MILLVILLE, NJ (July 7, 2026) – On the heels of his best finish of the season, Max Stallone – driving for Wheels America Racing in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin with support from PT Autosport – heads to another new racetrack this week: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Taking the checkered flag for the second of two Mazda MX-5 races at Mid-Ohio last month in fourth position, the 19-year-old Austin, Texas native looks to carry that momentum forward at a fast and flowing track he saw for the first time earlier this week: however, like most young drivers, Stallone initially learned CTMP’s layout via the simulator – though he recognizes that the sim has its limitations.
“The sensation of speed isn’t there, which can hurt you more at a track like CTMP,” said Stallone. “I use virtual reality because it makes you feel a bit like you’re in the car, which is a bit more realistic, but the MX-5 on iRacing is still reasonably realistic. What does help for me is to run cars that are a few steps up, like a GT4 or GT3 car on the CTMP layout, or even an Indy car – that way, I can corner faster and get kind of used to carrying a lot of speed through those high commitment, high speed corners, and learn how to really throw the car into corners hard and trust that it will stick. Because in real life, everything feels faster, so a GT3 on the sim probably feels about the same speed as an MX-5 Cup car in real life.”
With all the sim time behind him, Stallone and Wheels America Racing were ready to learn the track for real, racing at CTMP last weekend in the Enduro Elite doubleheader – a chance to get both Stallone and teammate Logan Stretch acclimated as they shared the wheel with fellow Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup competitors Bobby and Ellie Gossett for Saturday’s seven-hour race and Sunday eight-hour.
“We did a bunch of driver swaps in the two races just so we could all get practice,” said Stallone. “It was good practice especially if it rains on Saturday – in last Saturday’s race, it absolutely poured so I got to race at CTMP in the rain. And I have to say: CTMP is an intimidating track by its very nature, as fast as it is. Add water, and it gets a bit risky. So we drove with that in mind – and knowing we were on endurance tires, not the Michelin tires we’ll be running this weekend, which we know are good in the rain.
“Then in Monday’s test, I was able to run with the rest of the series drivers,” continued Stallone. “I could gauge my speed compared to them, then work on setup. So all in all, about seven hours of testing over three days, in all different kinds of conditions. I hope that sets us up well heading into the race weekend.”
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin series will contest two 45-minute races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Race one takes the green flag Saturday at 5:25 p.m. ET, with race two Sunday at 10:05 a.m. ET. 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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