NASA Texas kicked off its 2026 season with a high-energy weekend at Motor Speedway Resort Houston in late January. The event featured a competitive field of Spec Miata racers tackling the 2.38-mile track in a clockwise configuration, a direction that challenged even veterans of the circuit. With crisp, cool air providing ideal conditions for horsepower, lap records were under threat throughout the weekend.
The paddock atmosphere was a blend of competition and community, highlighted by a trackside birthday celebration for driver Krystin Jaenicke and a unique “Spec Miata style” gender reveal. Regional Director Marie Adams noted that the dry, cold air was “so crisp and clear” that drivers across various classes were seeing significant pace improvements compared to previous years.
Racing Action
No. 89 Logan Stretch dominated the weekend, sweeping the top spot in the first three races of the event. Driving his “Ruby” red Mazda Miata, Stretch displayed remarkable consistency, holding off a charging field in every sprint. On Saturday, he secured victories in races one and two, setting a blistering pace in the 1:48 range.
Stretch’s performance was the benchmark for the weekend, as he maintained a thin margin over his teammate Gavin Vaughan. On Sunday, Stretch continued his winning streak in race three, though he opted not to compete in the final non-points race four. His weekend was defined by precision, particularly through the “Launch” and the long carousel, where his experience allowed him to maintain momentum while others struggled with the slick surface.
Gavin Vaughan shadowed Stretch at the front of the pack, finishing second to Stretch in the first three races. The margin at the finish of race two was just .182 seconds, highlighting the intensity of the battle at the front. Vaughan also was often the fastest car on track, recording the quickest lap of race two with a 1:48.681.
2026 also kicked off the inaugural season with the Hoosier RCES as the new spec tire. Drivers have two events to use up their old tires, but many drivers were already on the new tire.
“The Toyos were really like soft sidewall, it felt like,” Vaughan said, comparing the previous tires to the new Hoosiers he used this weekend. “Andrew (Adleta) and I talked about it. They were like super consistent this whole weekend.”
Vaughan also showcased his versatility by competing in the Spec MX-5 class on Sunday, finishing second in a door-to-door battle that saw him and Lincoln Larson running two-wide through high-speed turns.
Throughout the weekend, Nick Harwood secured a string of third-place finishes on Saturday and Sunday morning before finally breaking through for a win in Sunday afternoon’s race four. Harwood was a constant presence on the podium, navigating his blue Mazda Miata through the busy layout of MSR Houston with veteran poise.
Harwood’s weekend was not without drama. In race one, a missed shift caused a chain reaction for the cars behind him. However, his resilience paid off Sunday afternoon. While many competitors headed home early, Harwood stayed for race four, holding off a surging Andrew Adleta to take the win. “It was nice to see that there wasn’t a lot of drop off from Saturday to Sunday,” Harwood noted regarding the new spec tires.
After finishing fifth on Saturday, Adleta suffered heartbreak in race three when his injector wiring frayed. “I was like losing 10 seconds a lap … because I was losing power anytime I’d go over any bumps,” Adleta said. He rebounded in race four, charging from the back of the grid to second. “I definitely had the pace for Nick and really excited to actually run like the fastest in a race. It’s a good feeling regardless of where you finished.”
Fellow Spec Miata racer Krystin Jaenicke celebrated her birthday weekend with a display of steady improvement and consistency. Running on a single set of tires from Friday through Sunday, she found pace in every session, culminating in her best finish of the weekend on Sunday morning.
Jaenicke was particularly impressed with the new Hoosier tires. “I felt like the tires performed really consistently all weekend,” she said. “My lap times improved throughout the weekend. I didn’t feel that the tires suffered any performance from not having had the chance to kind of scrub them in.” Her fastest lap of the weekend actually came on the final lap of race three, a testament to her endurance and the durability of her setup.
Erin Price experienced the highs and lows of racing, from “epic” near-misses to mechanical heartbreak. Price was highly competitive throughout Saturday and early Sunday, often finding herself in the middle of heated mid-pack battles.
In race three, while running in fourth, her gearbox jammed. “I think at one point I had let go of the wheel and was like, ‘Jesus, take the wheel,’ as I’m trying to unjam the gearbox,” Price said. She managed to finish the weekend on a high note with a fourth-place finish on Sunday afternoon. Reflecting on her race one start where she was squeezed at the “Launch,” she joked, “I definitely recall having the thought that I don’t want to be here. I thought it was actually much worse, then when I went back and watched video and I was like, ‘Oh, actually that almost was pretty epic.'”
Ride along with Andrew Adleta in his Spec Miata at Motorsport Ranch Houston.
Making his NASA debut on a provisional license this weekend, Mark Nolan was marred by a spin into the Houston mud that caused a double yellow. His efforts on Sunday showed the grit required to compete in the Texas Region.
“Baby steps, man,” Nolan said of his progress. “If you don’t finish, then you’ll never have a chance.” Despite the steep learning curve, Nolan was complimentary of the track’s challenges and the regional organization. “I was super impressed with the amount of traction and grip that was available at higher speeds, coming over that [Launch] with the car light and sideways.” He noted that the transition to NASA was seamless, praising the communication and professionalism of the event staff.
Conclusion
The NASA Texas Spec Miata field is as deep as it is friendly. Logan Stretch left with a trophy haul, but the emergence of Andrew Adleta as a podium threat and the resilience of drivers like Erin Price and Mark Nolan suggest a exciting season ahead.
The next NASA Texas event will be at MSR Cresson Feb. 28 – Mar. 1.
