Taylor Hagler and teammate Michael Lewis finished the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) season on the Fox Factory 120 podium at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, securing the TCR championship for the second consecutive year in the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR with Bryan Herta Autosport.
For the third consecutive year, Hyundai clinched the drivers’, teams’ and manufacturers’ IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) overall championships at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Shortly after the green flag dropped, Hagler was hit by a fellow competitor in turn 10 and dropped down the order to 13th. But, after driving back through nearly half of the field, Hagler brought the Hyundai to the pits on lap 37 in the sixth position before handing the controls to Lewis. With 40 laps remaining once back on track, Lewis worked his way through the field to advance another three positions and cross the finish line third.
“It’s official!” said Hagler. “Honestly, to have that one behind me is really great because that was a pretty hit-and-miss race. We really had to fight for it today. There was a lot that was happening, and it wasn’t looking great there for a while. I just put my head down and did what I could and gave the car to Michael. It’s never over till it’s over! This was the only track on the IMSA schedule that I didn’t have a trophy from, so it’s awesome to close out that collection and finish the season with the championship and another trophy.
Hagler’s season saw several consistent results which brought the Hagler – Lewis duo to its championship victory. The pair won their first race of the season at VIRginia International Raceway. The third place finish at Road Atlanta, marked the seventh podium finish of the 2022 race season for Hagler.
During the Fox Factory 120, Hagler earned her highest podium finish at Michelin Raceway, and made history as only the second female to win back-to-back IMSA Championships – tying Christina Nielsen, who won back-to-back WeatherTech GTD Championships in 2016 and 2017.
For the third consecutive year, Hyundai clinched the drivers’, teams’ and manufacturers’ IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) overall championships at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
After a successful 2022 season, Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis of Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) entered the final weekend with a 100-point championship lead and drove their No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N to the back-to-back championship title.
“Today was actually a little crazy,” said two-time IMPC champion, Taylor Hagler. “I was hoping that it was going to be an easy race and all that we had to do was finish fifth and that is not how it happened. We dropped all the way to last, had an incident with another competitor and a mistake in pitlane. It all looked down, but the racing gods were with us, and we were able to have some fun with it.”
“It feels great,” said Michael Lewis. “To be an IMSA champion in any category is awesome. It’s a big series with a lot of hard competitors out there, so to come out on top after ten long races, it’s special. I must thank Taylor Hagler for driving so well all year.
It’s a two-person effort. Taylor did an amazing job after getting hit off the track today, and she stayed calm. That’s a championship drive right there. It’s so good to be a part of Bryan Herta Autosport. They give you everything you need. Being a three-time IMSA drivers’ champion means a lot.”
As Hyundai captured a third-consecutive manufacturers’ title, the result also marked the fourth drivers’ and teams’ championships with BHA.
“In the immediate aftermath, I’m elated for Michael, Taylor, the team and Hyundai,” said team owner Bryan Herta. “Three championships, again, is amazing. It seems to get harder every year. At the same time, I’m gutted for a few of our cars that had potential to win this race, but we didn’t always have the races we deserved this year. It’s hard with six cars, and as much as I’m happy for our best-finishing car, I feel for the worst-finishing car. It’s a range of emotions and has been a balance all year.”
In the action-packed final minutes of the Fox Factory 120, BHA teammates Stephen Simpson and Michael Johnson battled it out for an exciting second-place finish alongside newly-crowned champions Lewis and Hagler in third place.
Top Finishing Hyundai: Second place for the No. 54 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Stephen Simpson and Michael Johnson
Top Qualifying Hyundai: Second place for the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Harry Gottsacker and Parker Chase
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