Martinsville Speedway will host the Whelen Mazda MX-5 cup on its .526-mile oval track this October, the track announced on Wednesday.
The IMSA-sanctioned series tested at the track last year and will run a 100-lap race on October 26 alongside the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 Whelan Modified Tour season finale.
Evan M. Glazer, president of the NASCAR-owned IMSA series, noted the coincidence that the MX-5 Cup cars are built near NASCAR’s home in Daytona, Fla., by Flis Performance.
The race will mark the firs time that convertible cars have raced on Martinsville Speedway since the NASCAR Convertible Series in 1959.
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The MX-5 Cup series features identical cars that are based on the production MX-5 Miata, but upgraded with more than 250 competition-specific parts.
They are powered by 181 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines and have six-speed manual transmission. No specific modifications for their use at Martinsville have been announced.
The race is taking place a week before the final NASCAR Playoffs cutoff races for the top three series on Nov. 3 weekend.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among the drivers that took part in the test session.
“A show here would be fantastic,” Earnhardt told IMSA.com. “It already has a cult following in the sim racing world. The series in general is very exciting and well respected. People know when they tune in to MX-5, whether it’s Daytona or Road America, they’re going to see a fantastic show. They know and want to be able to see what that would look like on a short track like Martinsville.”
As far as the prize is concerned, along with cash the winner will also receive one of Martinsville’s iconic grandfather clocks.
“You don’t race here without getting a clock,” track president Clay Campbell said.
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