PLANO, Texas (Oct. 16, 2023) – Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) crowned a champion at the GR Cup series’ final race in Indianapolis.
The inaugural season of the GR Cup came to an exciting end on the road-course of the iconic brickyard –Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “After six weekends of intense competition, we were able to crown the clear champion of the series, Tyler Gonzales. And while he was able to secure the championship at Sebring, Tyler and the rest of the field put on another thrilling show at Indianapolis,” exclaimed Jack Irving, TRD General Manager.
Tyler Gonzales, with Copeland Motorsports, took the top podium with 259 points over the 14 races, and a check for $50,000 for winning the drivers’ championship. Beside him on the podium was Gresham Wagner and Spike Kohlbecker in second and third place respectively. TechSport Racing, the race team of Wagner and Kohlbecker, led the team points championship with 285 points. And, Mia Lovell took the honors of Fastest Female. Lovell races with Smooge Racing.
Over the course of the fourteen races, the series saw fifty different drivers from eighteen race teams and a year-over-year increase in attendance at every track the series participated. The impact of the efforts the SRO made throughout the season clearly paid off, and they have made the commitment to be “All-in for 2024,” according to Greg Gill, President of the SRO America.
“This season exceeded all of our expectations,” said Paul Doleshal, general manager – Motorsports for Toyota Motor North America. “We had such a diverse group of drivers and finished with 31 cars on track at Indy. We cannot wait to see what next season brings and look forward to waving the green flag in Sonoma in April 2024.”
Toyota is also excited to again announce a $1,000,000 purse and prize package for the upcoming 2024 GR Cup season. The breakdown of the purse will be announced prior to next season.
Racing GRit, Toyota’s four-part series is now live on YouTube. This exciting new series takes the viewer on a journey through the creation of the GR Cup. Follow along to learn more about the drivers, their challenges, and their victories as they compete to be crowned the GR Cup champion!
Follow GR Cup on Instagram and Facebook at OfficialGRCup and on YouTube, and tune in for live race coverage Saturday and Sunday on the official GR Cup website, www.grcup.com. Couldn’t catch the race live? Watch previous weekends’ races on the GR Cup archive. The full race calendar and more information on the series can be found there as well.
Many thanks to the inaugural GR Cup series partners Continental, Mobil 1, Endava, Segra, GEARWRENCH, Stratasys, Yahoo, JBL, Racing Spirit, and OMP.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.