Laguna Beach race car driver Michael Lewis wins in Virginia

Professional race car driver Michael Lewis, a Laguna Beach resident, won his first International Motor Sports Assn. race of the season on Saturday in Danville, Va.

Lewis and his co-driver Mason Filippi crossed the finish line first in the TCR class at Virginia International Raceway, winning by just less than a second over second-place Mark Watkins, who is Lewis’ former co-driver.

All three of the top finishers drove Hyundais for Bryan Herta Autosport. Lewis and Filippi drove the No. 98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR.

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“I’m really appreciative of the work by the team to get our cars prepped so well,� Lewis said in a phone interview. “A lot of the work that’s done is away from the track. Really, it’s all a testament to the team, but to actually get a win is so nice, man. We have four cars on our team this year, so Bryan Herta Autosport expanded from two to four cars from last year ... We’re showing that we’re a force to be reckoned with in the racing world. To be the car that ended up first this time was pretty cool, but it was pretty tight because we were pressured by our teammates.�

Lewis and Filippi are in second place in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championship points standings.

Lewis, 29, is happy to be back on the track. After the first race of the season in January, the novel coronavirus pandemic halted the IMSA series until July.

Lewis’ next race in the series will take place Sept. 4-6 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

“It’s an awesome track,� Lewis said. “We’ll try to stay as safe as we can and social distance like crazy. It’s cool to be back racing and have a series that’s heads up.�

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