Ahead of the IMSA event at Virginia International Raceway this week, we had an MX-5 test that really kicked things off in a spectacular way. You’ll never guess where we were: Martinsville Speedway! Yes, MX-5 Cup cars on an oval! I had so much fun getting to drive on such a legendary circuit.
Years of exciting MX-5 Cup racing at Daytona created such a buzz for the series and fans alike that an idea was hatched to take that thrilling competition to an oval. What better place than Martinsville Speedway, just an hour away from VIR?
We had two days of testing, and what an incredible facility Martinsville is! I’ve watched stock cars run there for many years on TV, but getting to see the place in person made me realize just how big it is. Martinsville has huge grandstands and a lot more banking than I had imagined!
The MX-5 Cup cars took to the banks incredibly well, and we were all pleased with how the cars performed. In fact, they were running within just a couple seconds of what a stock car does around that track, even though they only have a quarter of the horsepower.
There were only a few changes that had to be made to the cars to take them from their usual road racing setups to “left-only” oval setups. Thankfully, we were able to come up with a setup that really suited that format well.
One additional beauty to having the cars on this kind of track is that they can run side by side without much compromise, thanks in part to their narrow size. It creates a real spectacle for fans, but it’s pretty intense for the drivers, too! I was impressed with how much lateral load these cars produce through the corners, and it took a lot of focus for us drivers to run side-by-side mistake-free.
On day two of testing, media were invited to attend, and we got incredible attention thanks in part to the excitement of the series potentially coming to a short track, but also because we had famous NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Bobby Labonte there to turn some laps in the MX-5s. They both had an incredible time and, as one might expect, they took to the cars quite quickly. It was a real honor to run in a pack with these legends.
We’ll see what the future holds for this series and its potential arrival at a short track next season!