Victory, Pole Position and Multiple Podiums for AE Victory Racing in Statement Weekend at Thunderhill

Shift Up Now Athletes Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned a first-ever overall victory for AE Victory Racing (AEVR), which made an even more impactful statement when they were joined on the podium by three other AEVR teammates and Shift Up Now Athletes—Sarah Montgomery, Ashley Freiberg, and Brenna Schubert—after race two of a double-header World Racing League (WRL) weekend at Thunderhill Raceway Park on April 2-5, 2026.

As just the second event fielding a two-car effort, the series’ debut at the circuit, and nearly half the roster new to the program, the weekend marked a pivotal moment for a rapidly-growing team still finding its rhythm.

Both Toyota Supra GT4 entries took to the track Thursday for Max Track Time on the 3.0-mile, 15-turn East circuit, with Hayes, Abbate and Grisham piloting the No. 120, and Montgomery, Freiberg and Schubert in the No. 119.

Thunderhill’s notoriously abrasive surface and evolving track conditions presented an early challenge, with tire degradation becoming a central focus throughout the Max Track Time test sessions. Drivers took to the track early to familiarize themselves with the circuit, working closely with engineers to review data.

Qualifying on Friday showcased the team’s potential. On fresh tires, Grisham delivered a standout lap of 1:52.9 on her second flyer to secure the team’s first-ever pole position, while Montgomery put the No. 119 car in fourth place for the next day's race.

At the start of Saturday’s eight-hour race, both cars launched strongly, with Montgomery immediately slotting into a one-two formation with Grisham heading into the opening corners. However, just laps into the race, the No. 119 suffered a drivetrain issue, forcing an unscheduled pit stop into the garages. The crew quickly diagnosed a failed guibo and executed repairs with urgency.

Meanwhile, the No. 120 continued to lead significant portions of the race, navigating traffic, cautions, and fuel cycles. In the end, the No. 119 was able to come back out and—due to a few DNFs—complete the race in the points. The No. 120 brought the team their first podium of the weekend when they narrowly missed out on victory in the closing stages, but earned the second-place trophy.

Starting second and third in the seven-hour race on Sunday, both cars executed a meticulously planned endurance race, balancing tire strategy, traffic management, and clean driver transitions. Montgomery delivered a strong opening stint on qualifying tires, skillfully working through traffic to position the No. 119 for Schubert, who would go on to set the car’s fastestlap after rejoining on fresh tires. Up front, Laura Hayes maintained a commanding pace in the No. 120, holding the lead track position and managing pressure during multiple restarts and fuel cycles.

As the race unfolded, seamless pit execution and strategic calls kept both cars in contention.

Driver rotations between Hayes, Abbate, and Grisham in the No. 120 kept the car at the front of the field. A strong start from Montgomery, alongside Schubert and Freiberg in the No. 119, demonstrated the team’s precision and execution as, across both cars, drivers remained consistent in lap times and pace. Late-race fuel strategy proved effective, with both cars making perfectly timed stops in the final minutes to maintain track position.

When the checkered flag fell, AE Victory Racing celebrated a milestone moment: the No. 120 captured the team’s first overall victory, with the No. 119 completing a hard-earned one-two finish.

“What a weekend for us at Thunderhill,” said Hayes. “We faced some unexpected challenges with track conditions that led to significant tire wear, but thanks to smart decisions and strong strategy from the team, we were able to adapt and manage the situation effectively—ultimately coming away with a win and a couple of P2s. Weekends with AE Victory Racing are always a highlight for me, and this was no exception. I’m incredibly grateful to Erin [Vogel] and the entire team for their hard work and support in making it another successful event.”

Grisham echoed Hayes’ sentiment, commenting, “What an amazing weekend for the entire AE Victory Racing team. On Saturday, we brought it home P2, while our sister car, No. 119 was unfortunately hit with some mechanical gremlins. Today we bounced back in the best way possible with a win, and to top it off, the sister car finished P2. It was a huge team effort all around. I couldn’t be prouder to be involved with such an amazing team. I’m looking forward to our next race in just a few weeks time at Road America and hopefully keep the momentum going!”

Abbate added, “What an incredible effort we had this weekend! I am so proud of our team, AE Victory Racing, and I’m stoked on our first overall win in the No. 120 car! It all came down to strategy and Kevin really did a stellar job. It was a pleasure to drive with Hannah and Laura and I’m so super pumped to have helped bring the win home for everyone on the team who have worked so hard! Very well done to our sister car who really put up a fight and earned the P2 finish as well. Excited to carry the momentum to Road America!”

Next up, the six Shift Up Now Athletes on the AEVR team will head to Elkhart Lake, WI for rounds three and four of the 2026 WRL Championship, taking place at Road America on April 24-26, 2026.

Top Five Finish for Lahlouh at GT World Challenge Debut in Sonoma

Shift Up Now Athlete Therese Lahlouh, along with teammate Thomas Merrill, earned a fifth- place finish in the Pro-Am class during the season opener of GT World Challenge America presented by AWS at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Driving the No. 242 Porsche GT3 car for Wright Motorsports, and sponsored by Byers Auto Group, Mobil1, and PMNA, Lahlouh was excited to make her GT World Challenge America debut on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course that she considers her home track. Previously, she competed in Porsche Sprint Challenge, and is a graduate of the Porsche Motorsports ladder system to GT3 racing.

The race weekend began with three official practice sessions under sunny skies for one of the largest GT3 fields in recent history, featuring 20 cars. Lahlouh’s Pro-Am class comprised the majority, with 13 entries.

Lahlouh and Merrill used the practice time to gather data, dial in the Wright Motorsports Porsche, and get up to speed for qualifying.

GT World Challenge America announced a new format for 2026, replacing two 90-minute races on back-to-back days with a single three-hour race on Sunday afternoons. The new format also puts qualifying on the morning of race day.

On Sunday morning at 8:45am PST, Lahlouh was behind the wheel for the first stint of qualifying. Both drivers’ times would be averaged to determine the team’s starting position. Lahlouh noted that the cool track conditions made it challenging to get her tires up to temperature quickly.

“It was only my second morning sticker run, and bringing the tire in at a track like Sonoma is really difficult,” she said. “The cold conditions definitely made it a challenge to get the maximum performance out of the tire quickly, and with track evolution making the track faster as the session went on, it was also important to treat the tires in a way that extended their peak.”

When the qualifying session ended, the No. 242 duo had secured a starting spot on the inside of row nine for that afternoon’s race.

Later that day, the three-hour competition began at 1:45pm PST and Lahlouh was the first to take the wheel for the team.

The 20-car field ran the standard two-by-two formation for the start. When the green flag flew, they continued side-by-side up the hill from turns one into two. Lahlouh had a clean start, gaining a position into the carousel on the first lap.

Ten minutes into the race, a two-car incident caused a full-course caution.  The team elected not to pit, so Lahlouh stayed out to gain track position, advancing to seventh in class (13th overall).

Just over 30 minutes into the race, the Wright Motorsport team elected to pit Lahlouh, opting for a short stop, and effectively re-setting the drive-time clock. This set up their strategy to keep her in the car for another 50-minute stint before the driver change to Merrill, who would drive to the finish.

As the pit stop strategies started to play out in the middle of the race, Lahlouh cycled up into the top ten overall, and fifth in class. She pitted to hand over to Merrill just before the halfway point of the race, running in ninth place overall.

With 50 minutes remaining, Merrill came in for the team’s final pit stop, where the team had to serve a penalty for a procedural error at the previous pit stop. However, he ran a clean race until the checkered flag and brought the car home fifth in class to start the 2026 season.

“It was an incredible start to my GT3 career here at Sonoma Raceway,” said Lahlouh. “We were so close to a podium finish, but unfortunately, a penalty kept us from the result we deserved. My co-driver Thomas had an awesome stint, and I’m super proud of a top five, thanks to the world-class leadership and engineering at Wright Motorsport. We couldn’t be in better hands, and we’re looking forward to taking the fight to COTA. Thank you to my sponsors, PMNA, Byers Auto, and Mobil1.“

Next up, Lahlouh and Merrill head to Texas for round two of GT World Challenge America presented by AWS, at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on April 24-26, 2026.

Podium Finish for Hayes in GT4 America Season Opener at Sonoma

Shift Up Now Athlete Laura Hayes earned a third-place finish with teammate Ed Killeen, driving for Dome Motorsport in the AM class during round one of the Pirelli GT4 America 2026 season at Sonoma Raceway on March 27, 2026.

Hayes and Killeen piloted the No. 37 Junaid Foundation Mercedes AMG GT4 among more than 30 cars in the field for the season-opening weekend, which featured two 60-minute races.

The field also included three other Shift Up Now Athletes, driving for Kellymoss in the Silver class: Loni Unser and Ashley Freiberg—both supported by Mobil1, Acumatica and PenFed Credit Union—driving the No. 24 “Be Your Own Hero” Porsche Cayman GT4, and Erika Hoffmann—with teammate Jack Parriott—driving the No. 73 Coverly Home Protection and Kaufmann de Suisse Montreal Porsche Cayman GT4.

The Sonoma weekend began with testing on Wednesday and Thursday on the 2.52-mile, 12- turn road course. Sunny skies gave the Shift Up Now Athletes perfect track conditions to get up to speed in their new series, and specifically for Hayes with both a new car and her new team.

Qualifying took place on Friday morning with new rules for the 2026 season: Only one driver qualifies the race car to determine the starting position for the first race. Then the other driver’s fastest lap from the first race is used to determine the team’s starting position for race two.

Unser was behind the wheel of the “Be Your Own Hero” No. 24 for Kellymoss, with Hayes qualifying the No. 37, and Parriott for the No. 73. Unser brought her tires up to temperature and pressure fast for a strong start, but later dropped behind cars that set their fastest times late in the session. Hayes took a little longer to generate heat in her tires, but set the 17th-fastest time, putting her next to Unser on the starting grid. Parriott’s qualifying time put him and Hoffmann in row 12 for the start of race one.

The season opener began at 2pm PST on Friday under sunny skies. GT4 America rules stipulated a maximum of 35 minutes behind the wheel per driver.

Hayes, Unser and Parriott lined up on the starting grid. After one formation lap, debris on the track caused an additional lap, but the race clock started. The next lap after the green flag flew from the starter's stand, the field ran side by side up the hill from lefthand turn one into the righthand turn two. When several cars came together near the front, Hayes, made a move and gained several positions.

Unfortunately, Unser suffered contact from the car next to her as the cars compressed into the tight second turn, damaging the Cayman GT4, and leaving her and Freiberg to battle handling issues for the remainder of the race.

After a lengthy full-course caution, 41 minutes remained as the field lined up for a single-file restart. Hayes had advanced to 10th and began putting the ninth-place car (second in class) under pressure.

When the pit window opened a couple laps later, Parriott dove into the pits and handed the No. 73 car over to Hoffmann. Hayes and Unser elected to stay out, and both set personal-best times.

Unser was the next to pit, giving the wheel to Freiberg. Then one lap later, after setting another personal-best lap and advancing the car to the lead in class, Hayes passed the car to Killeen. He would go on to cross the finish line third in class, to give the team their first podium of the year.

Freiberg and Unser finished seventh in class (16th overall), and Hoffmann and Parriott gained valuable experience as they completed their first-ever GT4 race, finishing eighth in class (22nd overall).

Race two began at 1:00pm PST on Saturday, once again under sunny, California skies.

Freiberg, Hoffmann and Killeen were behind the wheel for the start. After one formation lap, the green flag flew and the field ran two-by-two through the first few corners. This time, there were no major incidents and the entrants settled into a mostly single-file pack. With tight lap times from 10th through 22nd place in the 30-plus car field, it was tough for Freiberg to make significant progress after her early-race passes.

Just before the halfway point, the pit window opened and Killeen passed the car to Hayes.

Freiberg stayed out for several more laps, setting fast times in clean air. Coupling that with a clean pit stop paid off for the team, moving them into the top five in class (and top 20 overall).

Slightly further back in the pack, Hayes made a pass to advance to the top five in the AM class, and immediately started to lay down some fast laps.

With just over 10 minutes left in the competition, a single-car crash caused a full-course caution, which put the field behind the safety car until the checkered flag. Unser and Freiberg ended up fifth in the Silver class, with Hayes also earning a fifth-place spot in the AM class.

"Wrapping up the opening rounds at Sonoma still feels a bit surreal,” said Hayes. “This opportunity came together just a week before the event thanks to Oore Jewelry and Dome Motorsport, so to come away with a podium alongside Eddie was an incredible bonus.

“The team welcomed me in immediately, and I felt right at home with both the crew and the car. There are still a few details to refine to unlock more pace, but considering the unknowns heading into the weekend, I’m proud of what we accomplished. Dome Motorsport offers a fantastic program with an even better group of people, and I’m truly grateful to be part of it as a Shift Up Now athlete."

Next up, Hayes, Unser, Freiberg and Hoffmann head to Texas for round 3 of the Pirelli GT4 America championship, at Circuit of the Americas on April 24-26, 2026.

Cook Matches Best-Ever Finish to Kick Off Porsche Carrera Cup Season

Shift Up Now Athlete Sabré Cook tied her best-ever result with a sixth-place finish during race two of the double-header season opener Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation, the support race leading up to the 12 Hours of Sebring, at Sebring International Raceway on March 18-20, 2026.

Driving the No. 37 911 Cup Car for JDX Racing, Cook debuted her updated 992.2 chassis and new, all-white livery as long-time partner privé products stepped into the title sponsor role.

The weekend began on Wednesday, with two practice sessions on the 17-turn, 3.74-mile road course with hot track temperatures under sunny skies. Cook’s session times for the new chassis on Pirelli tires eclipsed those of the previous generation, and she picked up right where she left off in the 2025 season, by running in the top ten for both sessions.

Notably, Cook also set her best track times to date during both practices, and posted fifth- and third-fastest sector times in tricky parts of the racetrack: the infamous turn one, and the final corner, Sunset Bend.

Qualifying took place on Thursday morning, and Cook delivered one of her best Carrera Cup qualifying sessions to date. Her fastest lap earned her a ninth-place spot on the starting grid for race one, with her second-fastest lap time slotting her into eighth for race two. Despite the impressive performance, Cook mentioned she felt her car was capable of a top-five qualifying position, had she not been stymied by traffic during the flying laps on her second set of Pirelli tires.

The 3:00pm ET start on Thursday under sunny, blue skies caused high track temperatures and notoriously slick conditions for the first 40-minute race. Cook lined up on the inside of row five for one pace lap before the 27-car field—running two-by-two—took the green flag, which happened to be waved by privé products CEO and founder, Shay Hoelscher.

Before reaching turn one, the field briefly ran four-wide. Cook was still on the inside lane in turn three, then made an arond-the-outside pass at the hairpin (turn seven) to advance into eighth. She then spent almost the entirety of the race trying to find a way to pass the seventh-place car ahead.

With just minutes to go, the two made contact, and Cook was forced to retire. Her competitor was later assessed a blocking penalty for moves made during the competition, but Cook was already out of the race, and classified 25th.

The following day, the second 40-minute race began at 5:45pm ET. This time, Cook started on the outside of row four and the field completed another clean start. She repeated the turn-seven pass that worked for her the day before, and moved up to seventh on the opening lap.

Before the second lap began, she got a solid run onto the back straight and through the final corner, allowing her to make a late pop to the inside heading into turn one. This moved her into sixth, where she remained for most of the race, keeping within just a couple seconds of the fifth-place car.

Cook set the fifth-fastest lap of the race on her way to match her best-ever Carrera Cup finish of sixth.

“I’m thrilled to have matched my best finish in the Porsche Carrera Cup series this past weekend at Sebring,” said Cook. “It’s been an incredible effort from the entire JDX Racing team, and I’m so grateful to all my partners for their unwavering support. It’s exciting to see all the preparation, hard work, and consistency are paying dividends on track. Moments like this make all the challenges and long hours worth it, and I can’t wait to build on this momentum in the races ahead.”

Next up, the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation season continues on the Long Beach Street Circuit on April 17-19, 2026.

Shift Up Now Foundation Awards $300,000 in Grants to Female Racers for 2026 Season

Indianapolis, IN - March 18, 2026 - The Shift Up Now Foundation is proud to announce that it is celebrating Women’s History Month by awarding just over $300,000 in grants this season to more than 15 talented female drivers who are making history across 10 different racing series.

Several of the highlighted grant recipients include:

In addition, the Shift Up Now Foundation collectively decided to add both a winner and runner up for the Loni Unser Karting Scholarship. This will be the foundation’s first time awarding funds to kart racers, with Ashlyn Taylor chosen as the winner, and Maddie Grace in the runner-up spot.

The Shift Up Now Foundation was launched in December 2022 and lives alongside the Shift Up Now for-profit business. The foundation continues to strive for gender equality for female athletes in motorsport, and contributes to furthering the mission by accepting tax-deducible gifts, donations and grants.

This year marks the foundation’s fourth round of grants, and the funds distributed for 2026 will take the total number to more than $750,000 since the Shift Up Now Foundation was launched.

“Women’s History Month is a powerful reminder that progress for women in sport happens when opportunity meets investment,” said Ariel Ream, CEO of the Shift Up Now Foundation. “With this year’s grants, the Shift Up Now Foundation will have distributed more than three-quarters of a million dollars since our launch in 2022—an important milestone that reflects our deep commitment to opening doors for talented female drivers. We’re proud to support athletes competing across an expanding range of racing disciplines, from sports cars to rally and drag racing, and to continue building a stronger, more equitable future for women in motorsport.”

The 2026 racing season is already underway. Fans and supporters can follow along by checking out the Shift Up Now racing calendar to find out when the various Athletes will be on track. 

Want to join the movement and help the foundation continue providing opportunities to talented female racers? Donations can be made to the Shift Up Now Foundation at ShiftUpNow.org.