ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (Feb. 23, 2026) – After a record-breaking grid size to open the season, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is headed to the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida with 42 cars. Two of those Mazda MX-5 Cup machines will be piloted by world-renowned drivers Sebastien Bourdais (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Earl Bamber (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports), who are making guest appearances in Rounds Three and Four.
The 1.8-mile temporary street circuit is a favorite for many Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup drivers. Despite being made up of various roads and runways along the Port of St. Petersburg, the track still has a good flow to it, with several decent passing areas. The sun is always shining, and the atmosphere feels like a city festival for the traditional INDYCAR season opening weekend.
Four drivers on the grid know what it feels like to win at St. Pete: Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Gresham Wagner (No. 5 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) and Bourdais. Of course, Bourdais’ two prior victories came in an IndyCar rather than a Mazda MX-5.
The Frenchman who has called the Bay area home since 2003 is venturing into MX-5 Cup in the name of charity. To raise money for Karts4Kids, donors can put their name on the car Bourdais is set to race at St. Pete.
What of the other drivers with St. Pete-winning experience? Well, none of them had a great start to the season at Daytona. In fact, all three had a DNF in one of the two races and Gonzalez was the only one who made a trip to the podium. Now, all three need to bank major points at St. Pete to regain momentum toward the $250,000 prize from Mazda that goes to the season champion.
Thomas has twice won MX-5 Cup races at St. Pete, the most recent being last year. Winning Race 1 and finishing third in Race 2 propelled him to the point lead leaving Florida. In contrast, Wagner did not compete in last year’s event at St. Pete, but he was part of a classic Mazda MX-5 Cup moment in 2023, when he drag-raced Connor Zilisch out of the final turn and to the line, winning by 0.021-second.
For Gonzalez, St. Pete had been a cruel track until last year, when he won Race 2. To that point he’d never even been in the top five at the street circuit.
All three of these drivers have an important thing in common; experience, and it’s going to take experience to navigate the narrow, concrete-lined street circuit.
“I think it takes a good setup and a lot of consistent driving to have a chance to win at St. Pete,” Wagner said. “In terms of making lap time, the walls aren’t much of a consideration for me, and I’m sure there’s a lot of quick drivers that don’t let it get in the way of their driving.
“Really, the track becomes tight and punishing when it comes to racing other drivers, both when defending and overtaking. I think that’s what stands out the most — the wheel-to-wheel racing becomes that much more aggressive, with much less margin for error. You really have to think a lot more about the moves you’re going to make at St. Pete, because in plenty of spots, there aren’t many options besides hitting the wall.
“I think the drivers that come out in front usually have done a great job of managing their aggressiveness, and not getting too caught up in the moment. More than most tracks, you have to give a bit more consideration and margin to every decision you make.”
The big winner coming into St. Pete is Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing). He leads the points after scoring a career-best finish of second in Race 1 and backing it up with a 10th-place finish in Race 2. The sophomore has been on a streak of strong finishes since VIRginia International Raceway last August.
Of the three current MX-5 Cup Shootout Scholarship recipients, Ethan Lampe (No. 31 Advanced Autosports) had the best results at Daytona and arrives in St. Pete 11th in points.
Then there’s the Kiwi wildcard: Bamber. He’s never raced the St. Pete street course, but he has raced MX-5 Cup before, at Martinsville, an oval. That race was going great until contact took him out in the second half. Can he duplicate his performance this week on a street circuit? More importantly, which of the pros will finish higher: Bamber or Bourdais?
Watch and find out the answers when Race 1 goes green at 7:30am ET on Saturday, February 28 and again on Sunday, March 1, when Race 2 gets going at 4pm ET. Both races will be streamed live on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.