Park City teen wins Spec Miata National Championship in photo finish

Lincoln Larson of Park City (center) celebrates his Spec Miata national title at the 2025 NASA Championships at Ozarks International Raceway. Photo: Julie Larson

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City High School student Lincoln Larson claimed the Spec Miata title at the 2025 NASA National Championships earlier this month at Ozarks International Raceway, edging out fellow driver Vaughan Weber by half a bumper in a dramatic photo finish.
“It’s a national race, so people are coming from all over the country,” Larson said. “For it being my technically first full year racing, it’s a massive achievement, and hopefully going to open a bunch of opportunities.”

The championship showdown came down to the final lap. Larson trailed Weber for much of the race until Weber dropped a wheel exiting Turn 11, giving Larson the opening he needed. Still, Weber fought back and pulled alongside Larson in the final corner, setting up a drag race to the checkered flag.

“I did not think I was gonna win it, honestly at all,” Larson said. “I thought that he was definitely gonna win that drag race. At first, I didn’t even know if I won, because it was so close.”

For Larson, the path to the podium started long before race day. He credits hours spent working at Burt Brothers Motorpark and his summer trip to Ozarks to learn the track in advance. “I worked down there and spent a lot of time there working on my own car,” he said. “We went out to that track in Missouri in July, and I think that helped a lot, because then I came to the national weekend already knowing the track.”

Larson first started karting in 2021 and said his experience has taught him how to balance patience with instinct in high-stakes moments. “Just tons of racing and tons of experience, you kind of know when to just be patient and wait, or when to actually go for a move,” he said.
As one of the youngest drivers in the field, Larson sees both advantages and challenges. “Even the people my age, most of the time, are going to have more experience. A lot of kids start karting at under 10 years old, and their whole life is kind of turned to racing. Mine just in the past few years,” he said.

Looking ahead, Larson plans to finish out the season with regional races in Northern California and Utah while setting his sights on the Mazda Motorsports Shootout, a scholarship program that can advance drivers into higher levels of racing. “That’s the goal to get to,” he said. “Because that can expose you to a lot of other stuff.”

Despite the spotlight, Larson said he isn’t chasing attention. “I’m not the biggest fan of attention,” he admitted. Still, his victory at Ozarks has already put him on the radar of the national racing community and marked him as a rising talent from Park City.