Hyundai Earns Double Podium Finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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• Points Leaders Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker Earn Second-Place Finish in #indianapolismotorspeedway 240
• Hyundai Hope On Wheels Raises $10,800 for Riley Hospital for Children After Leading 108 Laps 
• Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi Round Out Podium with Third-Place Finish
• Wickens and Gottsacker Continue to Lead TCR Drivers’ Championship by 20 Points   

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 18, 2023 – Hyundai Motor America continued their pursuit of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Championship (IMPC) titles with the second endurance race of the season. Playing host to the penultimate #event on the IMPC calendar, the 2.439-mile road course inside the iconic #indianapolismotorspeedway was not short of action across all four hours of #racing. Bryan Herta Autosport’s (BHA) and current TCR Drivers’ Championship leaders, Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker, qualified their No. 33 car as the highest Hyundai Elantra N TCR, starting on the front row, second in class behind their championship rivals in the No. 17 Audi.

As the field came to the green flag, it was BHA teammates Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis who would lead the opening lap after starting third. They would continue to control the lead through the first half of the race with the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi in second position. During No. 33’s first pit stop, Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker served a drive-through penalty due to a fueling issue and cycled to the back of the field before working their way back toward the front of the pack.

As the clock continued to wind down, the points leaders in the No. 33 car were able to work their way into podium contention after the pit lane penalty early on. With one hour left on the clock, the battle between championship rivals in the No. 17 Audi and No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR intensified as Robert Wickens took the lead following the final pit stop sequence. A late-race caution with under 20 minutes to go brought the field back, together, causing Wickens in the No. 33 and the No. 17 Audi to battle side-by-side for position before the No. 17 Audi ultimately took the lead for good. Wickens crossed the finish line in second place and the BHA teammate pairing of Mason Filippi and Mark Wilkins finished in third to complete the podium. Seven Hyundai Elantra N TCRs competed at the #indianapolismotorspeedway and all entries finished in the top ten of their class.

The #indianapolismotorspeedway 240 race marked the 25^th-Anniversary celebration of Hyundai’s Hope On Wheels, an occasion that saw the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR dressed in a special livery for the #event and for the upcoming season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Childrens’ handprints, representing the collective fight against pediatric cancer and hope for a cure, were displayed on the No. 33 car as a tribute to Hyundai Hope On Wheels’ colorful awareness campaign. In honor of the Hyundai Hope On Wheels 25^th Anniversary, for every lap led by a Hyundai Elantra N TCR in Saturday’s race, Hyundai committed to donate $100 to the Indianapolis-based Riley Hospital for Children.  In total, Hyundai raised$10,800 for the Indianapolis-based children’s hospital after leading the race for 108 laps.  

With only one race remaining for 2023, Hyundai heads to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the Fox Factory 120 race on Friday, October 13, 2023, ready to defend their championship titles.

• Top-Finishing Hyundai: Second place for the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker
• Top-Qualifying Hyundai: Second place for the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker
  

Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker, drivers of the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, and Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi, drivers of the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, for Bryan Herta Autosport stand second and third, respectively, on the podium for the #indianapolismotorspeedway 240 race at the #indianapolismotorspeedway in Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 16, 2023 (Photo/Bryan Herta Autosport/LAT)

Further information in the press release to download