Taylor Hagler Wins 2022 IMSA TCR Championship
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Braselton, GA (30 September 2022) – Taylor Hagler and teammate Michael Lewis finished the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) season on the Fox Factory 120 podium at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, securing the TCR championship for the second consecutive year in the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR with Bryan Herta Autosport.
Wednesday held the first of just two practice sessions of the championship weekend ahead of the Thursday qualifying sessions which saw Hagler put the No. 1 Hyundai on the third row for the two-hour Fox Factory 120.
Shortly after the green flag dropped, Hagler was hit by a fellow competitor in turn 10 and dropped down the order to 13th. But, after driving back through nearly half of the field, Hagler brought the Hyundai to the pits on lap 37 in the sixth position before handing the controls to Lewis. With 40 laps remaining once back on track, Lewis worked his way through the field to advance another three positions and cross the finish line third.
“It’s official!” said Hagler. “Honestly, to have that one behind me is really great because that was a pretty hit-and-miss race. We really had to fight for it today. There was a lot that was happening, and it wasn’t looking great there for a while. I just put my head down and did what I could and gave the car to Michael. It’s never over till it’s over! This was the only track on the IMSA schedule that I didn’t have a trophy from, so it’s awesome to close out that collection and finish the season with the championship and another trophy.
Hagler’s season saw several consistent results which brought the Hagler – Lewis duo to its championship victory. The pair won their first race of the season at VIRginia International Raceway. The third place finish at Road Atlanta, marked the seventh podium finish of the 2022 race season for Hagler.
During the Fox Factory 120, Hagler earned her highest podium finish at Michelin Raceway, and made history as only the second female to win back-to-back IMSA Championships – tying Christina Nielsen, who won back-to-back WeatherTech GTD Championships in 2016 and 2017.
