According to Motorsport.com, Paul Miller Racing secured the IMSA GTD Pro championship in a chaotic finish at Road Atlanta after surviving early-race contact, a drive-through penalty, slick tires in mixed conditions, and a harrowing final two hours. Drivers Connor de Phillippi and Neil Verhagen, alongside endurance co-driver Dan Harper, finished third in the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans to cap a season that began with a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Crossing the line behind the winning #68 Car Blanche Aston Martin and runner-up #77 AO Racing Porsche, the result earned Paul Miller Racing its second overall GTD title in three years and its third consecutive GTD Pro Endurance Cup.
For De Phillippi, the title marks his first championship in seven full seasons of IMSA competition. "When we won Daytona, we started off strong," De Phillippi said. "More often than not we didn't have the fastest car on a given weekend, but a car we could be competitive with. If we played our cards right, we could play for a podium." De Phillippi also praised Verhagen, whose qualifying strength included securing seven top-three starts across the season.
Honestly, I was pretty relaxed the last 15, 20 minutes when I had my calculator out trying to figure out points situation,
After his second full season in IMSA and his first sharing the car full-time with De Phillippi, Verhagen reflected on the achievement. "To go this year and win Daytona, win the Endurance Cup and then the championship is just incredibly special," Verhagen said. He also thanked BMW Motorsports, Paul Miller Racing, his co-drivers, and Max Hesse.
The title came at the end of a difficult endurance test after Harper collided with the #59 RLL Team McLaren and served a drive-through penalty. Later, when rain dampened the track, Verhagen made a high-stakes gamble to stay out on slick tires. "They asked him do you want rain tires when it was raining, he said, No, the slicks fine," De Phillippi recalled. "I'm like, 'Man, this guy is crazy, but let's do it.' It was the right call." Late drama further cleared their path when the title-contending No. 4 Corvette was spun off the track in the closing stages, leaving the team to stay ahead of the Lambo and secure the championship.
While Verhagen handled the wild final stint, De Phillippi tracked the points from the pit wall. "Honestly, I was pretty relaxed the last 15, 20 minutes when I had my calculator out trying to figure out points situation," De Phillippi said. The championship also caps a year marked by behind-the-scenes uncertainty surrounding the team's future heading into 2027, as well as rebuilding the #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO after practice crashes in Detroit and VIR. Addressing paddock rumors after the race, Verhagen pointed straight to the crew's relentless spirit. "I think regardless of what the rumors are, they're just rumors," Verhagen said.
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