IMSA Bringing Mazda MX-5 Cup Series to Martinsville Oval

• The event, set for Saturday, October 26, will also include the season-ending event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series.

• The Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race will be a 100-lap, non-points exhibition on the paper clip-style oval.

• The historic oval race will be a first for the series and award $15,000 to the winner.

The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Series—and what could very well be five-wide racing—will race at one of America's most iconic ovals at Martinsville Speedway this fall.

That's right, an oval.

The event, set for Saturday, October 26, will also include the season-ending event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series. The doubleheader was announced at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday.

The Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race will be a 100-lap exhibition on the paper clip-style oval. The ‘Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300’ doubleheader will also include a 200-lap finale of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.

The historic oval race will award $15,000 to the Mazda MX-5 Cup race winner.

“It’s a great compliment to Mazda MX-5 Cup that NASCAR and IMSA leadership enjoy the series and want to expand its footprint,” said Jonathan Applegate, senior manager, Mazda Motorsports. “We’ve seen increased interest in the series from drivers with NASCAR aspirations who want to grow their skill set. Racing at Martinsville is a unique opportunity to capitalize on that and we are really excited about this opportunity.”

IMSA president John Doonan was on hand for the announcement at Martinsville on Wednesday.

"There has been a massively loyal fan base that's come here to Martinsville for years or follows the Whelen Modified Series around the country or follows NASCAR," Doonan said. "And they're going to have a new offering right before their eyes. So I think all of motorsports is at an incredible moment. And it's events like this that are unique that have put different platforms of the sport in front of people that may have never seen it before.

"And I'm not sure which of the cars is going to be louder on the track because the MX-5 Cup cars make a really special sound, and I know the Modifieds do as well. It's going to be a fantastic show, and with close finishes that Martinsville is known for over the years and the close finishes that MX-5 Cup has had for decades now, I think this is going to be the mixture of the two, for sure."

Mazda's Applegate added that there's already a buzz about the prospects of oval racing for the series.

"Race fans are going to see something new and exciting on the oval," Applegate said. "The thought process and the strategic vision of IMSA leadership and NASCAR looking at platform in Mazda and MX-5 Cup and saying this is something we can see translate on an oval. But not necessarily just here in and of itself, but looking at it as an opportunity for race fans and also racers who are looking to develop their skills, their craft moving into whatever category that may be, whether that's sports cars, whether that's stock car racing and finding that ambitious path for them.

"This is an opportunity for us to be showcased in a way that shows our product and our cars and our race drivers in a different fashion."

MX-5 Cup will hold a test at Martinsville on Monday, Aug. 26.

The exhibition event itself will not count toward the 2024 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship, which concludes Oct. 11 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The Martinsville race will consist of two practice sessions, single-car qualifying, and a 100-lap race split into two stages. Yellow flags will not count for the first 50-lap stage, but will be in effect for the second half. Prize money will also be awarded to the top three drivers at the stage break.