JTR Motorsports Engineering enjoyed a strong weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin this past weekend. Jared Thomas led the charge with back-to-back second-place finishes in the weekend’s two races, strengthening his position in the championship points chase.

Thomas qualified himself and the team for a strong start to the weekend, ultimately bringing the JTR Motorsports Mazda home second in race one. John Salerno also delivered a solid performance, finishing eighth, while Glenn McGee crossed the line 14th. Justin Gravett finished 19th, followed by Peter Atwater in 31st. Gresham Wagner was just two laps shy of the finish when he was forced to retire.

Thomas returned to the podium again in race two, once again securing second place and completing a double-podium weekend for the JTR Motorsports Engineering program. Salerno finished 14th in the second race, with Gravett crossing the line 16th and Atwater finishing 30th. Unfortunately, both McGee and Wagner were unable to complete the full race distance in the second contest.

For Thomas, the two podiums marked a strong weekend for both him and the JTR Motorsports Engineering organization as the team continues to compete across multiple motorsports programs throughout North America.

“It’s always great to come away from a weekend with two podiums,” explained Thomas. “This is especially great when we’re racing in a field as competitive as Mazda MX-5 Cup. We had a really strong car at VIR, and the team did a great job all weekend. Obviously, we’d love to turn those second-place finishes into wins, but taking home two podiums is something we can be proud of. We had some tough luck with a few of the other cars, but that’s racing, and we’ll take the positives and keep pushing forward.”

After a successful weekend at VIR, the team will look to carry its momentum into the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America season finale at Road Atlanta. The finale will take place September 11-13, giving JTR Motorsports one final opportunity to close out the championship season on a high note.

Photo Credit: RTD Media