The 2022 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BF Goodrich was a single-make motor racing championship, the 18th season of the Mazda MX-5 Cup and the 2nd under a new sanctioning agreement with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The series began on January 27 at Daytona International Speedway, and concluded on October 1 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta after 14 rounds. Jared Thomas won the driver's championship by a narrow margin of 10 points over Connor Zilisch, who was awarded Rookie of the Year. Hixon Motor Sports earned the entrant's championship.

Schedule

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The schedule was announced on August 6, 2021, featuring 14 rounds across seven double-header weekends.[1] All races are 45 minutes in length.

Rnd. Circuit Location Dates Supporting
1 Daytona International Speedway (Road Course)   Daytona Beach, Florida January 27–30 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
2
3 Streets of St. Petersburg   St. Petersburg, Florida February 25–27 NTT Data IndyCar Series
4
5 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course   Lexington, Ohio May 13–15 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
6
7 Watkins Glen International   Watkins Glen, New York June 23–26 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
8
9 Road America   Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin July 1–3 NASCAR Cup Series
10
11 Virginia International Raceway   Alton, Virginia August 26–28 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
12
13 Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta   Braselton, Georgia September 28–October 1 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
14
Source:[2]

Entry list

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All competitors utilize the Mazda MX-5 Cup car, modified to their homologated racing specification by Flis Performance.

Team No. Driver Rounds
  Carter Racing Enterprises 08   Michael Carter 1–5
  Copeland Motorsports 2   Maximilian Opalski[3]  R  1–4, 6–7
7   Matt Curry[4]  R  1, 3
31   Jameson Riley[5]  R  All
51   Tyler Gonzalez[6] 1–4, 6–7
  Maximilian Opalski[3]  R  5
  Spark Performance 5   Gresham Wagner[7] All
24   Aaron Jeansonne[7] All
33   Alex Bachoura[7] All
48   Rossi Lee[8] 2–3, 6
  Hixon Motor Sports 10   Thomas Annunziata[9]  R  6
21   Bruno Carneiro[10]  R  1–6
27   Dante Tornello[11]  R  1–5
65   Bryce Cornet[12]  R  1–6
72   Connor Zilisch[13]  R  All
80   Ethan Tyler  R  3–6
85   Bruno Smielevski[14]  R  6–7
87   Selin Rollan[15] All
  McCumbee McAleer Racing 13   Jenson Altzman[8] All
15   Aidan Fassnacht[16]  R  All
28   Sam Paley[17] All
39   John Jodoin[8]  R  All
48   Rossi Lee[8] 1
53   Mark Kvamme 7
55   Moisey Uretsky[8] 1–5
76   Matthew Dirks[8] All
89   Justin Piscitell[8] All
  Thunder Bunny Racing 22   Laura Hayes  R  All
75   Parker Kligerman[18]  R  5
  JTR Motorsports Engineering 23   Glenn McGee All
69   Anthony McIntosh  R  1–5, 7
81   James Hayosh  R  4–5
82   Woody Heimann All
88   Sean Varwig  R  1–2
  Cameron Lawrence 7
96   Jared Thomas All
  Formidable Racing 32   Chris Nunes[19] 1–6
43   Joey Atanasio[19]  R  All
44   Mickey Thomas  R  2
  Slipstream Performance 36   David Staab All
37   Michael Staab  R  1–3, 5–7
Sources: [20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

 R  = Eligible for Rookie's Championship

Race Results

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Bold indicates overall winner.

Round Circuit Pole Position Fastest Lap Winning Driver
1 R1 Daytona   #28 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering   #51 Copeland Motorsports
  Sam Paley   Jared Thomas   Tyler Gonzalez
R2   #72 Hixon Motor Sports   #5 Spark Performance   #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering
  Connor Zilisch   Gresham Wagner   Jared Thomas
2 R1 St. Petersburg   #23 JTR Motorsports Engineering   #89 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering
  Glenn McGee   Justin Piscitell   Jared Thomas
R2   #23 JTR Motorsports Engineering   #89 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #87 Hixon Motor Sports
  Glenn McGee   Justin Piscitell   Selin Rollan
3 R1 Mid-Ohio   #76 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #28 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #5 Spark Performance
  Matthew Dirks   Sam Paley   Gresham Wagner
R2   #76 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #08 Carter Racing Enterprises   #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering
  Matthew Dirks   Michael Carter   Jared Thomas
4 R1 Watkins Glen   #72 Hixon Motor Sports   #21 Hixon Motor Sports   #51 Copeland Motorsports
  Connor Zilisch   Bruno Carneiro   Tyler Gonzalez
R2   #24 Spark Performance   #76 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #15 McCumbee McAleer Racing
  Aaron Jeansonne   Matthew Dirks   Aidan Fassnacht
5 R1 Road America   #72 Hixon Motor Sports   #5 Spark Performance   #72 Hixon Motor Sports
  Connor Zilisch   Gresham Wagner   Connor Zilisch
R2   #72 Hixon Motor Sports   #5 Spark Performance   #72 Hixon Motor Sports
  Connor Zilisch   Gresham Wagner   Connor Zilisch
6 R1 Virginia   #15 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #51 Copeland Motorsports   #51 Copeland Motorsports
  Aidan Fassnacht   Tyler Gonzalez   Tyler Gonzalez
R2   #15 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #96 JTR Motorsports Engineering   #72 Hixon Motor Sports
  Aidan Fassnacht   Jared Thomas   Connor Zilisch
7 R1 Road Atlanta   #28 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #76 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #72 Hixon Motor Sports
  Sam Paley   Matthew Dirks   Connor Zilisch
R2   #72 Hixon Motor Sports   #39 McCumbee McAleer Racing   #51 Copeland Motorsports
  Connor Zilisch   John Jodoin   Tyler Gonzalez

Championship Standings

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Points System

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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

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IMSA recognizes driver champions based on the total number of championship points earned during the season.

Pos. Driver DAY STP MOH WGL ELK VIR ATL Bonus Points
1   Jared Thomas 5 1 1 6 2 1 5 3 26 2 17 4 5 8 50 3610
2   Connor Zilisch 4 7 17 2 17 17 22 6 1 1 2 1 1 6 90 3600
3   Gresham Wagner 21 2 2 7 1 5 8 13 3 4 3 2 23 2 50 3465
4   Selin Rollan 3 6 3 1 6 2 28 11 4 20 19 6 2 7 30 3225
5   Sam Paley 9 5 6 3 9 8 25 8 29 13 5 3 4 4 30 3010
6   Justin Piscitell 16 16 7 4 5 3 7 24 8 5 6 7 22 5 20 2910
7   Joey Atanasio 12 3 4 14 12 4 2 9 12 19 26 26 7 3 0 2815
8   Matthew Dirks 26 27 19 9 3 16 24 7 7 3 4 5 6 16 35 2565
9   Jenson Altzman 19 30 11 17 19 9 6 21 10 9 12 10 10 11 0 2400
10   Aaron Jeansonne 10 17 12 8 16 14 4 23 6 6 20 20 11 22 10 2395
11   Tyler Gonzalez 1 20 28 10 26 7 1 28 1 24 3 1 10 2390
12   Glenn McGee 15 15 8 20 15 15 23 12 13 7 9 15 23 21 20 2160
13   Bruno Carneiro 6 11 9 13 11 12 9 2 5 21 27 DNS 10 2110
14   Chris Nunes 2 4 5 19 23 13 10 19 9 8 25 25 0 2100
15   Alex Bachoura 24 14 21 16 19 20 12 15 16 15 10 13 8 19 0 2060
16   David Staab 11 12 20 12 20 23 19 18 18 12 16 18 15 13 0 2015
17   Aidan Fassnacht 17 23 25 25 12 11 3 1 23 27 7 22 19 23 20 1945
18   Laura Hayes 20 24 22 15 25 25 18 17 11 11 13 11 17 15 0 1870
19   John Jodoin 18 26 24 18 13 18 16 15 28 10 28 12 12 12 10 1860
20   Maximilian Opalski 8 25 DNS DNS 14 12 13 14 24 DNS 8 17 18 9 0 1705
21   Jameson Riley 23 9 10 11 24 29 14 10 19 23 15 14 DNS DNS 0 1675
22   Woody Heimann 30 8 18 27 22 24 21 16 14 17 22 16 16 17 0 1605
23   Michael Carter 7 29 13 5 4 19 15 27 2 22 10 1580
24   Bryce Cornet 13 10 26 26 8 6 11 4 30 24 23 DNS 0 1485
25   Anthony McIntosh 22 28 29 21 18 21 29 29 15 26 14 14 0 985
26   Michael Staab 28 18 23 28 28 28 28 DNS 24 23 21 20 0 820
27   Bruno Smielevski 14 8 13 18 0 710
28   Dante Tornello 27 21 30 25 17 22 22 14 0 700
29   Ethan Tyler 27 27 27 25 17 18 18 21 0 665
30   Sean Varwig 14 13 15 24 0 580
31   Moisey Uretsky 29 19 16 DNS 29 22 26 26 27 DNS 0 535
32   Rossi Lee DNS DNS 14 DNS 21 26 21 19 0 490
33   James Hayosh 20 20 21 16 0 470
34   Cameron Lawrence 9 10 0 430
35   Thomas Annunziata 11 9 0 420
36   Matt Curry 25 20 0 170
37   Parker Kligerman 20 25 0 170
38   Mickey Thomas 27 23 0 120
39   Mark Kvamme 20 DNS 0 110
Pos. Driver DAY STP MOH WGL ELK VIR ATL Bonus Points
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold - Pole position

Italics - Fastest lap

Underline = Most Laps Led

‡: Race 1 at Mid-Ohio shortened due to weather, half points awarded except for pole position bonus points.

Entrant's Championship

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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 STP MOH WGL ELK VIR ATL Bonus Points
1   Hixon Motor Sports 3 6 3 1 6 2 9 2 29 1 2 1 1 6 130 4340
2   McCumbee McAleer Racing 9 5 6 3 3 3 3 1 7 3 4 3 4 4 125 4085
3   JTR Motorsports Engineering 5 1 1 6 2 1 5 3 13 2 9 4 5 8 70 4300
4   Spark Performance 10 2 2 7 1 5 4 13 3 4 3 2 8 2 60 3935
5   Copeland Motorsports 1 9 10 10 14 7 1 10 19 23 1 14 3 1 10 3800
6   Formidable Racing 2 3 4 14 12 4 2 9 9 8 25 25 7 3 0 3675
7   Slipstream Performance 11 12 20 12 20 23 19 18 18 12 16 18 15 13 0 3165
8   Thunder Bunny Racing 20 24 22 15 25 25 18 17 11 11 13 11 17 15 0 3160
9   Carter Racing Enterprises 7 29 13 5 4 19 15 27 2 22 10 2420
Pos. Driver DAY STP MOH WGL ELK VIR ATL Bonus Points

‡: Race 1 at Mid-Ohio shortened due to weather, half points awarded except for pole position bonus points.

References

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  1. ^ "Mazda MX-5 Cup unveils 14-race 2022 schedule". racer.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Schedule". www.mx-5cup.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Max Opalski Joins Copeland Motorsports for 2022 MX-5 Cup Season". www.mx-5cup.com. December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "Matt Curry Joins Copeland Motorsports in Daytona for Mazda MX-5 Cup Opener". www.mx-5cup.com. December 30, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Copeland Motorsports Adds Jameson Riley to 2022 MX-5 Cup Program". www.mx-5cup.com. December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Tyler Gonzalez and Copeland Motorsports Reconnect for 2022". www.mx-5cup.com. December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Spark Performance Expands to Three-Car MX-5 Cup Effort in 2022". www.mx-5cup.com. January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "McCumbee McAleer Ready for 2022 MX-5 Cup Season Opener". www.mx-5cup.com. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "Thomas Annunziata Boosts HMS Up to Seven Drivers for VIR". www.mx-5cup.com. August 20, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Bruno Carneiro Joins Hixon Motor Sports". www.mx-5cup.com. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dante Tornello Joins Hixon Motor Sports for 2022". www.mx-5cup.com. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  12. ^ "Hixon Motor Sports Adds Bryce Cornet to Mazda MX-5 Cup". www.mx-5cup.com. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "Connor Zilisch Commits to HMS with Late Apex Storage for 2022 Season". www.mx-5cup.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ "Hixon Motor Sports Expands by Adding Bruno Smielevski". www.mx-5cup.com. August 20, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  15. ^ "Selin "The Machine" Rollan is Back with HMS in 2022". www.mx-5cup.com. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Aidan Fassnacht and Sword Performance Set for 2022 MX-5 Cup". www.mx-5cup.com. January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  17. ^ "Sam Paley Returns to MMR for 2022 MX-5 Cup Campaign". www.mx-5cup.com. January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "NASCAR Fan Favorite Parker Kligerman Will Race Mazda MX-5 Cup at Road America". www.mx-5cup.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "New Team Hits MX-5 Paddock-With 100 Years' Experience". www.mx-5cup.com. January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "2022_MX5_Rolex24_PreEvent_EntryList.pdf" (PDF). IMSA. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "01_Grid_Race 1_Official.PDF" (PDF). IMSA. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  22. ^ "2022_MX5_MidOhio_PreEvent_EntryList.pdf" (PDF). IMSA. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  23. ^ "MX-5 Watkins Glen Official Entry List.pdf" (PDF). IMSA. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "01_Grid_Race 1_Official.PDF" (PDF). IMSA. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  25. ^ "2022_mx5_vir_preevententrylist.pdf" (PDF). www.mx-5cup.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "2022_mx5_roadatlanta_preevent_entrylist.pdf" (PDF). www.mx-5cup.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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