Elantra N TCR customers score first-ever Daytona victory

Bryan Herta Autosport teams finish 1-2 in season opener

Preston Brown and Denis Dupont delivered a first-ever win for Hyundai Motorsport customers at Daytona International Speedway (January 22-24). Their victory capped an utterly dominant performance for Elantra N TCR teams in the four-hour race, the first round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Hyundai Motorsport customers led all but four of the 109 laps completed in the contest, and locked out the front row of the grid with the #33 of Bryson Morris starting alongside Harry Gottsacker in the #98.

Morris, combined with co-driver Mark Wilkins, led the most laps in the race – a total of 48. However, they lost the lead to their Bryan Herta Autosport team-mates at the final pitstop, with 40 minutes remaining. Unable to make a pass to retake the lead, Wilkins chased Dupont across the line, he was unable to make a pass to complete a 1-2 finish for the Hyundai Motor America-supported team.

Brazilian Suellio Almeida and American Madison Aust were an impressive fourth on their debut in the championship aboard another entry from Bryan Herta Autosport, while the entry started by Gottsacker and later driven by Mason Filippi finished eighth after losing time to puncture in the opening hour.

The pair of cars from Victor Gonzalez Racing Team finished sixth – Lance Bergstein/Jon Miller – and eleventh – Tyler Gonzalez/Eric Powell. On their first start with the car, the Pegram Racing pairing of Larry and Riley Pegram were forced into retirement, the victim of a multi-car crash following a restart.