The Mazda MX-5 Cup is coming to Martinsville Speedway in October.
Almost a year after a test session that included the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Connor Zilisch and Chad McCumbee, the IMSA sports car sanctioning body owned by NASCAR has scheduled a 100-lap race at the Virginia short track on October 26.
It will run alongside the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale on the same night.
On one hand, this is the first time the IMSA series has raced on an oval but its also true to the roots of NASCAR style oval racing which saw open roof touring cars race on both Daytona Beach and Martinsville in the 1950s.
It’s throwback and innovative at the same time.
“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. “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 race is a non-points exhibition race for the MX-5 Cup and is open to racers of all kinds. The race will pay $15,000 to the winner in addition to the historic Ridgeway Grandfather Clock paid out to all winners of any kind at the half-mile.
Second pays $5,000 and third pays $4,000 with monies issued throughout the top-10.
Another test has been scheduled for Monday, August 26, which comes one day after MX-5 Cup completes a doubleheader at nearby Virginia International Raceway an hour away in Danville.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.