Indianapolis, IN (Sunday, Sept 22, 2024) — Despite a tough day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Paul Miller Racing team extended their lead in the Michelin Endurance Cup heading into the final race of the season.
In the hands of drivers Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, and Neil Verhagen, the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 battled penalties, traffic, and changing weather conditions to bring home an eighth-place finish.
Neil Verhagen was first behind the wheel, starting third after his first-ever IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying effort. Verhagen would stay in the car the entire first three hours of the race, through several rain showers that caught out many of his IMSA competitors.
Stretching fuel in the final stint, Verhagen would lead at the three-hour mark of the six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks race, securing maximum points towards the Michelin Endurance Cup for the team.
However, a yellow flag came out right before the three-hour mark, forcing the team to take emergency service and garnering them a drive-through penalty in the process.
The penalty would put Madison Snow back out in the eighth position. He would climb as high as fifth before earning another penalty for contact with the No. 9—undoing his progress.
However, the car was quick, and a yellow flag right before changing to Bryan Sellers would allow the No. 1 back into the thick of the top-five battle. Unfortunately for Sellers, a penalty during the pit stop for fuel refilling dropped the No. 1 to the back of the GTD Pro field once again.
Though Sellers had pace and the car was still handling well at the end of the six-hour race, the iHeartRadio-backed machine was simply too far adrift of the rest of the field to gain positions.
“There was a lot we did wrong today, but there was also a lot that we did right,” Paul Miller Racing team manager, Mitchell Simmons, said.
“The car was really good; even when the conditions were bad, we were still competitive. The drivers were quick and—mostly—mistake-free. The crew performed well all weekend improving the car, and did amazing work in the pit stops.
“It’s one of those things that even with the screw-ups, one more caution and we could have been fighting at the front. Probably not a win, I’m not sure we had anything for those guys, but a podium or a top five—certainly.
“But, we move on to Petit. This changes our focus and how we approach the final race of the year. We are all in on the Michelin Endurance Cup now. We entered this weekend with a two-point lead and we leave with five. Hopefully, we can capitalize and bring home another Endurance Cup trophy.”
The Paul Miller Racing team previously won the Michelin Endurance Cup in 2020. The team is looking to repeat that feat when they head to the team’s home race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans.
Bryan Sellers
It’s always hard to have to sit back and look at the positives at the end of a tough race. Obviously, I’m disappointed, but part of the reason I’m disappointed is because I think we had a really good shot going into today. Neil did a really great job in qualifying and the first few hours in the rain. Madison ran great laps in the middle of the race in really slippery conditions. The crew gave us a really good car. I think when we were leading at the three-hour mark, everyone really started to see how this race could come together and produce a good result for us. It’s really a shame that it ended up how it did. We need to take a hard look at everything that happened and why it happened and make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes we made today at Petit. It’s a bummer we’re pretty much out of the championship, but the fact that we were in the conversation in our first year in GTD Pro is something everyone here can be proud of. And now, we can try and win the Endurance Cup and be proud of that too.
Madison Snow
“This race here certainly had some ups and downs. We definitely showed a lot of pace. I think we had a strong car here. The guys worked really hard all week to make sure we had a good car in every condition today—and there were a lot. Unfortunately, we didn’t end up on the top step of the podium when the clock stopped. But, even on days like today, these guys always stay in the fight. I always love working with the Paul Miller Racing crew and I’m glad we kept at it until the very end.”
Neil Verhagen
“Really tricky conditions today, especially in the first couple of hours. Keeping the car on track was not the easiest job in the world! It was a chaotic start to the race, and at some point, I just felt super lost. But, I had the trust that this team were always going to have me in the best position. And that’s where we ended up at the three-hour mark! We crossed the line in first place, which was our, which was our goal for the Endurance Cup. If you would have asked me what position I was in while I was out there, I would have had no idea. But I’m so glad we were able to pull that off. Everything afterwards was unfortunate. But we will learn from it. I think we showed we had the pace again today, and with a little bit of luck and just one more caution, we probably would have had a much different end result. So, thank you to all the guys and to the team, and let’s roll onto Petit.”
