Filippi and Wilkins lead home their team-mates at The Brickyard

Hyundai Elantra N TCR teams crossed the line first and second in a tense end to the two-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (September 19-22). Strategy by the Bryan Herta Autosport team – pitting under caution at lap 26 – had put Mason Filippi aboard the #98 car into the lead. However, he then needed to protect his lead and ultimately save his fuel to go through the entire second half of the race without making another visit to the pitlane. In the final lap Filippi, who had taken the car over from Mark Wilkins at the car’s only stop, was losing time as he managed his pace. However, he had built a large enough lead to take victory. The team’s #33 car – shared by Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens finished second on an identical strategy.

Bryson Morris and Taylor Hagler combined to finish fourth in their Elantra N TCR, while the two other Hyundai in the race – Preston Brown and Denis Dupont’s #76 Bryan Herta Autosport entry and the Victor Gonzalez Racing Team #99 of Morgan Burkhard and Tyler Gonzalez were both forced into retirement after separate, but almost identical incidents as both became victims of out of control cars in the braking area for turn one.

Second place in the race inched Gottsacker and Wilkins closer to the championship leaders, but with only one round to go, they need their rivals to suffer a disastrous result in the season finale to be able to stand a chance of retaining the title they won in 2023.