BOWMANVILLE, Ont. Canada (July 14, 2026) – Wheels America Racing’s Max Stallone – racing in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin with support from PT Autosport – endured another difficult race weekend, caught up several incidents not of his own making.
The 19-year-old Austin, Texas native, who won the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout scholarship, showed plenty of pace but found himself on the receiving end of more than his share of crashes during the pair of 45-minute races.
Stallone and teammate Logan Stretch tried two different setups for Friday’s first practice, with Stallone also on scrubbed tires (most of the leaders were on sticker Michelins). With Stretch setting the sixth quickest time and Stallone four-tenths back, the team put Stretch’s setup on the No. 3 Mazda MX-5 Cup car for the afternoon session – which clearly was the right direction in which to go, with Stallone setting the third quickest time.
“We’re in a really good window,” said Stallone. “We changed a few things to add more rear stability on the high-speed corners at CTMP, and that really helped. Just need to put it all together in qualifying and the race.”
Unfortunately, Stallone couldn’t catch the draft in qualifying and started 18th, next to his teammate just ahead. Stretch was able to get around several cars ahead, but Stallone remained mired in the pack, fighting a three-car battle for 16th position. Stallone took the position with a decisive move, but an issue with the left rear camber negated much of the car’s stability, which shuffled him back to 19th. Stallone worked to press forward but an electrical issue shut the car down with just three minutes left in the race. In a very heads-up move, Stallone pulled across the track at pit out and slid backwards down the hill and off the racetrack – thus preventing a race-ending yellow flag.
Stallone’s race lap was quicker than his qualifying lap, putting him P12 on Sunday morning’s race two starting grid. Battling hard from the outset, Stallone held his position as the field jostled through the early going but with 30 minutes remaining, Stallone was caught up in a multiple car incident, damaging his left rear. His mechanics worked feverishly to get the left rear tire off and the damage mitigated, to get him back out on track, only a lap down. He continued to fight hard and was able to recover a 26th place finish.
It was a struggle, but Stallone was able to find a few positives out of the weekend.
“We know the pace is there – the car was consistently quick during second practice,” said Stallone. “It really all came together in that session, with a good setup and good speed. And in the races, I was in some good fights and learned some good lessons, good race craft. Otherwise, just one of those weekends where things just didn’t go right and we didn’t have any luck. So pack this one up and move on.”
Next up for the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin series will be the doubleheader August 21-23 at VIRginia International Raceway, as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Michelin GT Challenge. Both races will be streamed live on the IMSA and Racer magazine
YouTube channels.
PT Autosport would like to thank our Partners for their continued support:
Mazda Motorsports has been winning races around the world for 50 years. From Le Mans, France to Daytona International Speedway in Florida, Mazdas have been a constant presence at racetracks around the globe, garnering wins and championships in races too numerous to list – and the list keeps growing.
Mazda Motorsports is responsible for all auto racing initiatives within the North American market, from promoting and servicing grassroots racers to developing sports car professionals of the future.
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Stallone supports Hope Farm, founded in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 1997 as a long-term leadership development program that guides at-risk boys, without the benefit of a positive male role model in their homes, from the time they are 5-7 years old until high school graduation and beyond. Staff and volunteers are dedicated to meeting the spiritual, nutritional, academic, emotional, and recreational needs of each young man to break the cycle of fatherlessness.
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About PT Autosport — Discover Unique Talent. Develop Champions.
PT Autosport provides merit-based motorsport industry opportunities for diverse individuals with high integrity, grit, and coachability, achieved through a development program for young aspiring drivers, engineers, mechanics, and other professionals. The first step of this process is applying for the annual Aspiring Driver Shootout, in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a racing partnership with the team.
A rigorous evaluation process of applicants determines the final competitors for the driver shootout. The winner earns financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career. The review process also provides the team the chance to identify unique talent for other roles in motorsport, including race engineers, mechanics, and professionals.
PT Autosport is building a community that fosters the development of young talent to find a place where they can make an impact in the motorsport community as a career.
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