LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 5, 2026) – The most recent Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin race winner, Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) continued his hot streak by logging the fastest lap in Friday practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

It’s been 12 weeks since the last Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup race event at St. Petersburg and the paddock was more than ready to resume the race season. Especially happy was Adakonis, the fastest driver in practice, who has a strong record at Mid-Ohio.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these things,” Adakonis said. “I’m happy to be back at Mid-Ohio. It's one of my favorite tracks. I’ve had some success here in the past in Spec MX-5 with two wins there. Hopefully we’ll replay that out this weekend. I think we've got a really good car, so far.”

Adakonis’ fast time was a 1:35.139. Second quickest of the day was Parker DeLong (No. 42 Parker DeLong Racing), just 0.090-second behind Adakonis. Cam Ebben (No. 55 Advanced Autosports) led the afternoon session, but his time was not faster than Adakonis or DeLong’s. The top 17 cars were within 0.5-seconds of each other.

Friday was split into two, 40-minute practice sessions. Both under sunny skies and with temperatures in the 80’s for the afternoon session. Saturday’s forecast does include a chance for rain.

“I was definitely learning how the track evolves,” Adakonis said of his track time. “Just learning that again with this tire. I don't have to learn the tracks on the car this year, so I focus on those small details that will help me in the race. In practice one it’s good to get a good draft lap, and a good understanding of how the draft works here. In practice two I was kind of running by myself so I can get some laps in and understand references and what to do.”

Saturday at Mid-Ohio begins with qualifying at 10:10am ET and ends with Race 1 at 3:05pm ET. The race will be streamed live on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels and RACER+ network.