Gresham Wagner Clinches First Win of 2025 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario – Gresham Wagner (No. 81 RAFA Racing Team by MMR) captured his first victory of the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup season, as a dramatic weather interruption led to an early end to the race on Sunday. This marks a pivotal moment for Wagner, who has endured a challenging season since a crash earlier in Daytona.
Wagner took over the lead just before a full-course caution, showcasing impressive timing amid deteriorating conditions. "You try to just get track position and make the most of it," he remarked. "Fortunately, we made it down to the last five or six minutes, which is pretty much full-push anyway."
Race Summary
Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) started strong from pole but lost the lead to championship leader Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports) and later to Wagner as the race unfolded. The drivers contended with intermittent rain, raising concerns about a potential red flag.
As the race clock approached the 10-minute mark, Wagner made a decisive move on the back straight, overtaking several competitors and eventually taking the lead with assistance from Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing), who had won the previous day. As rain intensified, the event was red-flagged when lightning prompted the field to pit.
"Winning is a nice surprise," Wagner added, referencing his return following a difficult start to the season. He emphasized his strategy of leading whenever possible, which ultimately paid off.
Top Performances
The podium was dominated by MMR drivers, with Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Cicero finishing second and third, respectively. Fletcher expressed the strength of their collective effort: "As a team, collectively, we’re probably the strongest one in the paddock."
Despite losing ground during the race due to car issues, Cicero managed to secure third place, stating, "That yellow came at the perfect time for me, because I would have just kept going backwards."
Nicholson retained his championship lead with a fourth-place finish, while newcomer Marcello Paniccia (No. 19 Saito Autosports Group) impressed by finishing fifth in his series debut.
Sally Mott (No. 15 JTR Motorsports Engineering) earned accolades as the top-finishing female driver, finishing 12th.
In Summary
The next rounds of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup will take place at VIRginia International Raceway on August 22-24. Full race replays are available on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels, offering fans a chance to catch all the action.
