Mazda Motorsports Announces MRT24 Shootout Eligible Racers - Speedway Digest

Mazda has confirmed the eligible racers for the 12th annual Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. This post-season shootout will award a $100,000 Mazda Motorsports scholarship to compete in the 2018 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The shootout will take place December 8, 2017 at the Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Arizona.

Winning a club racing championship with Mazda power is the primary entry channel into the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. Racers competing with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), Teen Mazda Challenge, and iRacing are eligible. The following racers are being invited to submit a written and video proposal from which three to five finalists will be selected.

1. John Allen – iRacing MX-5 Cup Champion

2. Jay Aranha – NASA NP01 (At large)

3. Ryan Dexter – Teen Mazda Challenge Rock Mountain Region Champion

4. Julian Garfield – SCCA Solo (At large)

5. Brian Henderson – Teen Mazda Challenge Mid-Atlantic Region / NASA East PTE Champion

6. Tyler Kicera – SCCA Spec Miata (At Large)

7. Tristan Littlehale NASA West Spec Miata Champion

8. Brian Lock NASA West – NP01 Champion

9. Aaron Michelet – NASA PTC (At large)

10. Matt Million – Teen Mazda Challenge (At large)

11. Austin Newmark – NASA ST4 (At large)

12. Preston Pardus – SCCA Runoffs Spec Miata Champion

13. Eric Prill – SCCA Runoffs F-Production Champion

14. Bryan Putt – NASA East Super Unlimited Champion

15. Selin Rollan – SCCA/NASA Spec Miata (At large)

16. Michael Ross – NASA East Spec Miata Champion

17. Nick Sommers – Teen Mazda Challenge West Coast Region Champion

18. Danny Soufi – Teen Mazda Challenge Texas Region Champion

David Cook, business development manager for Mazda Motorsports noted that, “The criteria for the shootout has been created to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the most complete set of skills required to succeed in motorsport. These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical understanding, and off-track business and PR skills. History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if he or she is lacking in multiple areas. It will be a big challenge for the judges to narrow these 18 racers to our finalists. It will be an even larger task to select a $100,000 winner.”

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.