The NASA Teen Mazda Challenge is under way for 2019, so it’s time to check in on the competition around the country. TMC drivers have a unique racing season, essentially two seasons in one. They compete with other TMC drivers within their regions for TMC points, but they are also part of the broader Spec Miata class, so they have another venue in which to make their mark.
In terms of sheer numbers, NASA NorCal has the greatest number of TMC drivers, with nine young drivers competing.
By late May, Roy Fulmer IV was firmly in control of the points race in the NorCal TMC. Fulmer IV picked up a Spec Miata class win at Sonoma Raceway in March along with a fourth- and a third-place class finish. That gave him three first-place finishes in TMC. In April at Thunderhill Raceway, Fulmer IV finished second and scored two third-place finishes in Spec Miata, which notched three wins for him in TMC.
Down in Southern California, Hannah Grisham finished third in one race at the first event of the season at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, then picked up two wins at Willow Springs International Raceway in March. In April, she took a third place in race one and a big win in race two at Buttonwillow Raceway. Now in her third season in TMC, Grisham is solidly in the points lead over Austin Edwards, Chase Gilhart and Eric Slivkoff.
In the Rocky Mountain Region, there are only two TMC competitors, but a healthy Spec Miata field provides the challenge for TMC drivers Matthew Dirks and Harry Voigt. With two wins and three second-place finishes in four races, Dirks is currently in fifth place in the class points race in Rocky Mountain.
In NASA Southeast, a region that already has held five events since January, 14-year-old Aiden Baker Crouse has been on a tear, notching four class wins and seven TMC wins out of 10 points-paying races. Crouse had the TMC and regional points lead as of late May. TMC driver Grant West is second in TMC points out of two competitors and fifth in points in the region.
Up in the Mid-Atlantic Region, TMC driver Zach Rubin has finished in front of TMC competitor Andrew Balgoyen in three of four seasonal points-paying races in events at Virginia International Raceway in March and Summit Point Motorsports Park in April.
