"Y’all know I love a good challenge and I wanted to do something different" - Touring car specialist Sally McNulty will join Spark Performance for her debut season in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, starting at Daytona.
After six seasons in the SRO TC America championship, Sally McNulty is set for a new challenge as she joins the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, starting this week at Daytona with Spark Performance.
"I am really looking forward to my 2025 Season debut in Mazda MX-5 Cup! This is a brand new series for me, in a car that is new to me, and starting off at a track I have never driven at, Daytona", McNulty said. "Y’all know I love a good challenge and I wanted to do something different. So let’s do this!"
A first-generation racer, McNulty climbed the ranks of the TCA class, where she scored four top-five finishes and finished eighth in the driver's standings in 2022, having moved mid-season to the eleventh-generation Honda Civic Si HPD.
In 2023, Sally entered a new partnership with GenRacer and switched to the Hyundai platform, driving the #780 Borla Exhaust Liqui Moly Hyundai Veloster N. She stepped up to the TC class and claimed the first podiums of her professional racing career.
Entering her second year in the TC class in 2024, McNulty established herself as a consistent frontrunner, regularly battling for podiums. Her campaign started with a double class podium at Sonoma before recording a personal best of fifth overall—twice—at Road America, where she returned to the TC podium following a streak of solid finishes. With a further second place in class at Barber Motorsports Park, McNulty cemented third place in the championship standings, just one point short of the runner-up spot.
From track days and working on her own car to local NASA competitions and ultimately securing a top-three finish in the SRO standings, Sally McNulty's progression has been impressive. Her experience will undoubtedly help her in the highly competitive field of the Mazda MX-5 Cup, a highly competitive series featuring a diverse field, including six female drivers competing during the first weekend as support for the IMSA 24 Hours of Daytona.
"I know I am going to be the underdog, but I chose this series as being one of the most competitive platforms in IMSA for my efforts this year. I have spent a lot of time this off-season driving RWD cars ranging from my NASA Spec Miata to my 350Z drift project, and many many others", she explained.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed the progress I have made. I know the bar is set very high in the class, as there are some seriously talented men and women that are my competition. I know it will take me a little time to get up to speed in the series, but that’s okay, I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and see how much progress I can make this year. I have faith that I can do this."
The season kicks off this week at Daytona, before heading to St. Petersburg in February, and will conclude at Road Atlanta in October after seven events, each featuring two races.
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