MC Racing Starts the 2026 Season on the Podium

April 26, 2026 (Buttonwillow, CA) – Michael McColligan, driving the #36 MC Racing Honda Civic SI, started the 2026 Season strong with a third place finish in the Sportsman Class at Round 1 of the 2026 Hankook United States Touring Car Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway.

MC Racing had a busy offseason and with some help and expertise from GOGOGEAR Racing was able to complete some upgrades and enhance the performance of the team’s K24-powered Civic SI.  The USTCC season started off at the brand new Circuit facility at Buttonwillow Raceway and team driver Michael McColligan was all smiles after the first practice.  “The track is fun and challenging and the new power delivery is easy to feel, the car has way more potential!” stated McColligan.  In addition to learning the new track, McColligan and all the drivers were faced with a damp qualifying session but McColligan kept it on the pavement, qualifying third for the feature race.  USTCC was running with the Speed SF Endurance Group for round 1, meaning a rolling start and a large group of mixed cars heading into Turn 1 at the drop of the green flag.  In addition, overnight rain left the track cold and a bit damp so grip levels were less than ideal.  McColligan kept his cool, keeping the Civic on the asphalt and slotting into P3 in the Sportsman class.  He continued running clean and fast laps, bringing the car home in third at the checkered flag.  “The car really ran well, and it is up to me and the team to continue to extract more performance from the car, as we now have the tools to compete at the front!  Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going!” smiled a champagne-soaked McColligan.

MC Racing competes in the Hankook Tires United States Touring Car Championship aboard a Mazda RX8 and a Honda Civic SI with support from Idemitsu, Raybestos, Mazda USA, Mazdatrix, Racing Beat, Konig Wheels, Orafol, Eibach Springs, and Napier Outdoors. For more information, visit www.mcspeedracer.com.

USTCC is a professional road racing series comprised of late model sport compact sedans such as BMW 3 series, Mazdaspeed 3, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, Audi R8, Ford Mustang, Honda Civic and others. The cars use slightly modified engines and highly modified suspensions with aerodynamic ground effects and sticky Hankook slick race tires. The races can be seen exclusively on Final Drive TV available on NBC Sports on Xfinity cable, Dish Network, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse. For more information on USTCC, visit www.ustcc.com.