Fassnacht, Who Won Last Weekend at Watkins Glen in the No. 15 Sword Performance Mazda MX-5, Has an Immediate Turnaround to This Week in Front of the NASCAR Crowd
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (June 30, 2022) – Aidan Fassnacht earned his first career Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup win last weekend at Watkins Glen, but has limited time to celebrate as he and the No. 15 Sword Performance Mazda MX-5 are back in action this week at Road America, July 1-3.
Fassnacht and his McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR) prepared Mazda will race in front of a large crowd on the four-mile circuit as part of the NASCAR Cup Series weekend. Both 45-minute races will begin at 9:05 a.m. CT on Saturday, July 2nd and Sunday, July 3rd and can be seen live on IMSA.com.
“Prior to Watkins Glen last weekend, Road America was the only track I have won at in the country,” Fassnacht said. “So, my confidence is at an all-time high with two podiums at Watkins Glen and a win from the back. I am now going to a track that I know how to win on. I just can’t wait to get to Road America and get started.”
Fassnacht is coming off of his best weekend in his young professional career. Despite getting behind the wheel for the first time just three years ago, the 19-year-old Boston College student drove from last on the grid to a podium position on Friday at Watkins Glen – the first time this season he’d finished inside the top 10.
For an encore, Fassnacht upped the performance on Saturday, going from worst to first in the 45-minute race. The second run was made even more impressive due to the fact that the race ran green for the full distance, unable to use a full course caution to close the gap to the front runners.
Now Fassnacht returns to the only track that he’d previously won a race at, when he claimed an amateur racing victory at Road America in Spec MX-5 for previous-generation Mazdas.
That performance likely opens doors for Fassnacht, who struggled early in the season with qualifying positions often because of a lack of a drafting partner. Now a race winner, friendly rivals are more likely to run with him on the track.
“Relative to prior weekends, I felt like I had more respect on the track at The Glen,” Fassnacht said. “People were not immediately trying to pass me, they were like ‘let’s go, I am going to push you’ because I think they know that I was quick. It definitely feels good to get respect around the paddock because that is something you need in this series. It’s such a team sport. Obviously, you are trying to win, but you have to work together to win. To have the respect of everyone else in the paddock is huge and I am really glad I was able to achieve that last weekend.”
To celebrate the Watkins Glen win and to launch his push to Road America, Sword Performance, The Leader In Healthy Hydration, is offering a 20 percent discount on products ordered through www.DrinkSword.com with the code RACE20 at checkout. This includes SHIELD Zero, a revolutionary all-natural zero sugar, zero artificial sweetener electrolyte hydration drink, that tastes light and refreshing without the junk. Packed with the same balanced electrolyte profile and natural ingredients found in SHIELD, the real fruit flavors of SHIELD Zero satisfy and help prevent hydration all day long without creating digestive issues.
“I’m so happy to have Sword Performance along for the ride,” Fassnacht said. “We started this journey with the goal of getting them into victory lane. We’ve done that, so now we’ll reset that goal to get to victory lane a second, and then a third time.”
Fassnacht, MMR, Sword Performance and the Mazda MX-5 Cup field are on track for the first time at Road America on Friday, July 1 at 9 a.m. CT, and again at 11:40 CT, for practice. Qualifying is Friday at 3:00 p.m. CT, before Saturday and Sunday’s 9:05 a.m. green flags. All of the action can be seen at IMSA.com or on RACER.com.
About Sword Performance: Sword Performance, Inc. is an American manufacturer of performance hydration beverages, built around a system of proprietary electrolyte replacement products and heat stress subject expertise. Sword Performance Inc. was founded with a purpose: to provide great-tasting, effective hydration to hard-working men and women everywhere. From stadium lights to job sites, Sword Performance hydration products are designed to work with the body to battle dehydration and fatigue. More information can be found at www.DrinkSword.com.
About Aidan Fassnacht: A second-generation professional racecar driver, 19-year-old Aidan Fassnacht is conducting the 2022 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup for McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR) in the No. 15 Sword Performance Mazda MX-5 Cup. Fassnacht, a student at Boston College, raced a Spec Miata in Regional and National Sports Car Club of America events for two seasons before taking on the Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2021, earning a slot in the prestigious Mazda Shootout before signing with MMR for his 2022 rookie campaign.
