Shift Up Now Athletes Alana Carter, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned their third victory of the season piloting the No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the World Racing League (WRL) at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 24-26, 2026.
Together with fellow Shift Up Now Athletes Ashley Freiberg, Brenna Schubert, and Sarah Montgomery piloting the No. 119 entry, the AEVR team left the weekend with a race victory, multiple podium finishes, and the pace to sweep the weekend despite changing weather, countless full-course cautions, and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.
The 2026 season reached its halfway point with the back-to-back races on the 2.54-mile, 12 turn permanent road course. Throughout practice and testing, both AEVR Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 entries showed excellent pace as the crew focused on race preparation rather than chasing outright speed.
Friday morning began with rain and a lightning delay before conditions steadily improved. As the track dried following the opening Radical Cup race, Freiberg qualified the No. 119 in fifth with a lap of 1:32.665, while Abbate placed the No. 120 third with a nearly identical 1:32.611.
Saturday’s eight-hour race started with much-appreciated cloud cover. When the green flag dropped, both entries immediately settled into the fight at the front of the GTO field. Despite multiple lengthy full-course cautions that continually reshuffled strategy, the AEVR crew executed flawlessly on pit lane, maximizing every caution period with efficient fuel stops, tire service, and driver changes.
One of the defining moments of the race came midway through the event when AEVR’s two most recent Driver Development Shootout winners found themselves running first and second.
2025 Shootout winner Carter drove the No. 120 into the overall class lead while current Development Driver Schubert maintained second in the No. 119. It marked another significant milestone for the team's development program as both drivers demonstrated race-winning pace in one of WRL's most competitive events.
By the checkered flag, the No. 120 crossed the line first while the No. 119 secured third.
Following post-race technical inspection, however, the No. 120 was disqualified after exceeding the allowable horsepower limit by just two horsepower. The unusually-high ambient temperatures affected turbocharger performance, resulting in the car falling outside the class regulations despite running within expectations throughout the event.
Rather than dwell on the disappointment, the team quickly regrouped for Sunday's finale.
Starting the No. 120, Grisham wasted no time charging through the field, gaining six positions before the opening corner and immediately placing the team back in contention. Throughout another caution-filled endurance race, pit strategy consistently placed the No. 120 in the strongest possible position.
Following on-track contact while battling in traffic, Schubert was assessed a one-lap penalty in the he No. 119. Despite the setback, the crew remained focused and recovered to finish fifth.
Meanwhile, the No. 120 delivered the redemption the team had been looking for. Grisham, Abbate, and Carter combined for another commanding performance, executing every pit stop and strategy call to perfection before taking the checkered flag for the team's second victory of the weekend on the road.
While the official record will show one victory from the weekend, the performance of both cars told a much larger story. From Carter and Schubert leading the field together on Saturday to Sunday's strategic masterclass, AEVR once again demonstrated the strength of its all-female driver development program and the organization surrounding it.
“Road Atlanta tested every part of our program,” said Erin Vogel, AEVR team owner. “We dealt with changing weather, long caution periods, extreme heat, and the disappointment of losing a win in post-race inspection, but nobody hung their heads. We came back on Sunday, executed another fantastic race, and left with important points in the championship. As a development program, we make room for mistakes but we are all learning valuable lessons about what it takes to win.”
Next up, the Shift Up Now Athletes will embark on the second half of their WRL season, heading to historic Watkins Glen International on August 28-30, 2026.
