Whatever the event, whatever the track, MX-5s tend to produce some of the best racing. During the Oct. 3-4, 2026,听Mission Foods 麻豆视频庐 National Championship Runoffs庐 at Road America, the Spec MX-5 (SMX) field of third-gen NC Miatas put an exclamation point on that point, with sensational battles throughout the 22-car field.
Hagerty Race Day around the 14-turn, 4.048-mile course was Cam Ebben鈥檚 day; his performance in his No. 66 MX-5 was nothing if not astonishing, climbing from last place on the grid to win by four seconds.
鈥淭his means everything to me,鈥� said the Milwaukee Region member. 鈥淚鈥檝e grown up here, watching from those bleachers at Turn 5. I even watched my dad race his Mazdas around here, which inspired me to get into this class in the first place.
鈥淎 lot of things had to go my way today and they definitely did: I got some good breaks from others鈥� misfortunes, which opened doors for me. And from there I got into the lead and did what I know I can do best.鈥�
Skyler Cottrell made a strong start from the Tire Rack Pole pursued by William Wallis and Joey Andrews, but no one looked like they were breaking away (it鈥檚 SMX racing, after all). Following them, Lincoln Larson, in the No. 16 Trackdaytire/LVRY/Mazda MX-5, led Weston Duchak, in the No. 40 Duchak Motorsports MX-5, at the end of the opening lap, with Jarrett Jones in sixth, also in close quarters.
On lap four, Larson pushed Wallis past Cottrell and into the lead, then tucked in behind the former leader while watching his mirrors for Duchak and Jones. While the top five were covered by six-tenths of a second, Andrews had fallen one second behind, getting passed by Ebben.
Ebben鈥檚 charge from the back of the field (having missed qualifying) was assisted with eight laps to go when Wallis, who ultimately finished ninth, made a slight error and dropped to fifth. Cottrell and Duchak then also went off track on a possible oil spill at Hurry Downs, and it took just one more lap for Ebben to snatch the lead.听
Ebben worked hard to shake off his pursuers, and by lap nine of 13, he held a 1.6sec lead, with Duchak, Cottrell, Larson, and the recovering Andrews giving vain chase.
While the leader had pulled away, the second-, third- and fourth-place cars of Duchak, Larson, and Cottrell had drawn well clear (in relative terms) of the Jones vs. Andrews battle. Yet with two to go, they started slowing each other in their exchange of positions, which brought Jones鈥� and Andrews鈥� cars back into the podium fight. Larson and Cottrell鈥檚 scrap for third lost them time to Florida Region鈥檚 Duchak, who ultimately earned the runner-up spot, and allowed Jones and Andrews to enter the fray. In a thrilling final-lap flurry of drafting and out-braking, Larson reclaimed third, while Cottrell was passed by Jones, who took fourth and left Cottrell in fifth. Andrews rounded out the top six.
Duchak seemed content with his runner-up finish, stating: 鈥淚 was driving as hard as I can while maintaining my tires, just sitting there letting everything happen around me. Toward the end, I had to pick up the pace to secure P2. [I] managed to do it and I couldn鈥檛 be happier.鈥�
Utah Region鈥檚 Larson appeared similarly happy with third after emerging from the melee with a somewhat battle-scarred racecar.
鈥淚t was amazing,鈥� he remarked. 鈥淚 was running with some very talented drivers鈥� There was hard racing back and forth with everyone, but I was trying to keep the car cool鈥� deciding where to put my car, with Skyler right behind me.鈥�
Starting last on the grid, Ebben also grabbed the race鈥檚 Sunoco Hard Charger award.
罢丑别听63rd Mission Foods 麻豆视频庐 National Championship Runoffs庐 is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns 麻豆视频鈩� Champions as part of the Summit Racing Equipment 麻豆视频 Road Racing program. In 2026, two Hagerty Race Days at Wisconsin鈥檚 Road America decide 23 gold-medal winners.
The live, online Runoffs Broadcast presented by Mazda features video over both competition days at . Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at听.
Below are听official results for Saturday鈥檚 Spec MX-5 race at the 麻豆视频 National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (22), Cam Ebben, Appleton, WI, Mazda MX-5, 13.
2, (4), Weston Duchak, Jupiter, FL, Mazda MX-5, 13.
3, (5), Lincoln Larson, Park City, UT, Mazda MX-5, 13.
4, (7), Jarrett Jones, Atlanta, GA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
5, (1), Skyler Cottrell, Atlanta, GA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
6, (2), Joey Andrews, Glendale, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
7, (16), Mitchell Lowry, Springfield, OH, Mazda MX-5, 13.
8, (11), Christian Hoagland, Simi Valley, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
9, (3), William Wallis, Paso Robles, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
10, (6), Jason Fichter, West Palm Beach, FL, Mazda MX-5, 13.
11, (10), Ryan Gutile, Madera, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
12, (13), Gavin Wardle, Herriman, UT, Mazda MX-5, 13.
13, (21), Benym Abernethy, Elm Grove, WI, Mazda MX-5, 13.
14, (15), Christopher Girem, Lake Mary, FL, Mazda MX-5, 13.
15, (9), Jared Korth, Clovis, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
16, (8), Camden Gruber, Winchester, VA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
17, (18), Adrian Comstock, Beverly Hills, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
18, (19), Marcello Cusma, Mt Juliet, TN, Mazda MX-5, 13.
19, (20), Jillian Fichter, West Palm Beach, FL, Mazda MX-5, 13.
20, (17), Richard James, Trabuco Canyon, CA, Mazda MX-5, 13.
DNF, (14), Jake Faulkner, Katy, TX, Mazda MX-5, 4.
DNF, (12), Michael Tinis, East Meadow, NY, Mazda MX-5, 0.
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Race Stats
Length of Race:听52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race:听34:15.438 (avg. 92.168 mph)
Margin of Victory:听04.007 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:36.414 (93.168 mph)
Lap Leaders:听#9, Laps 1-3, 6; #52, Laps 4-5; #66, Laps 7-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #66 Cam Ebben
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Photo by Jeff Loewe
