After Wild Sebring Finish
- Result Marks Second Consecutive Second-Place Finish for Lewis, Hagler
- Stellar First Stint from Wickens, Bad Luck for Wilkins
- Filippi Scores First Career Pole
SEBRING, Fla. – The Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) driver pairing of Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis secured a dramatic second-place finish in Thursday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) Alan Jay 120 at Sebring International Raceway. Hagler and Lewis led the Hyundai stable consisting of six Elantra N TCR cars from BHA and a pair of Veloster N TCR cars from Van der Steur Racing and CB Motorsports. Hagler and Lewis, BHA and Hyundai now lead the drivers, teams and manufacturers championships with 640 points apiece.
#33: Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, TCR: Mark Wilkins, Robert Wickens 
#1: Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb Agajanian, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, TCR: Michael Lewis, Taylor Hagler, podium 
#77: Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, TCR: Tyler Maxson, Mason Filippi celebrates winning the Motul Pole Award
Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis, drivers of the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, celebrate their podium finish in the Alan Jay 120 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., March 17, 2022. (Photo/Bryan Herta Autosport/LAT)
Last Lap Drama
Michael Lewis was behind the wheel of the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR when a late caution set the stage for a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. Lewis made a move for the lead on the final lap, only to get passed by the former third place car. He applied pressure in the back half of the lap, culminating in a side-by-side finish, but ultimately fell less than two tenths of a second short of the win.
“We had a little mishap at the very start resulting in a couple drive-through penalties. Obviously, that was an unfortunate event and it was a downer for me, but we persevered,” said Taylor Hagler. “We had a really good engineer that provided the perfect strategy for us to work with. There were a lot of yellows so I didn’t get a ton of green flag racing, but I was able to give the car to Michael in one piece. That’s what matters, and he took it from there.”
“Watching Taylor have a cool head was really impressive,” said Michael Lewis. “I’ve had it happen in my past where something happens at the start and you get hot-headed and make more mistakes, but she kept it cool and did everything right. We were able to optimize strategy and cycle to the front through the pit stops. We were able to get to the front with the best tires and that was the best feeling ever. From there, I picked my way through. We could’ve gotten the win, but I made a little mistake and we got second. It was a good points day. That’s what we did all year long in 2021. Just kept getting points. We’re happy with points.”
Robert Wickens leads the field in the Alan Jay 120 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., March 17, 2022. (Photo/Bryan Herta Autosport/LAT)
Wickens in Peak Form
In the first half of the race, Robert Wickens continued to prove how quickly he is acclimating to touring cars by taking the lead from teammate Harry Gottsacker, driver of the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Wickens’ lead was only relinquished through the pit cycle. Unfortunately, co-driver Mark Wilkins suffered a left-front tire puncture with less than 40 minutes remaining, relegating his and Wickens’ No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR to the back of the field.
Mason Filippi celebrates his first career pole in IMPC next to his No. 77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., March 16, 2022. (Photo/Bryan Herta Autosport/LAT)
First Pole for Filippi
Teammate Mason Filippi scored his first career IMPC pole on Wednesday, but his fortunes also took a turn for the worse in the latter half of the race. After contact was made between his No. 77 Elantra N TCR and a GS class car, both Filippi and the other driver hit the outside wall hard. Thankfully, both walked away unscathed.
Hyundai Driver Standings
| Position | Drivers | Team | Car | Total Points |
| 1 | Taylor Hagler / Michael Lewis | Bryan Herta Autosport | #1 Elantra N TCR | 640 |
| 5 | Rory van der Steur / Tyler Gonzalez | Van der Steur Racing | #17 Veloster N TCR | 510 |
| 6 | Robert Wickens / Mark Wilkins | Bryan Herta Autosport | #33 Elantra N TCR | 480 |
| 8 | Michael Johnson / Stephen Simpson | Michael Johnson Racing | #54 Elantra N TCR | 470 |
| 11 | Parker Chase / Harry Gottsacker | Bryan Herta Autosport | #98 Elantra N TCR | 430 |
| 13 | AJ Muss / Ryan Norman | Bryan Herta Autosport | #2 Elantra N TCR | 380 |
| 14 | Mason Filippi / Tyler Maxson | Bryan Herta Autosport | #77 Elantra N TCR | 380 |
IMSA TCR Manufacturer Standings
| Position | Manufacturer | Total Points |
| 1 | Hyundai | 640 |
| 2 | Alfa Romeo | 630 |
| 3 | Honda | 630 |
| 4 | Audi | 600 |
Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America focuses on ‘Progress for Humanity’ and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 738,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2021, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.
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Source: Hyundai
Rod Washington: Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He also produces news and documentary video projects. Check out his podcast StoriesThisMoment at https://m3e.d71.myftpupload.com/stm-tncn-podcasts/
