Shift Up Now Athletes Sarah Montgomery, Ashley Freiberg and Alana Carter made history by becoming the first-ever, all-female team to earn a World Racing League (WRL) GTO podium on Saturday, and then backed it up with another on Sunday, competing for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the GTO class at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 25-27, 2025.
Freiberg recently joined Montgomery and Carter - the team’s full-season drivers - to fill in for team owner Erin Vogel, who is expecting a child this December with fiancé and team co- founder, Aaron Snair.
Driving the No. 119 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2, the trio prepared for one of the most competitive weekends on the WRL schedule. Road Atlanta features “the short lap” and intense Georgia heat, with temperatures in the 90s and high humidity. Drivers need the mental toughness for the adverse conditions on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course, where setup and running clean through traffic are critical.
The race weekend began on Thursday with a “Max Track Time” event, where all three drivers got seat time and felt optimistic about the following day’s qualifying.
Qualifying for the sixth round of the 2025 championship took place on Friday. In one of the tightest fields of the season to date, the fifth-through-12th qualifying spots in the GTO class were separated by less than half a second. After qualifying 11th in class and 20th overall on Yokohama tires with a 1:32.2 lap time, the AEVR team would start the first endurance race on the inside of row six.
On Saturday, track conditions were greasy and slick at 9:00am EST as the field prepared for the start of a physically-demanding eight-hour race under clear skies and rising heat. Montgomery took the first two-hour stint, navigating early full-course cautions and a red flag within the first hour, and gaining six spots to move the team into fifth.
Next up, Carter was behind the wheel and advanced the Supra to third in class before handing the car over to Freiberg just before noon. Just after the halfway point, Freiberg had taken over the lead. After various pit-stop strategies and cycles, the checkered flag fell with the trio earning a third-place finish - their first podium of the 2025 season - and hungry for a repeat performance the following day.
On Sunday, brutal heat continued to challenge the drivers, with the two-hour mandatory break offering much-needed relief from the seven-hour competition. Just like the day prior, Montgomery took the wheel first, and completed a 90-minute stint. Throughout the day, she, Freiberg and Carter would take part in some of the most competitive racing of the season to date, making the race even more physically demanding.
During the harsh afternoon heat, Montgomery managed the longest stint of the day at a full two hours, and the AEVR team opted to enlist the help of an additional driver. Another Shift Up Now Athlete - Laura Hayes from Thunder Bunny Racing - happened to be on the timing stand for the weekend, helping the team with strategy. Hayes took a one-hour stint to offer some relief for the AEVR lineup before relinquishing the car to Carter to finish the grueling competition.
Carter rose to the challenge, crossing the finish line in second for the team’s history-making, second consecutive podium finish.
“This weekend was an every-emotion weekend,” said Montgomery. “It was incredible to see us on the podium for both races after knowing the hard work everyone has put into this. The heat was strenuous but every single person on the team was able to push through as we crave victory. I’m grateful to be a part of this team and am looking forward to getting the win soon!”
Team owner Erin Vogel added, “This weekend is both the culmination of two years of effort and also the beginning of so much more success. We've been building a program and a team since 2023, and honing in on what it takes to make a positive environment for both driver and team development. The strength of effort from everyone that's been involved over the past two years has been inspiring, and there are more people to thank for our arrival here than I can list in one acknowledgement - just know how much I love and appreciate you all!”
Next up, the World Racing League heads to Colorado for the seventh round of the 2025 championship, at High Plains Raceway on August 29-31, 2025.
