Jared Thomas Dominates Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 1 at St. Petersburg Street Circuit
Jared Thomas secured victory in Round Three of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, leading JTR Motorsports Engineering to a 1-2 finish with teammate Glenn McGee in second place. Nathan Nicholson completed the podium for Advanced Autosports.
Three racing cars at Daytona
Early race leader Jeremy Fletcher lost his advantage after a full-course caution 15 minutes into the race, caused by multiple cars losing control in Turn 10. On the restart, Fletcher went wide in Turn 1, allowing Thomas to take the lead, followed by Nicholson and McGee.
The race concluded with a green-white-checkered finish after another caution period. Thomas maintained his lead to claim his second victory at St. Petersburg, while McGee secured his first career podium finish. Nicholson inherited third place after Luis Gonzalez received a post-race penalty.
Notable performances included Justin Adakonis finishing fifth as the top rookie, Peter Atwater earning the Takumi Award, and Sally Mott receiving the Penske Shocking Performance Award after climbing from the back of the field to 16th place.
The race also marked the announcement of "First to the Finish," a new docuseries following drivers Sally Mott and Heather Hadley through the 2024 season, premiering March 25 on Prime Video.
Round 4 of the Mazda MX-5 Cup continues Sunday at 3:45pm ET in St. Petersburg.
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