Noah Harmon Wins in Thrilling Finish to Mazda MX-5 Cup Opener at Daytona

Noah Harmon kicked off his 2026 season in dramatic fashion, winning the first race of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at Daytona International Speedway on Friday evening.

Harmon, piloting the No. 12 for Hendricks Motorsports, crossed the finish line 0.039 seconds ahead of Justin Adakonis for the victory during Rolex 24 at Daytona festivities at "The World Center of Racing."

Harmon's teammate, Westin Workman, led the field to the white flag. Adakonis moved into the lead before the lead pack returned to the 31-degree high banks of the speedway, with Workman and Harmon in tow.

Exiting the final turn, Workman moved to Adakonis' right, while Harmon ducked left, creating a three-wide battle for the win. At the stripe, it was Harmon narrowly taking the checkered flag.

“I came out (of the Le Mans Chicane) in third,” Harmon said. “I knew I had a good shot. I could see a gap behind me and didn’t think they’d get a run. I had my teammate, Weston [Workman] ahead of me and I was committed to helping him. I came out of NASCAR Four. Justin [Adakonis] moved up and I cut left, and I got a push from Julian [DaCosta] and rode it all the way to the line.

“I'm so happy right now. This night race, I've gone from watching it to doing it the last three years but haven't even come close to winning. This is the one I would have wanted to win over any other race on the schedule. So, it means so much to me. All my family's here and all my friends are here. It is so cool and I can't thank everybody at CUBE 3 and Hendricks for making it even possible to be here today.”

In 2025, Harmon narrowly missed out on Rookie of the Year honors in the Mazda MX-5 Cup. This year, he will be competing full-time in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series.

On Tuesday, Silver Hare Racing announced Harmon would compete full-time with the team in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, fielding the team's No. 7 Chevrolet.

Harmon, who is also attending the University of Central Florida, competed part-time for Silver Hare in 2025. He finished the year with back-to-back runner-up finishes at VIRginia International Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park.

The 2026 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series season opens February 26–March 1 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.

-Photo credit: Mazda MX-5 Cup on X