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The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge made its fourth stop on the 2024 schedule at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio. Taylor Hagler and Bryson Morris combined for an eighth place finish in the No. 77 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR 

Hour 1:

The No. 77 BHA Hyundai was slated seventh on the grid following Saturday’s qualifying, but due to a competitor penalty, Hagler and Morris were promoted to sixth. With the strategy set, Morris climbed aboard the Hyundai to take the green flag. The opening hour was consistent and smooth for Morris. He maintained position through the opening melee for track position before the first yellow flag appeared just 15-minutes into the four-hour race. On the restart, Morris managed to gain a position to fifth. As the first hour came to a close, pit lane came alive as the field of GS and TCR began their first pit cycle. 

Hour 2:

The second hour began with Morris bringing the No. 77 Hyundai to pit lane from second overall for a driver change to Hagler. With four new Michelin tires and a full tank of fuel, she returned to the course in fifth. The second full course caution appeared on lap 56 and the field slowed. Five laps later, Hagler took the green flag from third and found herself settling into race pace around the 2.258-mile course. 

Hour 3:

At the halfway mark in the endurance round at Mid-Ohio, the No. 77 Hyundai was running sixth. As Hagler came to pit lane for the second pit stop of the race, she was issued a drive through penalty for speeding on pit lane. Hagler returned to pit lane on lap 84 to serve that penalty before returning to race running in 11th. The third full course caution appeared on lap 94. When pit lane opened to the TCR field, the No. 77 remained out to gain a lap back to the leaders. On the next lap, she came back to pit lane to complete her two-hour stint and hand controls back over to Morris for the final hour. 

Hour 4: 

With the final hour on the race clock, Morris held onto tenth place for the majority of the 60-minutes. With less than ten minutes on the clock, a frenzy of TCR cars came to pit lane for a late splash of fuel. Morris utilized those positions on track and took the checkered flag to seal the No. 77 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR into the top ten with an eighth place finish. The result is the driver duo’s third top ten result of the season. 

Taylor Hagler, Driver of the No. 77 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR: “Another race in the books. Mid-Ohio is a technical course that requires drivers and crews to execute precisely and we didn’t do that today. We had a strong car and were running a good race until a few mistakes set us back. We rebounded as best we could with an eighth place finish. The best part of this time of year is we have a quick turn around and can focus on Watkins Glen. We will be back and focus on how we can have the most success possible in our upcoming races.”