 | 24 | 5 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2850 |
| 11 | Alex Bachoura | 27 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 2540 |
| 12 | Hernan Palermo | 19 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2430 |
| 13 | Woody Heimann | 16 | 7 | 24 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 21 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 2340 |
| 14 | Jonathan Neudorf R | 24 | 9 | 23 | 9 | 26 | 20 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 10 | 2160 |
| 15 | Anthony McIntosh | 15 | 13 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 25 | DNS | 8 | 20 | 12 | DNS | 15 | 13 | 0 | 1960 |
| 16 | Heather Hadley R | 22 | 25 | 19 | 8 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 28 | 0 | 1920 |
| 17 | Jeremy Fletcher R | 14 | 26 | 22 | 13 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 16 | 24 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 0 | 1880 |
| 18 | Sam Paley | 3 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 24 | | | | | | | 20 | 1710 |
| 19 | Tyler Gonzalez | 1 | 2 | 7 | 25 | | | | | | | | | 2 | 4 | 10 | 1580 |
| 20 | Peter Atwater | 21 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 11 | | | 22 | 9 | 19 | 15 | 23 | 26 | 0 | 1520 |
| 21 | Farhan Siddiqi R | | | 25 | 14 | | | 20 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 1110 |
| 22 | Matthew Dirks | 17 | 11 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 12 | 23 | 20 | | | | | | | 0 | 1010 |
| 23 | Bruno Smielevski R | 6 | 28 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 10 | | | | | | | | | 0 | 960 |
| 24 | Grant West R | DNS | DNS | 15 | 7 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 25 | DNS | DNS | | | 28 | 15 | 0 | 960 |
| 25 | James Hayosh R | 20 | 16 | | | | | 15 | 12 | 12 | 15 | | | | | 0 | 960 |
| 26 | Glenn McGee | 10 | 22 | | | 18 | 16 | 8 | 18 | | | | | | | 0 | 940 |
| 27 | Bailey Cruse R | | | | | | | | | 19 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 760 |
| 28 | Zane Hodgen R | 25 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 24 | | | | | | | | | 0 | 730 |
| 29 | Bryce Cornet | 13 | 27 | | | 9 | 5 | | | | | | | | | 0 | 700 |
| 30 | Hanna Zellers | 28 | 20 | | | 20 | 15 | 27 | DNS | 23 | 22 | | | | | 0 | 620 |
| 31 | Ethan Tyler | 29 | 29 | | | | | 13 | 11 | DNS | DNS | 22 | 21 | | | 0 | 610 |
| 32 | Julian DaCosta R | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 0 | 590 |
| 33 | John Hansen R | | | | | | | | | 17 | 11 | 24 | 20 | | | 0 | 520 |
| 34 | James Hinchcliffe | | | | | | | 6 | 9 | | | | | | | 0 | 470 |
| 35 | Joe Rainey R | | | | | | | | | 18 | 14 | | | 22 | 24 | 0 | 460 |
| 36 | Michael Carter | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | 13 | | | 0 | 420 |
| 37 | Bryan Heitman R | | | | | | | | | 20 | 16 | | | 25 | 22 | 0 | 410 |
| 38 | Justin Brigandi R | | | | | | | 19 | 15 | | | | | | | 0 | 280 |
| 39 | Cody Powell R | | | | | | | | | | | 16 | 19 | | | 0 | 270 |
| 40 | Clayton Ketcher R | | | | | | | 14 | 23 | | | | | | | 0 | 250 |
| 41 | Rossi Lee | | | 14 | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 240 |
| 42 | Sally Mott R | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20 | 18 | 0 | 240 |
| 43 | Steven Clemons R | 23 | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 210 |
| 44 | Ben Keating | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26 | 20 | 0 | 160 |
| 45 | Christian Hodneland | | | | | | | | | | | | | 24 | 27 | 0 | 110 |
| 46 | Joey Rainey R | | | | | | | | | 24 | DNS | | | | | 0 | 70 |
| 47 | Andrew Wilson R | | | | | | | | | 25 | DNS | | | | | 0 | 60 |
| Pos. | Driver | DAY | DAY | STP | STP | LGA | LGA | WGL | WGL | ELK | ELK | VIR | VIR | ATL | ATL | Bonus | Points |
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | Second place |
| Bronze | Third place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Retired (Ret) |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Red | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Withdrew (WD) |
| White | Race cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Did not practice (DNP) |
| Blank | Did not arrive (DNA) |
| Blank | Excluded (EX) |

### Entrant's Championship

Each entrant receives championship points for its highest car finishing position in each race. The positions of subsequent finishing cars from the same entrant are not considered in the results and all other cars are elevated in the finishing positions accordingly.
| Pos. | Driver | DAY | DAY | STP | STP | LGA | LGA | WGL | WGL | ELK | ELK | VIR | VIR | ATL | ATL | Bonus | Points |
| 1 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 70 | 4540 |
| 2 | Hixon Motor Sports | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 150 | 4540 |
| 3 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 3 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 4060 |
| 4 | Spark Performance | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 100 | 4030 |
| 5 | Copeland Motorsports | 1 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 40 | 3950 |
| 6 | Robert Noaker Racing | 12 | 19 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 6 | 20 | 3760 |
| 7 | Saito MotorSport Group | | | | | | | 14 | 23 | | | 8 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 1620 |
| 8 | Carter Racing Enterprises | | | | | | | | | 17 | 11 | 24 | 20 | | | 0 | 940 |
| Pos. | Driver | DAY | DAY | STP | STP | LGA | LGA | WGL | WGL | ELK | ELK | VIR | VIR | ATL | ATL | Bonus | Points |