Join JDC-Miller MotorSports in Supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® DONATE NOW

No. 17 JDC-Miller Audi Finished the Job This Year in TCR Title Drive

Katie Church on October 24, 2024

After Falling Just Shy in ’23, Drivers Miller and Taylor Led Determined Effort in ‘24

October 23, 2024

By David Phillips from IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – By almost any measure, the Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign last year was a success. Which means this season’s championship-winning effort in the Touring Car (TCR) class must be ranked as the ultimate triumph. After a slow start to the 2023 season, drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor steered the No. 17 Audi RS3 LMS TCR to a trio of victories and a pair of runner-up finishes. The only thing missing was the TCR championship itself. A mechanical issue coming to the green flag at the season finale ended the title bid and left the team with unfinished business to attend in 2024. 

Suffice to say, Miller, Taylor and the JDC-Miller crew took care of that business this season, and then some. They captured four wins and two more podiums in the 10 races and, thanks to a dash of ironic mechanical mayhem, clinched the driver and team titles by simply taking the green flag at the Fox Factory 120 on Oct. 11, almost a year to the day after the ’23 championship hardware slipped through their fingers.

“Given what happened last year, going to the last race with a chance of winning and being able to control our own destiny, that was disappointing,” said JDC-Miller founder John Church. “But everybody rallied. We worked hard in the off-season to clean up some things like pit stops so they wouldn’t be part of the equation, and that worked out well for us.” 

But it wasn’t quite as simple or easy as the statistics might suggest. For openers, JDC-Miller again campaigned a lone Audi against a veritable armada of Hyundai Elantra N TCRs, no fewer than four fielded by Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian in a bid to claim its sixth consecutive driver and team crowns. There was also another perennial contender, the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR, as well as emerging potential winners like the No. 93 Montreal Motorsport Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR and No. 99 Victor Gonzales Racing Team Hyundai.

Relishing the status as giant killer, the No. 17 Audi opened the season with four wins and a third place to open a massive 220-point championship lead halfway through the season. The competition never quit, however. Defending TCR champions Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker won in the No. 33 Herta Hyundai at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Tim Lewis and William Tally guided the No. 5 KMW Alfa Romeo to victory at Road America. Dai Yoshihara and Karl Wittmer did the same in the No. 93 MMG Honda at VIRginia International Raceway, even as Miller and Taylor rebounded from an early “off” to finish seventh in the No. 17 Audi.

Still, when Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi coaxed their fuel-efficient No. 98 BHA Hyundai to the win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway just clear of teammates Wickens and Gottsacker, JDC-Miller headed to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the finale with a 150-point lead looking to close the deal. 

Miller, though, crashed the No. 17 in qualifying, and when the BHA Hyundais qualified 1-2-3, JDC-Miller still had work to do, beginning with repairing the car. Needing only to finish 11th or better in class in the race, that was all but assured when the No. 73 Racers Edge Motorsports Honda Civic FK7 TCR withdrew after a mechanical issue in qualifying. It meant the No. 17 Audi needed only to be on the starting grid for Miller and Taylor to earn the drivers’ title and Unitronic/JDC-Miller to claim the team championship. This time, there would be no issues on the pace lap and Miller and Taylor duly came home a conservative but jubilant sixth in the race.

“Our guys started the season well and capitalized when they could,” Church said. “We had a couple of tough races through the year, but in the end, they did what they needed to do to finish out the year and championship. It was a whole team effort where everybody contributed, and I’m super proud of the effort everybody put in.”

All of which is not to say there was no drama in the season finale. After leading most of the last half of the two-hour race, Tyler Gonzalez was forced to bring the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Hyundai to the pits for a splash of fuel as he was about to take the white flag. Thus, Wilkins, Filippi and the No. 98 BHA Hyundai took their second straight win to clinch the runner-up spots in the driver and team championships by just 10 points over Wickens, Gottsacker and the No. 33 Hyundai. It also put an exclamation point on Hyundai’s unprecedented fifth straight TCR manufacturer championship.

“A fifth manufacturers championship in a row here in IMSA,” Filippi said. “It just shows how hard Bryan Herta Autosport works and our Hyundai is really good at this championship, a really good car and reliability. We have a lot challengers here and it’s fun to compete in TCR, so it’s a big accomplishment.”  

Unitronic JDC-Miller Clinch 2024 IMSA TCR Championship

Katie Church on October 17, 2024

October 17, 2024 from getunitronic.com

After 10 thrilling rounds of heated IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge racing, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team is thrilled to claim the title of 2024 IMSA TCR Champions! This season was marked by many intense battles and unforgettable moments on the track. Heading into the final race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the team remained focused on its objective and all that hard work paid off in the best way possible.

Official Standings

As it Happened in Braselton, GA

Coming off a strong P3 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a 150-point championship lead, the Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team was in a good position to take it all but the relentless factory-backed Hyundai teams still remained within striking distance. Practice 1 and 2 allowed for final setup changes, but nothing could prepare the team for Thursday evening’s qualifying session incident.

As the sun was setting over turn 3 at Road Atlanta, visibility was dwindling fast and the #17 Audi lost control over a curb and collided with a safety barrier. Miraculously, Miller got the car moving again while avoiding a red flag and he would even go on to improve his qualifying time which was a true testament to the team’s “never give up” attitude. The Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team would start Friday’s 2-hour Fox Factory 120 race from P7 but not before a long night of repairs.

On race day, only 11 teams made it to the starting grid instead of the anticipated 12 and with a 150-point differential between P1 and P11, the team would simply have to make it past the start line to clinch the championship win. Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor went on to finish the race without taking any unnecessary risks and ultimately crossed the line in P6 with their heads up high, surrounded by cheering fans, crew, family and friends.

Breaking the Hyundai Stronghold

“I am so proud to be able to finally get this championship! All the hard work over the last 5 years has led to this and there couldn’t be a more deserving group of people in the paddock. Everyone has worked so hard week in and week out so it’s nice to finally get this reward!

I don’t think people realize the level at which IMSA TCR is right now, you really have to piece everything together to have a shot at beating the factory supported Hyundai team who have great driver line ups and a fantastic program! To be the first team to break their stronghold on the TCR class means a lot to a little one-car team like us! We put everything we had into this one, and I’m so relieved it all worked out! A special thanks to all our partners who have been on this journey with us and stuck with us through the thick and thin!” said Mikey Taylor.

Miller Reflects on the Tough Racing Season

“Obviously it would have been great to end the season with a win but our goal with this program since we started years ago was to win a championship and it’s a massive achievement by everyone involved to be able to deliver that. I’m so grateful to everyone for their hard work this year. We faced a lot of adversity beginning at Daytona when we thought we may not start the race and then the second half of the season definitely didn’t go as smoothly as we wanted, but everyone showed great resilience.

I feel very lucky to have had such a great teammate, crew, group of engineers, partners and countless other supporters who I got to be a part of this with. Special thanks to Unitronic, JDC-Miller Motorsports, and my family for always believing in us. Championships are very hard to win and I think we will all be celebrating this one for a while!” said Chris Miller.

Thankful for the Outpouring of Support

This championship win is not just a testament to the skill of our drivers but also to the dedication of the entire Unitronic JDC-Miller Motorsports team. From the crew to our technical partners, every detail mattered, and everyone gave it their all. Now, we celebrate this incredible achievement, reflect on an unforgettable season, and look forward to what’s next. Thank you to our partners, fans, and everyone who supported us along the way!

No. 17 Audi Locks Down Title

Katie Church on October 13, 2024

October 11, 2024

By Tony DiZinno and David Phillips from IMSA Wire Service

BRASELTON, Ga. – The Touring Car (TCR) class warranted watching from start to finish. Literally. For the second year running, the season’s team and driver championships were decided at the drop of the green flag.

Last year, the championship-leading (and pole-winning) No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR suffered a mechanical failure while bringing the field to the green and the team could only watch as Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi won the race in the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with teammates Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker finishing fourth to clinch the driver, team and manufacturer TCR titles.

So, it was more than a little ironic Friday when, with Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor needing to finish 11th or better in the No. 17 Audi to claim the driver and team TCR crowns, the 12th and final starter in the class (the No. 73 Racers Edge Motorsports Honda Civic FK7 TCR) was unable to start the race after experiencing mechanical problems of its own. Mission accomplished for Miller and Taylor.

Fast forward to a race dominated virtually from start to finish by the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai of Tyler Gonzalez and Morgan Burkhard. Virtually is the key word, as the white flag waved to signal the final lap, Burkhard peeled into pit lane for a splash of fuel, handing the win to Wilkins, Filippi and the No. 98 BHA Hyundai.

“We were all in the same boat trying to get to the end,” Wilkins said after he and Filippi won their second straight race of the season and second straight at Michelin Raceway. “It was a battle of who did a better job of getting there.

“The No. 99 is the same car, and I didn’t know where they were (on fuel). I was just trying to gauge off of everybody else, honestly. I felt like we were all so similar. I didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. It looked the way he was driving that maybe he had a shot to make it to the end, so he had to push, obviously a little bit more. I think we did a good job earlier in the stint to allow ourselves to run a bit more aggressive at the end; to put some pressure on him. So, I guess they were waiting for a yellow that never came.”

Although sixth place was a disappointing and uncharacteristic showing for a team that amassed four wins and stood atop the TCR standings from the opening round of the season at Daytona International Speedway, there was plenty of joy to be found in the JDC-Miller compound after the race.

“No question, last year was heartbreaking,” said Taylor. “The whole team set out to make amends for that this year. We had a great year but it wasn’t easy. Some rules changes in the middle of the season meant we had to redevelop the car. Even this weekend wasn’t easy by any means. We had an ‘off’ in qualifying that damaged the car, so the team was here until midnight repairing the damage. Even when we found out the (No. 73) wasn’t starting the race, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Although the other shoe never dropped, Miller, Taylor & Co. had a tough day at the office, so to speak.

“Of course, it was in our minds that we’d won the championship,” Taylor continued. “But we’re here to race, and we wanted to finish the season on a high note. Although the crew did a fantastic job fixing the car, we didn’t have another session before the race to test the repairs and the car was not exactly right today. The Hyundais had more speed and, obviously, a couple of them went the distance on one pit stop, where we had to stop twice.”