ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 27, 2026) – The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin paddock got quite the surprise on Friday morning when rookie Matt Novak (No. 11 Advanced Autosports) earned the Motul Pole Award for Round Three at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The tricky nature of the temporary street circuit makes experience so important and the likelihood of a rookie turning the fastest qualifying lap slim.

Novak’s hot lap of 1:24.157, was only 0.0129-second quicker than championship-leader Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing), but it was enough to score his first-career pole.

“I’m super happy about this morning and I’m trying to enjoy it,” Novak said. “Each and every time we’ve been in the car, I’ve been getting used to the way the car feels and the unique set up. I’m really happy with how comfortable I’ve been initially and how that’s led up to how comfortable I feel in the car now. No other chassis brings me this much joy right now.

“For this being my first street course, let alone my first time here, I’m so happy how it turned out. Credit goes to my team, Advanced Autosports, and my teammates who helped make this happen. We worked hard in practice and that was so beneficial and rewarding.”

Special guest drivers, Sebastien Bourdais (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Earl Bamber (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports) qualified 16th and 19th, respectively.

All eyes are  on the weather now, as rain is in the forecast for Saturday.

Race 1 at St. Pete goes green bright and early at 7:30am ET Saturday. Race 2 is slated for 4pm ET on Sunday. A livestream of both races is available on the RACER YouTube channel.