For the 2021 championship finale, the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup traveled to the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta, hosting Rounds 13 & 14. Gresham Wagner entered the event with the championship lead after a pair of wins at Laguna Seca, and was able to capture the championship title in the final race of the season.
Qualifying on pole position for Race 1, early contact in the race sent Wagner to the fringe of the top 10. Fighting back through the rest of the race, Wagner was constantly shuffled around the top 5 positions with championship competitors Michael Carter and Selin Rollan partaking the battle. At the beginning of the final lap, Wagner found himself in fourth place, without many opportunities for a win. However, after moving up to third early in the lap, a chance for the win presented itself heading into Road Atlanta’s final three corner. Wagner slipped to the inside of Jared Thomas and Michael Carter on the run to the final corner. The drivers entered the corner three-wide, with Wagner sliding through sideways and across the line for the win by .015 seconds over Thomas. It was his third victory in a row.
The win in Round 13 provided Wagner with a cushion of points heading into the final round. After a difficult race that involved minor incidents and a trip off-track, Wagner fought to a 6th place finish in the final laps.
The performance at Road Atlanta was enough for Wagner to claim the 2021 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup championship over Carter and Rollan, the first in his MX-5 Cup career. Ultimately, Wagner scored five wins and ten podiums throughout the year to earn the title..