Shift Up Now Athletes Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned their second victory of the season piloting the No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the World Racing League (WRL) 14 Hours of Daytona event at Daytona International Speedway on June 4-6, 20206.
The Daytona weekend was only AEVR’s third event fielding a two-car effort, which also showcased the continued success of its driver development program.
During Thursday’s Max Track Time event and Friday test and practice, both AEVR entries appeared at the top of the timing charts. With a competitive field in class, the team focused on maximizing track time for all drivers while refining race strategy and pit stop execution. Lap times across both entries remained remarkably consistent from driver to driver.
The performance gave team leadership the confidence to place current Development Driver Brenna Schubert in the No. 119 and program graduate Alana Carter in the No. 120 for both qualifying rounds and the opening stints of the race.
The No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 went on to qualify on the front row with Carter behind the wheel. She would lead the team into the green flag before handing over to teammates Sally Mott, Hayes, and Abbate as the race unfolded.
The No. 120 immediately established itself as the car to beat, taking the lead early and steadily extending its advantage throughout the opening hours. Nearly two hours into the race, the Supra was still running approximately half a second per lap faster than its nearest competitor and had built a gap approaching ten seconds. From there, the team never looked back.
Guided by race engineer Kevin Tong, the No. 120 squad executed a flawless strategy over the full fourteen hours. Quick driver changes, efficient pit stops, perfectly timed service under changing course cautions, and longer fuel stints than the second-place Singler Racing BMW allowed the team to control the race from start to finish.
After fourteen hours of competition, the No. 120 crossed the finish line in first place with Hayes completing a dominant performance that highlighted the strength of both the driver lineup and the crew behind the wall.
While the No. 120 celebrated in victory lane, the No. 119 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 showed equally impressive pace before misfortune struck.
Current AE Victory Racing Development Driver Schubert qualified and started the No. 119 entry, quickly moving into contention at the front of the field. Just over an hour into the race, she advanced into the class lead before contact while navigating lapped traffic sent the car off course. The incident caused significant damage to the left-front suspension and forced the team into the garage for extensive repairs.
Despite the setback, the crew worked tirelessly throughout the day to return the car to the track. Ashley Freiberg eventually took over driving duties and completed a systems check lap before the team elected to retire the entry.
Although the result did not reflect the pace of the No. 119, the performance reinforced the progress of AE Victory Racing's development program, with Schubert demonstrating race-winning speed before the incident.
Beyond the results, the weekend represented a significant milestone for the organization. One year ago at Daytona, AE Victory Racing spent 13 of 14 hours in podium contention with Hayes in the car before an on-track incident sidelined the team and ended its chances for a breakthrough result. At the time, the organization was still in the early stages of developing its Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 program and had yet to record a podium finish.
“This was redemption at Daytona after last year,” said Hayes. “The drivers and crew executed a flawless race from start to finish, making for an incredibly rewarding weekend. It was a true pleasure to share the car with Alana, Sally, and Michele, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to do it again. Thank you to Erin and the entire team for their support, hard work and for making this opportunity possible.”
Abbate echoed Hayes’ excitement, saying, “We did it! An iconic track with an iconic story. I am so proud of the entire AE Victory Racing Team. My teammates and I drove a flawless fourteen-hour race and it was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of personally for my debut at Daytona. I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of this team and how proud I am of how our efforts are proving through our results. On to Road Atlanta!”
Next up, the six Shift Up Now Athletes on the AEVR team will head to Georgia for the next round of the 2026 WRL Championship, taking place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 24-26, 2026.
