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One of Three Takeaways: Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

Katie Church on June 25, 2024

June 24, 2024

By David Phillips from IMSA Wire Service

GTP Giant Killers Derailed

Another feel-good story that didn’t quite have a feel-good ending was that of JDC-Miller MotorSports’ weekend. Saturday went just about as well as could be hoped for the independent, Minnesota-based team. Round 5 of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season saw Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller capture the Touring Car (TCR) class win in the No. 17 Unitronic-sponsored Audi RS3 LMS TCR – their fourth of the season. Shortly thereafter, Phil Hanson put the team’s No. 85 Porsche 963 GTP on the second row of the grid for the Sahlen’s Six Hours, outpacing the factory-backed Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s in the bargain.

If anything, Sunday’s race began on an even brighter note. Hanson picked his way through the top qualifiers to grab the lead overall by Lap 7. Along with co-drivers Tijmen van de Helm and Richard Westbrook, the team subsequently kept the bright yellow Porsche among the leaders for most of the race, stirring thoughts of a rare Michelin Pilot Challenge/WeatherTech Championship double (for a team that took the overall win in the 2018 Sahlen’s Six Hours).

However, the team’s chances were dashed when Westbrook smacked one of Michelin’s RFID (radio frequency ID) stanchions while jockeying for position exiting pit lane with the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06. The resulting penalty (stop plus five-minute hold in the pit lane penalty box) put paid to any hope of a win for the giant killers. In the final reckoning, the No. 85 Porsche was classified ninth in the GTP class.

Unitronic JDC-Miller Audi Battles Through Issues for Podium Finish in Ohio

Katie Church on June 14, 2024

Jun 13th, 2024 from www.getunitronic.com

As the summer temperatures heat up, so too does the IMSA racing schedule and kicking off the busy summer season was the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team’s second 4-hour race of the season at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio.

Coming into the race on a three race winning streak, the team knew it would be tough to keep the chasing pack behind as every competitor gunned to take down the #17 that had been on top for most of the start of the season. The Lexington, Ohio based track is also one of the toughest on the calendar for the Audi RS3 LMS TCR platform as it suited the hatchback car configuration of the Honda Civic FL5 TCR and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR more than the sedan platform of the road car based Audi platform.

HEATED COMPETITION

Starting off the weekend strong, drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor topped the charts in practice 1 and a solid 5th place in practice 2 in the tight TCR field. Qualifying brought more of a challenge, as the Honda Civic FL5 TCR team of MMG stretched their legs and showed what their well-favored balance of performance could do with a chart topping time of 1.27.103, leading to driver Chris Miller in 4th place with a 1.27.804.

TEAM FIGHTS THROUGH EARLY CONTACT

As the green flag flew the battle started for the #17 team as the rowdy TCR class battled back and forth making contact with the Audi several times and forcing Chris Miller as low as 8th at one point. Nevertheless, the team charged on throughout numerous issues with the handling and gearbox shifting of the now damaged race car. Around the halfway mark of the 4-hour challenge, the team made their mandatory driver change and put Mikey Taylor into the seat to give him a shot at battling until the end. Through a sequence of fast laps, pit stops and clever strategy by John Church, the #17 was to cycle through to 4th place near the final hour of the race, just behind the two factory backed Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryan Herta Autosport and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering.

UNITRONIC JDC-AUDI HANGS ON FOR P3 FINISH

As the field took the green flag from one of the final few full course caution periods with just over an hour to go, Taylor made a decisive move inside the #33 Hyundai to take a podium position and start the charge towards the front. Unfortunately for him, the damage from earlier in the race to the aerodynamics and gearbox of the car held him back and did not allow the South African born driver to unleash the pace of the Unitronic Audi. Ending the three-race winning streak the team had to settle for a admirable 3rd place finish, only 6 seconds off the winning Hyundai #76 and second place #5 Alfa Romeo. A solid result and points haul for the team means they retain their championship lead by 170 points over the chasing #76 Hyundai.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FROM ECS TUNING

Throughout the week, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team partnered up with ECS TUNING for several activities at their facility and on the track. We’d like to thank them again for their time and enthusiasm around our brand and race program. As a reminder, FREE limited edition posters are still available on ECSTUNING.COM while supplies last. These unique posters not only commemorate our special partnership at Mid-Ohio but they have also been autographed by our pro drivers; Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor.

NEXT RACE

The next round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Championship takes place next week at the world famous Watkins Glen International Raceway on June 20th – 23rd. Stay up to date on all our activities, learn more about the team, our pro drivers, the #17 RS 3 LMS TCR race car, our tremendous sponsors and shop for team merch HERE. Make sure to tune into UNITRONIC social media channels for behind the scenes race coverage of all ten championship events!

JDC-Miller MotorSports brings their Porsche 963 GTP home in the 8th position at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Katie Church on May 14, 2024

May 13, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports qualified in the 9th position and finished the race in 8th this weekend at the 2024 Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

JDC-Miller MotorSports driver Tijmen van der Helm had a good qualifying run, turning a 1:13.184, which placed him 9th fastest in the highly competitive GTP field – .869 seconds covered the entire 10-car GTP field. This was the first time IMSA has run at Laguna Seca since the track was repaved last year, and the whole GTP field broke the previous lap record of 1:13.924 set in 2022.

It was a strategy race for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team, which allowed the car to move up to 6th position after the first round of pitstops. Using a different tire strategy than their competitors, they dropped back to 10th at one point but then worked their way up to 6th. Late in the race, the team’s Porsche was pushed off the track entering the corkscrew which dropped them back to 8th for the finish.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Unfortunately, we unloaded on the back foot pace-wise, and it took us until qualifying to catch up. The guys did a great job on track and in the pits allowing us to grab a few spots on each pit stop. We were up and down the charts a bit and were pushed around a bit losing some of the ground we gained. We struggled with our tire strategy more than anticipated and then were ultimately pushed off in the Corkscrew which put us back a couple spots when we were running 6th. All in all a solid effort by the team and we will look forward to Detroit.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We couldn’t quite make the double-stint on the tires work. It was a tough ask. The longest run we had done in practice was 20 laps or so. We had not tested a long run on our Michelin tires. The team needed to try something and it nearly came off. We were looking at a top five when the right front dramatically went away.

I felt confident about being able to defend our 6th position but then got dive-bombed going into the corkscrew and lost two positions from that move which was really disappointing. Then, it was just a case of bringing it home.

Really proud of the team. They are willing to try things to be more competitive and that is the way we like to work.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports partners with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®for the remainder of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season

Katie Church on April 15, 2024

April 15, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports is honored to announce it will be partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® for the remainder of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The collaboration is possible thanks to a generous supporter of St. Jude and JDC-Miller MotorSports, who is dedicated to ending childhood cancer.

Watch for future announcements as we bring the power of St. Jude to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.

Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports

“Our relationship with St. Jude began last June when we hosted Porsche Minneapolis and Porsche St. Paul at our facility for the 75th Anniversary of Porsche celebration. St. Jude was a key part of that effort, and our relationship was born. We take a lot of pride in being a very family-oriented organization, so it’s a natural fit. St. Jude is an impressive organization, and what they do is incredible. All of us at JDC-Miller MotorSports are very proud to support this effort.”

Amanda Cahow, Territory Vice President, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

“We continue to be amazed and humbled by the generous support of our donors at St. Jude. This new partnership with JDC-Miller MotorSports will allow for the St. Jude mission to continue to grow and showcases the hope that St. Jude families find comfort in when they hear the four most devastating words a parent can hear, “your child has cancer”. We are so grateful for the way JDC-Miller MotorSports embraced our fight against childhood cancer and look forward to what the future holds as we find cures and save children together.”

William Dunne, General Manager, Porsche Minneapolis and Porsche St. Paul

“Our Porsche dealerships have been in a partnership with St. Jude for over a decade. Two years ago, we established a relationship with JDC-Miller MotorSports after they announced that they would be racing the Porsche 963. This relationship has grown stronger over time, as they have become an integral part of our Porsche community.”

“Connecting a passionate Porsche enthusiast with St. Jude and JDC is rewarding, knowing the partnership will help cure childhood cancer worldwide. I’m excited about what we can do together.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retires from the 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with left-rear axle issue

Katie Church on March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Savage, Minnesota

JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 GTP retired from the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the 6th hour with a left-rear driveshaft issue. The team put a strong car on the central Florida track all weekend, as demonstrated by setting the fastest overall time in Practice 2. They were optimistic for a strong finish when the issue occurred just past the halfway point of the race, completing 178 laps.

Through exceptional pit work from the crew, the JDC-Miller MotorSports team overcame being rear-ended in the left rear early in the race. They stayed on the lead lap and, in the ensuing hours, had worked their way up to leading the race shortly before the issue. With 58 cars on the 3.74-mile circuit, all three drivers carefully worked through the almost constant traffic while being fast and saving energy and tires for the late race charge. While disappointed with this finish, the team is very optimistic going forward to Long Beach and the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season. 

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“It is disappointing to end the race this way.  We had a very competitive car all weekend. The drivers and pit crew were doing great work, and our strategy was solid. We were running consistent lap times in the heat of the day and were ready to make a run when it cooled off in the evening. The plan worked very well, and we all felt good about our chances before the driveshaft issue. 

We recovered well from an early hit on the left rear corner. Our Porsche 963 was hit very hard in the left rear, so we will determine whether the contact caused the failure or if something else caused it.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Obviously, it is disappointing. What makes it worse is that we had such a good car. We were running with the leaders and, for much of the time, were the strongest Porsche. We recovered quickly from the early contact, and everything was going well.

Our car was very good for energy saving and a car that was good over a double-stint. We were all set for the fight at the end but never got to show just how fast we were.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“I had a lot of pace. The car felt amazing, and it looked like we could get a nice finish here! But sometimes luck isn’t on your side, and that is racing. A big thank you to JDC-Miller MotorSports and my teammates Richard and Phil for their efforts, as well as to my sponsors, family, and, of course, all the fans.”

Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“Sadly, we had to retire the car due to a mechanical issue. Really disappointing end to our weekend as the car was flying and we were in the fight for a podium.”

Miller and Taylor Return to TCR Victory Lane in No. 17 Audi

Katie Church on March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

By Jeff Olson and John Oreovicz IMSA Wire Service

Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor drove the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSport Audi RS3 LMS TCR to a convincing victory in Touring Car (TCR) class action Friday at Sebring.

Miller engaged in a spirited battle with Motul Pole Award winner Harry Gottsacker in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR in the first 40 minutes of the two-hour contest. After the various strategies played out over the course of several mid-race cautions, Taylor emerged in the lead.

“It was a smooth weekend from start to finish,” said Taylor. “That’s what we wanted, and the team gave us that. I’m just happy the car ran well. The crew put in a lot of work after Daytona, and here we are.

“It was a tough race nevertheless,” he added. “It might have looked easy, but we were saving as much fuel as possible while just giving it our all there.”

It was the second consecutive Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR win for the No. 17 duo, who also triumphed in the season opening BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway in late January.

“We feel good, but the competition is really tough, and we know those guys are coming,” Miller said. “We had the best strategy today, which won us the race. But there’s a lot of fast cars so we need to keep working.”

Taking the checkered flag in second place was the No. 80 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai shared by Morgan Burkhard and Chase Jones, but the car did not meet minimum ground clearance in post-race technical inspection and was moved to the back of the class. Andy Lally prevailed in a late-race multi-car scrap in his first race in the No. 12 StarCom Racing Hyundai that he co-drove with Nick Tucker. With the penalty to the No. 80, they moved up to second place with the No. 89 HART Honda Civic FK7 TCR with drivers Chad Gilsinger and Steve Eich taking third.

JDC-Miller MotorSports finishes 6th at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

Katie Church on January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

The JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 GTP came across the finish line after 24 hours
of racing in the 6th position. It was the team’s first attempt at a 24-hour race with the
Porsche 963. The No. 85 Porsche was fast from the start posting top times in practice.
At the start, JDC-Miller Motorsports driver Richard Westbrook moved up from his 9th
starting position to 2nd in his first session in the car. The drivers and crew performed
flawlessly throughout the 24-hour race, perfectly executing the team’s race strategy,
and late in the race was on the lead lap and in a very good position for a late charge.
Unfortunately, with less than two hours to go, the right-side driver’s door opened and
necessitated an unscheduled pit stop to close the door and repair the latch.

A Porsche 963 GTP was the car to have at this year’s Rolex 24, placing four cars in the
top six positions with the No. 7 Porsche Penske taking the checker by just 2 seconds
over the 2nd place Cadillac. JDC-Miller Motorsports Chief Engineer, Rick Cameron, was
a very proud father as his son Dane was one of the drivers of the winning car.

The No. 85 covered 2806 miles during the race averaging 133.354 MPH. The crew
flawlessly did 31 pit stops and 14 driver changes.

Quotes:

John Church, Managing Partner, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We had a better car today than our 6th place finish indicates. The car was strong from
the start I’m very proud of the crew and the drivers for their exceptional performance.
We are starting to get our arms around the Porsche 963 and it showed this weekend.
All the hard work building up to the race was very evident in the car, crew, and driver,
performance.

I’m very pleased with our driver line-up. They have really jelled as a group and were fast
and mistake free throughout the event. This bodes well for the rest of the 2024 season.
It was fun to have Ben Keating back with us as he is a great driver and a good fit for our
program. He adapted to the complicated 963 almost immediately.”

Richard Westbrook, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“This was our first 24-hour race in the 963. We know how complex these cars are, so to
finish with just minor issues at the end, is really sweet, but a little bit bitter as well. We
just had a couple of niggles at the end that pulled us out of contention. The first half of
the race we felt like we had the weapons to take it to the fight. Later a couple of little
things unraveled. That’s racing. We will dust ourselves off and head to Sebring. But I
think it bodes well for a good year. The crew, I can’t say enough about them. Not one
mistake in pit stops. Drivers didn’t make any mistakes. I think JDC-Miller deserved
something a bit more. But that’s racing. Looking forward to Sebring.”

Tijmen van der Helm, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

“We had a fast car which is always fun. When I qualified the car, I thought “wow, this
thing is fast.” It felt really good to put down a lap under the old track record. Later in the
session others went a bit faster but it really showed we had the pace for the race. We
ran really hard for the entire 24 hours and were ready to make a run to the finish when
we had the door issue. Things are really coming together and I am looking forward to
the rest of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season.”

Phil Hanson, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

Feeling bittersweet because at one point there we were running a strong fourth. We
were the second Porsche and had good pace. Unfortunately, a few issues along the
way prevented us from achieving the result that we think we deserved. Some door
issues late in the race kind of let us down, but lots of positives to take away. The team
did an excellent job. There were no mistakes. Reliability was fantastic. It ultimately gives
us a very good platform to build on for the rest of the year. It’s a little bit of a
disappointment that we couldn’t get the result that I feel we probably deserved today.
Congratulations to Porsche Penske for the win. It’s nice to see the Porsche 963 win
Daytona for the first time.

Ben Keating, Driver, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963

What a great experience! I love working with this team. The whole GTP experience in
the Porsche 963 was a lot to learn and a lot to take in. I felt honored to be welcomed
into the team with open arms as the only Am driver to ever compete in the GTP class. I
always know that JDC-Miller Motorsports is going to give us a great car for the Rolex
24! We all wanted more than 6th place, but everybody did their job very well and that is
what the race gave us.

Unitronic JDC-Miller Confirms Audi TCR Return

Katie Church on January 18, 2024

Mikey Taylor, Chris Miller back in team’s Gen2 Audi RS 3 LMS TCR…

January 17, 2024

by John Dagys at www.sportscar365.com

Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports has confirmed its return to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition with the unchanged lineup of Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller in its Audi RS 3 LMS TCR.

The pairing, who finished third in the TCR championship last year, ended the season with three class victories, five podium finishes and four poles with its second-generation Audi TCR challenger.

“As the saying goes, why fix what isn’t broken,” said Taylor.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure driving with Chris and working with the entire Unitronic JDC-Miller team over the last few years.

“Last year we came so close to achieving our ultimate goal of the championship, and I’m confident if we can have a better start to our season we’ll be right there at the end again in 2024.

“Thank you to all our partners and crew members for coming back for another year of fun.”

Miller added: “Obviously 2023 didn’t end as we’d hoped but it was still a great effort by everyone involved and proved that we have everything needed to win the championship.

“To be able to return this year with a lot of continuity in the program should give us all a lot of confidence and I’m very grateful to everyone at JDC-Miller Motorsports, Unitronic, Liqui Moly and our other partners, for helping to make it happen.

“Looking back at last season we got off to a bit of a slow start as we were sorting out issues with a brand new car.

“We won’t have that excuse this year so it will be important to hit the ground running in Daytona and get a great result.

“I know everyone has been working hard to be as prepared as possible and I can’t wait to get on track.”

JDC-Miller MotorSports announces 2024 Porsche 963 GTP program driver lineup

Katie Church on November 14, 2023

Richard Westbrook joins Tijmen van der Helm for JDC-Miller MotorSports
2024 Porsche 963 GTP campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship. Phil Hanson joins the team for the Michelin Endurance
Championship rounds.

Savage, Minnesota (November 14, 2024). JDC-Miller MotorSports confirmed today
that Richard Westbrook and Tijmen van der Helm will return to lead the driver lineup of
the team’s no. 5 Porsche 963 GTP in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
As previously announced, Phil Hanson will join the team for all five Michelin Endurance
championship rounds. Ben Keating returns to JDC-Miller MotorSports for the Rolex 24
at Daytona.

The Minnesota-based race team will be going with experience in its sophomore season
with the Porsche 963 GTP. Van der Helm was with the team for the entire 2023 season
and drove the team’s Porsche 963 GTP from the fourth round onward. He gained pace
and race experience throughout the season as he and the team jelled around the new
963 and the GTP program. Westbrook, who has been a factory driver in several
programs, drove the team’s Cadillac DPi in 2022. He brings experience with the new
hybrid prototypes having driven an LMDh in the 2023 WEC season. Hanson has a huge
amount of protype experience in IMSA and WEC, including a 2020 LMP2 class win at
the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ben Keating, 2023 IMSA WeatherTech LMP2 Champion, returns to JDC-Miller
MotorSports after driving the team’s Cadillac DPi in the 2022 Rolex 24 Hours at
Daytona.

John Church, Managing Partner, JDC-Miller MotorSports
“We were very pleased with our 2023 season with the Porsche 963 GTP. Everything
was new for all the GTP teams last year and we all gained a huge amount of
knowledge. For 2024, we will have a balance of youth and experience, but more
importantly, all our drivers will have extensive prototype experience in IMSA. This driver
line-up, coupled with the support of Porsche Motorsports North America, will put us in
the position to compete for wins in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship.”

Taylor, Miller drive No. 17 JDC-Miller Audi to victory in TCR

Katie Church on August 26, 2023

AUGUST 26, 2023

By John Oreovicz and Jeff Olson

Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller got the victory in the Touring Car (TCR) class Saturday at VIR, but Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker maintained their grip on the championship.

Taylor held on through a one-lap shootout to claim the class victory in the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR he co-drives with Miller. Wickens held on to second in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR he shares with Gottsacker.

While trying to chase down the leader late in the race, Tim Lewis went off course in the esses from second place, telling his crew over the radio that something broke on the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR. That resulted in a full-course caution with eight minutes remaining in the two-hour race, letting the field gather closer to Taylor.

The ensuing restart was a one-lap run to the finish over the 17-turn, 3.27-mile circuit. Taylor brought it home 6.974 seconds ahead of Wilkins, who finished 0.550 seconds ahead of BHA stablemate Mason Filippi in the No. 98 BHA Hyundai he co-drives with Mark Wilkins.

Before the late caution, Taylor was leading comfortably but was razor thin on fuel. When asked if he thought he could win had the yellow not come out, Taylor said he wasn’t quite sure.

“I think it would’ve been fine,” he said. “But at the same time, because of the yellow, these guys were pulled back up to us. It could’ve gone either way, really. We were just trying to maximize the package the car has. We don’t have enough fuel, really, to do a full stint. We kind of got lucky today.”

While Taylor and Miller closed on Wickens and Gottsacker in the championship standings, the No. 33 duo remains 50 points ahead with only two races – at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – remaining on the 2023 schedule. Filippi, Wilkins and the No. 98 BHA Hyundai are 110 points from the leaders.

“We’re going to have to beat them in the next two races to beat them in the championship,” Miller said. “But we have a good car and the best team, so we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”

The victory for the No. 17 did, however, push Audi into the TCR manufacturer points lead by just 10 over Hyundai, which is seeking its fourth straight crown.

The next Michelin Pilot Challenge race is four hours in length, on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The telecast of Saturday’s VIR race airs at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3 on CNBC.