Gonzalez Dominates at Barber Motorsports Park in MX-5 Cup
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Tyler Gonzalez of BSI Racing continued his winning streak in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, clinching victory at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday. Gonzalez, in the No. 57 car, claimed the top spot, followed closely by teammate Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing).
Starting from pole position, Nate Cicero (No. 19 Saito Motorsports Group) initially led the race but yielded control to Gonzalez after just four laps, coinciding with the race’s first full-course caution. Following the restart, Cicero managed a brief comeback in Turn 8, only to encounter another caution two laps later.
On the second restart, Gonzalez capitalized, aided by a push from two-time champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering). Gonzalez maintained his lead, aided further when teammate Helio Meza (No. 27 BSI Racing) moved into second, although Meza’s aggressive maneuver on the final lap backfired as he slid off track, finishing 10th.
“We were really down on straight-line speed,” Gonzalez remarked. “The yellows helped a lot. If Helio hadn’t pushed me, I would have been swallowed up.”
In the chaotic final laps, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) attempted to overtake Cicero, leading to both drivers colliding and exiting the track. Gonzalez, who had created a gap, maneuvered through the incident unscathed.
“It was madness,” Gonzalez described the last corners. “I was just catching the car whenever I could.”
Workman strategically observed the chaos, ultimately securing second place, while rookie Noah Harmon (No. 77 AAG Racing) achieved his first podium finish in third, narrowly missing out on second by just 0.091 seconds.
“I started the race 15th and I was just focusing on moving through the field,” Harmon said. “I was thrilled with how it ended.”
Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finished fourth, with Thomas rounding out the top five. Cicero managed to recover to 14th after the last-lap incident.
Notable awards included the Penske Shocking Performance Award for Bryce Cornet (No. 65 Spark Performance), who advanced 17 positions. Sally Mott (No. 15 JTR Motorsports Engineering) earned the Highest Finishing Female Driver Award, while Christian Hodneland (No. 32 BSI Racing) received the Takumi Award.
The series now heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for rounds seven and eight, scheduled for June 6-8, with live streams available on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.
