SEBRING, FL (Saturday, March 18, 2023) — The Paul Miller Racing team found their way to victory lane yet again, with Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, and Corey Lewis winning the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring.
Starting in the fifth position, the No. 1 Quartz Engine Oil-backed machine battled faster cars and brake issues throughout the 12 hours, persevering through brilliant driving, exceptional strategy—and a little bit of luck—to take the win.
All three Paul Miller Racing drivers led the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class during the 12-hour event, but it was Madison Snow’s heroic fuel-saving double stint to end the race that sealed the deal for the team.
Snow ran for nearly two hours on one tank of gas and thankfully caught a late-race yellow flag that allowed him to fight at the finish.
He held off charging cars with more fuel and fresher tires in a three-lap shootout and ultimately took the checkered flag with 1.532 seconds over P2.
“We really thought going into this that we only had a seventh or eighth place car, so to walk away with the victory is just such an amazing result,” Paul Miller Racing team owner, Paul Miller said.
“We took a risk, and it really paid off. But, we had to take that risk because of the pace that we had relative to the other cars.
“Luckily, we were in a position where that was even an option in the first place thanks to the work of our drivers and crew. The pit stops were flawless, the guys drove a great race, and Madison, I can’t say enough about his performance at the end to make sure we could get to the finish. What a great day!”
The Paul Miller Racing trio combined to lead 42 of 301 laps en route to victory. This win marks the team’s second at Sebring, taking the win in 2018, again with Snow, Sellers, and Lewis.
The win also propels them to second in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD standings—just one point off the lead—and fourth in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
“We really weren’t sure if this was going to pay off, but wow, it did in the best way,” Paul Miller Racing team manager, Mitchell Simmons said.
“I don’t know that we’ve ever done this well with a car those guys were so unhappy with. Relative to the competition, we were down on top speed and struggling with brakes, but the team made up for it at every turn,
“I can’t say enough about this crew, or about these drivers, and because of them we are Sebring winners again!”
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is next in action April 14-16 at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Paul Miller Racing is the reigning two-time winners of the Long Beach event and looking to continue their strong form this year.
Madison Snow
“We won Sebring again, with Bryan and Corey! I definitely did not think going into this race that we could ever have this outcome, but it shows staying out of trouble and having a team that can execute perfectly and an engineer that is willing to take chances is what it takes sometimes—especially with the speed of the car that we had. We also improved the car throughout the race, that helped us quite a bit at the end, and we had a car I could battle with for those last three laps. And..we won Sebring!”
Bryan Sellers
“I’m super excited, super proud of everybody. To me, this race is the ultimate team race. There are a lot of pit stops, they’re super fast, you have to get through the race without making mistakes and without bad decisions on anyone’s part. In the end, you need to do the job, and today that was Madison. We all had a part in getting to that point at the end of the race, but then when you get to that point, it’s down to the guy in the car. For me, it’s been quite the journey with Madison. We’ve spent so many years together and I’ve been able to watch him grow and become more well-rounded as a driver. Today shows what he’s capable of—what we’ve always known he’s capable of. He got the job done in the highest-pressure situation. I couldn’t be happier for us as a program, but I also couldn’t be happier for him for giving us this win today.”
Corey Lewis
“It’s pretty unreal! This is special. I was on a different program last year, and I always missed being a part of this team and working with these guys. To come back to this program, I was always looking forward to it, especially looking at everything we have accomplished, but to win this is really special. We just all get along so well and work together so well—me and Bryan and Madison, but also all the guys on this team. We all get along extremely well. We always knew this was possible, and for us to do it the way that we did, it’s a total team effort. Everyone executed perfectly. On the driving side, we kept the car clean the whole way through and that was crucial. Everybody on the box made great strategy calls. The pit crew was amazing every stop. And the spotters did an amazing job making sure we stayed out of harm’s way as our extra set of eyes. And at the end, Madison did a helluva job. We all put ourselves in that position and he was able to execute and take it home for us. It’s beyond special.”
