LAKEVILLE, CT (Saturday, July 22, 2023) —The Paul Miller Racing team finished P8 following a difficult up-and-down day at Lime Rock Park.
Starting ninth in the hands of Madison Snow, the No.1 Quartz Engine Oil-backed BMW M4 GT3 machine would move up to sixth at the start, thanks to an incredible first lap by Snow.
The crew’s flawless pitstop under the first caution would further advance him to P3 on the grid—and he would move into the lead as the race went back to green.
However, it was an incident leaving that pitstop—an error in pit-exit procedure with the No. 32—that would ultimately see the No. 1 team issued a drive-through penalty and drop them to last place.
Following the driver change, and another yellow flag, Bryan Sellers would be facing a restart from 12th with under an hour remaining in the race.
Through the final hour, Sellers would pick off the drivers ahead, and ultimately the No. 1 would cross the line in eighth place.
“It isn’t normal that I would say I’m very proud when we finish P8,” Paul Miller Racing team manager, Mitchell Simmons, said.
“But, from where we started, in P9, to leading the race for 16 laps, and then to only be taken out of contention by a penalty—it proves that we can overcome just about anything.
“The drivers and crew did an impeccable job, never put a wheel wrong, and allowed us to be competitive in the high-deg, low-grip environment that we have struggled in this year. If Lady Luck had been on our side at the end of the race, we still could have won!”
The Paul Miller Racing team retains first place in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD point standings. However, the team’s margin shrinks to just 86 points over the No. 27. However, their lead over the No. 12—in third—has swelled to 255 with four races remaining in the season.
Madison Snow
“Definitely a roller-coaster of a race for us. Started in the back, went to the front, went back to the back, and then worked our way back up a little bit. The reason we were able to work our way to the front at the beginning of the race is because we made some really big improvements to the car before the race, and we had great pit stops—it shows just how good this team is. Unfortunately, the incident in pit lane—and I was definitely in the wrong there—dropped us to the back, and it was too short of a race after that to work our way up a second time. We’ll go to the next one and hopefully be stronger than we were here!”
Bryan Sellers
“I’d say it was a mixed day for us today—a lot of highs and a lot of lows. After qualifying, I think we all thought we were going to be in a little bit of trouble. And then, somehow in the middle of the race, we found ourselves leading and with a pretty decent race car! Unfortunately, it was just a super small pit lane incident that cost us a drive-through and, ultimately, the chance at a good finish. But, you fight as a team, and sometimes these things happen. It doesn’t normally happen to us, but it’s okay. It’s one of those things where you’re just trying as hard as you can and fighting for every last spot. I’m happy today went better than we expected, and we were even in that position. We learned a lot this weekend, and I think we’ll be able to carry those learnings forward.”
