After a thrilling drive from last to first in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin on Saturday at VIR, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) took a photo finish victory on Sunday. Joining Fletcher on the podium was teammate Gresham Wagner (No. 5 McCumbee McAleer Racing), while Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) moved from last on the grid to third.

Unlike Saturday’s race, Fletcher’s race started just as strong as it ended. He was able to team up with his MMR teammates Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Wagner, and the trio worked together to pull away from the rest of the field. They had a 6-second lead on the rest of the field when a full-course caution was issued for a car stopped on the track, wiping out their lead.

“I was super thankful for the guys,” Fletcher said. “I think we all worked pretty well together and created that gap. We knew we were fast. The caution was kind of heartbreaking, but with these races, as close as it is, that’s to be expected. I was still confident. I knew my car was fast. I knew we were fast as a team, and I thought we could beat everyone else as a team and get it done.”

Although they were unable to repeat their breakaway attempt, particularly as a second full course caution came out shortly afterwards, the MMR teammates continued to be a force at the front of the field. It was only with three laps to go that two non-MMR cars pushed each other forward.

Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) briefly took the lead with help from Thomas, who then passed Workman in Turn 1 with two laps to go and took the lead.

“I think Jared saw on the last lap, at the end of the backstretch, that we were all kind of struggling, so he decided not to attack,” Fletcher said. “We came onto the backstretch and luckily Gresham decided to push me.”

Wagner pushed his teammate past Thomas to take the win. Fletcher took his second win in the Mazda MX-5 Cup by 0.061 seconds.

“I’m super grateful for this and winning,” Fletcher said. “I think I’m starting to like VIR a little more than I used to! The guys at McCumbee McAleer, Flis Performance, Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Home Store, Home Decor and More, Home Restoration Exchange; all of these people do so much for me and I’m so grateful to be able to take home some hardware items.”

Thomas may have been disappointed not to win, but considering he started last in a reserve car, second place felt like a win.

“I didn’t want to crash in the first corner because it’s always hectic here at the VIR. Then I wanted to work my way methodically through the field,” said Thomas. “I knew it was doable. Jeremy did it yesterday, so I just put my head down and got to work. The car was great. The team stayed up really late last night to prepare a replacement car for me and I was confident it would be a good car. We just did our job and it worked out well.”

Although Wagner finished third in both Saturday and Sunday’s races, his willingness to be a team player certainly helped Fletcher secure the two VIR race wins.

“We didn’t have the car to win today,” said Wagner. “Jeremy had the car to win, that’s why he won. So I was happy to work with him and still get the result I deserved. But the whole team deserved more.”

Workman narrowly missed the podium but achieved a best finish as a rookie and extended his lead in the Rookie of the Year championship, which comes with a check for $80,000 at the end of the season.

Despite leading seven laps of the race and winning last year’s VIR, Cicero had to settle for fifth place, leaving three MMR cars in the top five.

Fletcher has taken the provisional lead in the championship standings, followed by Thomas and Wagner. The top five spots are separated by 220 points as the series heads to the final two races of the season on October 9-11 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where the 2024 champion will receive $250,000.

But first, the MX-5 Cup teams will head to Martinsville Speedway on Monday, August 26 for a public test ahead of the series’ debut on the oval track on October 26.