Nathan Nicholson is a racing driver from United States who competes in Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin for Advanced Autosports. Nicholson has recorded 9 wins and 24 podiums from 75 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 3,833 ranks Nicholson 4366th of 40,308 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file.
| 2026-07-18 | North Wilkesboro | P34 | −78 |
| 2026-06-19 | San Diego | P28 | −42 |
| 2026-06-07 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ND2 | P7 | +24 |
| 2026-06-06 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ND2 | P9 | +8 |
| 2026-05-08 | Watkins Glen International | P20 | +37 |
| Rating won | Race | Series | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| +142 | NCM Motorsports Park 2022 | NASA | P2 |
| +130 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2022 | NASA | P1 |
| +120 | Carolina Motorsports Park 2023 | SCCA Majors | P1 |
| +119 | Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca 2024 | Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin | P2 |
| +117 | Road America 2023 | SCCA Majors | P1 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ▸Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin | Advanced Autosports | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P10 | +49 | 3,833 |
| ▸NASCAR Truck | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P33 | ↑410−178 | |||
| 2025 | ▸Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin | Mazda | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P3 | +331 | 3,552 |
| 2024 | ▸Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin | Advanced Autosport?s | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P8 | +50 | 3,220 |
| 2023 | ▸SCCA Majors | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P3 | ↑689+118 | 3,170 | |
| ▸SCCA Regionals | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P2 | +81 | |||
| ▸Spec MX-5 Challenge | Unassigned | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | +145 | ||
| ▸SCCA Runoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | −50 | |||
| 2022 | ▸NASA | mazda miata | 20 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P10 | +836 | 2,186 |
| ▸SCCA Majors | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P66 | +21 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Westin WorkmanFIA Silver | 4,397 | 40 | 19 | 21 | 48% |
| 🇺🇸 Jeremy Fletcher | 3,922 | 35 | 13 | 22 | 37% |
| 🇺🇸 Jared ThomasFIA Silver | 4,056 | 34 | 11 | 23 | 32% |
| 🇺🇸 Parker DeLong | 3,420 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 74% |
| 🇺🇸 Alex BachouraFIA Bronze | 3,161 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 77% |
| 🇺🇸 Gresham WagnerFIA Silver | 3,916 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 37% |
| 🇺🇸 Noah Harmon | 3,637 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 52% |
| 🇺🇸 Sally Mott | 3,163 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 69% |
| 🇺🇸 Grant West | 3,116 | 29 | 24 | 5 | 83% |
| 🇺🇸 Christian Hodneland | 2,548 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 79% |
| 🇺🇸 Carson HocevarHigher-rated | 6,024 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Ross ChastainHigher-rated, 1× champion | 5,946 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇺🇸 Jamie McMurrayFIA Gold | 5,924 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| # | Driver | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,356 | 🇳🇴 Marius Nakken | GT World Challenge Europe | 3,835 |
| 4,357 | 🇺🇸 Red Amick | Formula 1 | 3,835 |
| 4,358 | 🇿🇦 Sebastian Lanzetti | GB3 | 3,835 |
| 4,359 | 🏳️ Zaid Ashkanani | 24H Series | 3,835 |
| 4,360 | 🇺🇸 Bobby Grim | Formula 1 | 3,834 |
| 4,361 | 🇧🇪 Christophe Kerkhove | FIA GT Championship | 3,834 |
| 4,362 | 🇳🇱 Jules Szymkowiak | Nürburgring 24 Hours | 3,834 |
| 4,363 | 🇺🇸 A.J. Alsup | NASCAR Xfinity | 3,833 |
| 4,364 | 🇺🇸 Colin Queen | Lamborghini Super Trofeo NA | 3,833 |
| 4,365 | 🇺🇸 Jeffrey Earnhardt | NASCAR Xfinity | 3,833 |
| 4,366 | 🇺🇸 Nathan Nicholson | Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin | 3,833 |
| 4,367 | 🇪🇸 Juan Antonio del Pino | Formula Renault Eurocup | 3,832 |
| 4,368 | 🇸🇦 Karim Ojjeh | Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe | 3,832 |
| 4,369 | 🇺🇸 Morgan Burkhard | IMSA Pilot Challenge | 3,832 |
| 4,370 | 🇺🇸 Jonathan Shafer | NASCAR Truck | 3,831 |
| 4,371 | 🇨🇦 Justin Di Benedetto | IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge | 3,831 |
| 4,372 | 🇺🇸 Mike Laughlin | NASCAR Xfinity | 3,831 |
| 4,373 | 🇩🇪 Tim Müller | 24H Series | 3,831 |
| 4,374 | 🇮🇹 Paolo Rapetti | FIA GT Championship | 3,830 |
| 4,375 | 🇬🇧 Rupert Svendsen-Cook | FIA Formula 3 European | 3,830 |
| 4,376 | 🇺🇸 Alex Welch | 24H Series | 3,829 |
Nathan Nicholson is an entry-level professional racing in national solo-driver championships in the United States. He drives the No. 56 Mazda MX-5 for Advanced Autosports in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, where he is currently in his third season; he also competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Freedom Racing Enterprises. His primary racing has been in spec-class Mazda MX-5 competition across multiple formats since 2022.[1]
Nicholson's record spans five seasons of national racing in the United States. His early work came in NASA's Spec Miata class and SCCA regional and national competition in 2022 and 2023, where he accumulated nine wins and 24 podiums across 40 starts in these entry-level environments. Since 2024 he has been a regular in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, taking five podiums in 35 starts with Advanced Autosports; he currently sits tenth in the 2026 championship standings with six rounds still to come. He has made four NASCAR Truck Series starts in 2026, competing on both ovals and road courses.[2]
His peers in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup include Westin Workman, a professional FIA Silver driver and 2025 TGRNA GR Cup North America Am champion, and Jeremy Fletcher, the 2025 champion of the Whelen MX-5 Cup's ND2 class; Nicholson runs closely matched with both. He has finished ahead of established professionals including Jamie McMurray, an FIA Gold driver with 190 NASCAR Xfinity starts, and Layne Riggs, a 72-time NASCAR Truck Series competitor.