2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup to Kick Off at Daytona

Photo: Mazda

Next year’s Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires will kick off at Daytona International Speedway, as part of its new sanctioning agreement with IMSA that will see the majority of its rounds run on WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekends.

Released on Wednesday, the 2021 calendar will feature an expanded seven-event season, totaling 14 rounds.

The 2021 season will be the fifth year for the series to be managed by Andersen Promotions.

In addition to Daytona in January, the series will visit St. Petersburg — alongside the NTT IndyCar Series — in March followed by trips to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, which will close out the season on Motul Petit Le Mans weekend.

“The 2021 schedule for MX-5 Cup has been developed with our new partners at IMSA,” said Mazda Motorsports director Nelson Cosgrove.

“The IMSA weekends offer a lot of flexibility in terms of where we can race, and they are some really amazing tracks to race on at that!

“We are starting off the year at what will be a really interesting Rolex 24, and being part of that event is going to be really cool. It doesn’t leave much for an offseason, but everyone is super excited about it.”

As was the case this year, the 2021 series champion will collect $200,000 career advancement scholarship from Mazda.

The move to IMSA weekends will see the Mazda MX-5 Cup, which represents the pinnacle of Mazda’s grassroots activity, racing on the same weekends where its DPi program is in action.

“Having the Mazda Motorsports program from the top level of DPi to the entry level into the IMSA paddock with the MX-5 Cup is a great way for us to support our fans and all our competitors,” said Cosgrove.

“Moving on from Daytona, we’ll be back to St. Pete for a fun early spring event and then the rest of the way we’re on IMSA weekends.

“I’m really excited about being a part of all those weekends and having a presence in the IMSA paddock.

“Hopefully, it leads to a strong championship and I expect, based on what we’re hearing early, that the car counts are going to be really good, so there will be a ton of competition.”

2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Schedule:
Jan 28-31 — Daytona International Speedway
March 6-8 — St. Pete (IndyCar)
April 23-25 — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
May 14-16 — Mid-Ohio
July 2-4 — Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 
Aug. 6-8 — Road America
Oct. 6-9 — Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John