Maddie Aust makes IMPC debut with top-5 at Daytona

Maddie Aust made her debut in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a top-five finish, in a remarkable first race in the #9 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai where she ran as high as third and was in contention for a podium until the closing stages.

Photo credits: Brandon Badraoui / LAT

Maddie Aust made her debut in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a top-five finish.

In a remarkable first race in the #9 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra TCR, shared with Suellio Almeida, the pair ran as high as third and were contending for the podium until the closing stages.

Aust made her first start on the IMSA platform - as well as her first endurance race - moving from the Toyota GR Cup North America, where she steadily improved over the last season and scored consistent top-20 finishes, with a personal best of 14th at COTA. She had only made her touring car debut in 2023, switching over to TC America from single-seaters, having previously competed in the F4 US Championship.

The young Texan driver joined top team Bryan Herta Autosport, teaming up with fellow rookie Suellio Almeida, who impressed with his transition from sim racing to real-world tracks, winning in the North American Radical Cup Championship during his rookie season.

In their first start in the highly competitive IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Aust and Almeida battled at the top of the TCR field, following Aust’s sixth-place qualification for the four-hour curtain-raiser at Daytona International Speedway. On a track she had never raced on before, Aust delivered a remarkably solid race, battling for the podium and eventually finishing fourth in a strong effort.

The duo had the chance to get up to speed with the car, circuit, and team during the ROAR Before the 24 collective test, where they logged good laps and built their pace. Progress was evident from the official practice during race week, where Almeida and Aust ended fourth fastest with a 1:58.276—one of four Bryan Herta Autosport cars in the top five positions.

Qualifying followed, with Maddie Aust taking on the session in the #9 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai. In the 15-minute session, Aust initially set a 2:06 lap before improving to 2:00.9, placing her in the top ten. She continued to improve, clocking a 1:58.0 lap that secured sixth place with two minutes remaining.

When the checkered flag fell, Aust had completed her first IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying session less than a tenth away from a top five in the TCR class—an encouraging performance ahead of the race.

Photo credits: Jake Galstad / LAT

Cars rolled out for the formation lap of the first race of the season, the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona, one of the highlights of the championship and a springboard for drivers toward IMSA. All qualifying drivers started the race, with Aust taking on driving duties at the start in the #9 BHA Hyundai from sixth in the TCR class.

Aust lost some positions into Turn 1, opting for a cautious approach, but she kept things clean on the first lap, focusing on the long run in her IMSA debut. By Lap 1, she had settled into ninth place. On Lap 4, Powell passed Aust, dropping her to tenth.

The first safety car of the race was triggered when William Tally’s Honda collided with Ted Giovanis, causing Tally’s car to hit the wall and catch fire. The KMW Motorsports Honda was heavily damaged, but Tally escaped unscathed. Under caution, Maddie Aust moved up to ninth. No teams opted to pit during this caution.

When the race resumed, the #39 CarBahn BMW M4 GT4 of McAlister spun after contact with the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin, scattering debris and prompting another safety car.

In the GT4 class, some teams pitted while others stayed out, leading to the first wave of driver changes. For TCR, a split strategy emerged, and Aust stayed out, climbing to third place as the race returned to green.

On the restart, Aust dropped to seventh but quickly fought back, recovering to sixth. Drama unfolded in both the TCR and GS classes as frontrunner Harry Gottsacker suffered a puncture, forcing his car behind the wall, while Luca Mars’ RennSport BMW M4 GT4 also picked up a flat tyre, dropping him down the order.

Aust capitalized on the incidents, moving into fifth with a healthy margin over the car behind just before her first scheduled pit stop on Lap 29. Staying in the car after the stop, Aust was unfortunately hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

After serving the penalty, she rejoined in ninth place but crucially remained on the lead lap and therefore in contention. Another twist occurred as the Rebel Rock Aston Martin lost a wheel, bringing out another caution. Aust pitted again under caution and remained behind the wheel.

A crash on the restart involved Alex Garcia’s #31 Audi, Gou, and Riley Pegram—who had been running well up to that point. The race resumed near the halfway mark, with Aust recovering to seventh and staying on the lead lap.

Photo credits: Jake Galstad / LAT

She continued to run strong laps, climbing back to sixth and remaining in contention as she kept up with the leading TCR pack. More drama struck when the TCR-leading #99 VGR Hyundai slowed, allowing Aust to gain positions and run as high as fourth, seven seconds behind Neto in third.

During the next pit stop sequence, the #9 and #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundais, running second and third, pitted on Lap 71. Suellio Almeida took over from Aust, rejoining in sixth but quickly moving back into fifth after Tyler Gonzalez’s VGR Hyundai encountered issues and retired with one hour to go.

The race settled into a steady rhythm before another caution was triggered when the #43 MDK Motorsports Porsche hit the barriers at pit exit. The full-course yellow, with just over 30 minutes remaining, gave the top five TCR cars another chance to fight for the win.

With 22 minutes to go, the green flag waved: Almeida, running fourth, opened a gap to Chad Gilsinger’s HART Honda and pushed to close in on Ryan Eversley. Meanwhile, a fierce battle for the TCR lead unfolded between Bryan Herta Autosport teammates Dupont and Wilkins, with Dupont narrowly taking victory by 0.067 seconds.

Behind them, Eversley secured third place, while Almeida settled for fourth, bringing home a strong result for the #9 crew. Maddie Aust’s solid performance throughout the race left her just shy of a podium on her series debut.

"It was a great first weekend in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge", Aust said. "There was definitely a lot learned during the weeked, being that it was my first proper endurance race and my first time at Daytona."

"I’m looking forward to continue working with Bryan Herta Autosports this season and can’t wait for the next race at Sebring!"

Maddie Aust demonstrated to be a solid and reliable driver during her IMSA debut; with a strong qualifying performance and a competitive race that saw her running as high as third, she kept the car in position for a podium until the closing stages. Her impressive first outing with Bryan Herta Autosport sets a positive tone for the season, as she looks forward to the second round at Sebring International Raceway on March 12-14.