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Jared Thomas (racing driver)

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Jared Thomas
NationalityAmerican
Born (1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 27)
North Vernon, Indiana, United States
Mazda MX-5 Cup career
Debut season2020
Current teamJTR Motorsports Engineering
Car number96
Former teamsCarter Racing Enterprises
Championship titles
2022, 2023
2024		Mazda MX-5 Cup
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America
Last updated on: November 15, 2024.

Jared Thomas (born October 16, 1997) is an American racing driver and team owner of JTR Motorsports Engineering who currently competes in the Mazda MX-5 Cup.

Thomas was crowned MX-5 Cup champion in consecutive seasons in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first driver in series history to score two championship titles.

Career

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Early career

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Thomas' career began with regional Spec Miata competition, in which he competed part-time while pursuing a motorsport engineering degree at IUPUI.[1] His 2019 Spec Miata exploits earned him an invite to the Mazda Road to 24 shootout at Michelin's Laurens Proving Grounds. At the conclusion of the December shootout weekend, Thomas was declared the winner and earned a $100,000 scholarship to compete in the 2020 Global MX-5 Cup season.[2] In early 2020, Thomas was nominated by members of the Mazda Motorsports community to receive the 2019 Spirit of Mazda award.[3]

Mazda MX-5 Cup (2020-present)

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Thomas at Mid-Ohio in 2022.

Thomas' first season of pro racing saw him join 2018 Mazda scholarship winner Michael Carter's Carter Racing Enterprises operation, taking part in a full season of the Mazda MX-5 Cup.[4] In his debut weekend at Road America, Thomas claimed a runner-up finish in the second race of the weekend.[5] Later that season, at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Thomas claimed his maiden pole position in the series, leading the Sunday race to the green flag.[6] Thomas enjoyed a lights-to-flag victory during the ensuing race, although the finish between himself and Gresham Wagner was the closest in series history, with just 0.0009 seconds separating the two drivers.[7] With one victory and four podium finishes on the season, Thomas finished fourth in the championship and secured Rookie of the Year honors.[8]

Thomas swapped teams for 2021, opening shop on his own JTR Motorsports Engineering operation. Thomas himself began the season with a pair of podium finishes in the opening weekend at Daytona.[9] Following a difficult mid-season, with joint-best finishes of fifth at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca, Thomas returned to the podium in each of the final two races of the season at Road Atlanta, claiming his only victory of the year in the season finale.[10]

Ahead of 2022, Thomas' entry began sporting a yellow roll cage, indicative of the car's past as a raffle prize for the Lemons of Love charity. Thomas acquired the car from original winner Mitch Bender in 2019, and retained its yellow highlights in order to continue representing the charity.[11] He enjoyed a hot start to the 2022 season, taking a victory in each of the first three race meetings at Daytona,[12] St. Petersburg,[13] and Mid-Ohio.[14] Following additional podium finishes in the ensuing rounds at Watkins Glen and Road America, Thomas claimed his first MX-5 Cup title, just ten points clear of championship runner-up Connor Zilisch.[15][16] The $250,000 scholarship awarded to the champion was re-invested into JTR Motorsports Engineering, allowing them to field GT4 entries in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and GT4 America Series in 2023.[17]

Thomas returned to the Mazda MX-5 Cup to defend his series title in 2023, getting off to a strong start by winning in the opening weekend at Daytona.[18] After a difficult round at St. Petersburg, he returned with a double podium at Laguna Seca, ahead of third and fourth-place race finishes at Watkins Glen. Thomas claimed his second race victory of the season during the ensuing race weekend at Road America,[19] helping him enter the VIR race weekend with the points lead.[20] Following finishes of second, first, and third in the next three races, Thomas only needed to finish the season finale at Road Atlanta to claim the title.[21] In doing so, he became the first repeat champion in series history.[22] Thomas also entered events in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America during 2023. In the former, he teamed up for the opening two races of the season with Anthony McIntosh in a GS-class Mercedes-AMG GT4, registering a best finish of seventh at Daytona. In the latter, Thomas entered a pair of race weekends in a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup entry, sweeping his debut weekend at Mid-Ohio.[23]

In 2024, Thomas embarked on full-time efforts in both MX-5 Cup and Sprint Challenge competition.[24] Thomas' MX-5 Cup title defense started slowly, as he was forced to wait until the third race weekend of the year at Laguna Seca to stand on the podium.[25] That would ultimately be his only race victory of the year, as four more podium finishes in the final four race meetings saw him finish second in the overall classification to Wagner.[26] In October, Thomas claimed victory in the series' maiden oval exhibition event at Martinsville Speedway, taking home $25,000 and a Martinsville clock.[27] Thomas' Sprint Challenge exploits proved his most fruitful in 2024, as he came home champion of the Sprint Challenge national championship, claiming 11 victories in the headline 992 Pro-Am class over the course of the 14-race season.[28]

JTR Motorsports Engineering

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Using the scholarship money received from Thomas' Rookie of the Year triumph in 2020, he launched JTR Motorsports Engineering, with whom he competed in the 2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup.[1][29] The North Vernon-based operation fields entries in the Mazda MX-5 Cup and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, and formerly competed in the GT4 America Series.

In their opening season of MX-5 Cup competition, the operation expanded from a pair of cars for Thomas and Chris Nunes to a total of five part-time entries.[1] The team fielded five entries for the majority of 2022, before bringing eight entries to the opening round of the 2023 season. At the end of 2023, the team wrapped up their first entrants championship.[30]

In 2024, the team fielded a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in a part-time return to the Michelin Pilot Challenge, with Thomas and Nick Shaeffer as drivers.

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2019 SCCA Majors Championship - Spec Miata 6 0 ? ? 4 120 4th
2020 Mazda MX-5 Cup Carter Racing Enterprises 12 1 1 1 4 207 4th
2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup JTR Motorsports Engineering 13 1 0 1 4 2750 9th
2022 Mazda MX-5 Cup JTR Motorsports Engineering 14 3 0 2 6 3610 1st
2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup JTR Motorsports Engineering 14 3 0 1 9 3930 1st
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America - 992 Pro/Am 4 2 0 2 4 196 6th
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS 2 0 0 0 0 450 33rd
2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup JTR Motorsports Engineering 14 1 1 2 5 3710 2nd
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America - 992 Pro/Am 14 11 ? 10 12 799 1st
Porsche Endurance Challenge North America - GT4 RS 1 0 1 0 0 9* 40th*
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS 2 0 0 0 0 370 40th
992 Endurance Cup Mühlner Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 N/A

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tamayo, George (March 30, 2022). "Inside Mazda MX-5 Cup: Jared Thomas, built to win". Racer. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jared Thomas Selected As Winner Of Mazda Road To 24 Shootout". Mazda Motorsports. December 4, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "Jared Thomas named winner of 2019 Spirit of Mazda". Mazda Motorsports. January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "MX-5 Cup field set for Road America season opener". Racer. July 21, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (July 27, 2020). "Weekly Racing Roundup (7.27.20)". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 26, 2024. Noaker won from pole twice, while Gresham Wagner and Jared Thomas each earned a second-place result.
  6. ^ "Thomas secures maiden MX5 Cup pole position". Speed Sport. October 10, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Global Mazda MX-5 Cup win for Thomas is a record breaker". Racer. October 11, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  8. ^ "MX-5 Cup top performers honored with end-of-season awards". Racer. October 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "Carter victorious in second Mazda MX-5 Cup race at Daytona". Racer. January 29, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2024. ...we did what we wanted to do here this weekend, getting two podiums. It's a good way to start off a successful year.
  10. ^ "Wagner takes Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship, Thomas gets first win of 2021". Racer. November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Ackley, J.A. (October 7, 2022). "Jared Thomas wins Mazda MX-5 Cup title with Lemons of Love car". Grassroots Motorsports. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "Thomas wins incident-filled Mazda MX-5 Race 2 at Daytona". Racer. January 28, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Thomas continues Mazda MX-5 Cup win streak in St. Petersburg". Racer. February 25, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "Thomas takes third MX-5 Cup win of 2022 at Mid-Ohio". Racer. May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Tamayo, George (October 27, 2022). "Inside Mazda MX-5 Cup: Time to breathe again..." Racer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Thomas wins 2022 Mazda MX-5 Cup championship". BFGoodrich. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Dagys, John (March 22, 2023). "JTR Enters Mercedes-AMG GT4 for Mars, Atwater". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "Thomas wins MX-5 Cup Race 2 in last-lap shootout". Racer. January 27, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  19. ^ "Thomas takes MX-5 Cup race two victory at Road America". Racer. August 5, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  20. ^ "Mazda MX-5 Cup star power comes to VIR". Racer. August 21, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "Zilisch doubles up; Thomas is Mazda Cup champion". Speed Sport. October 13, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  22. ^ James, Richard S. (October 30, 2023). "Inside Mazda MX-5 Cup: Jared Thomas, twice is nice". Racer. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  23. ^ "Mid-Ohio Tests Sprint Challenge Drivers in GT3 Cup-Only Event". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. July 4, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  24. ^ "Sprint Challenge Kicks Off Season at Sebring". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. March 11, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024. Thomas dipped his toe into Sprint Challenge last year... and has now kickstarted his first full-season campaign.
  25. ^ "Thomas wins MX-5 Cup's last-lap dash at Laguna Seca". Racer. May 11, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  26. ^ James, Richard S. (November 8, 2024). "Inside MX-5 Cup: Champion Wagner resets and repeats". Racer. Retrieved November 15, 2024. In the end, Wagner beat Thomas by only 60 points...
  27. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (October 28, 2024). "Thomas Victorious In MX-5 Cup's Martinsville Debut". Dailysportscar. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "Sprint Challenge champions crowned and Endurance Challenge fires up at Sonoma". Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. September 30, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  29. ^ Tamayo, George (April 30, 2023). "Inside Mazda MX-5 Cup: Side by side". Racer. Retrieved June 5, 2024. Jared Thomas... with JTR Motorsports Engineering.
  30. ^ "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). IMSA. October 18, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Mazda MX-5 Cup
Champion
2022, 2023 		Succeeded by
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