HARRISON: 2022 Pro-Am Champions

That phrase has quite a ring to it, doesn’t it?

I keep repeating those words to myself, almost in disbelief. Over two weeks later, I’m still processing that final moment, when Mario took the checker across the famed bricks at Indy in our Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, and this whole season of moments.

Initially, I thought I was in shock as I stood there under the lights of the Speedway, with my teammates, Racers Edge crew and Honda Racing/HPD representatives hugging and hollering around me.

The reality of our accomplishment seemed so hard to wrap my head around after the challenges we’d tackled during the season.

But then again, no one but myself knew I’d been manifesting our championship since we first laid out our 2022 plans with Racers Edge Motorsports, WTR and Honda Racing/HPD. I’d actually achieved the goal I’d set out for myself this year: to be the first female driver to win a championship for Honda/HPD Racing.

WOW, just WOW.

We really did it. Mario Farnbacher and I, along with Harrison Contracting and Racers Edge Motorsports, won the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Drivers’ and Team Championship in the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 after finishing P3 in the Pro-Am class at the Indianapolis 8-Hour.

This season we accomplished more than just four class wins, three overall podiums and three pole positions in our Acura NSX GT3 Evo22.

We faced adversity, and we fought through it. As all teams do, we had highs and lows, we won some and lost some, but what the Racers Edge team has more of than anyone else in the paddock is the winning spirit and competitive mindset. There is no other option in the minds of each person on that crew.

I’m truly blessed to say that I’ve been on the podium at Indy before. Not many drivers can claim that feat.

One year prior from the day we won this championship, I won my first GT3 race with Matt McMurry and Mario Farnbacher at the same place and with the same manufacturer. I never would have believed anyone if they’d told me in 365 days, I’d be celebrating another incredible milestone in my career under the lights at one of the most famous tracks in the world behind the wheel of the Acura NSX.

The transformation in those 365 days has been phenomenal. The HPD Driver Academy really set the stage by providing a solid foundation for GT3 racing. The same core Racers Edge crew and Honda Racing/HPD staff and engineers taught me at every event.

Jon Mirachi shared his years of racing experience and knowledge with me, and of course, I had Mario as my coach. Those four Academy events in 2021 equaled so much more than a season’s worth of experience. I was well aware that I still had a learning curve going into our first race at Sonoma Raceway. Because of the groundwork built at the Driver Academy, I could apply everything I’d learned into my performance on track, and ultimately into the first championship by a ‘graduate’ for Honda/HPD Racing.

The outcome of this season certainly reinforces the importance of having the right group of people in your corner. With the patience and guidance from Jon and the team, I got better as a driver with every session and every debrief. Working with Travis Houge and Wayne Taylor Racing over the past four years in their development program has also been a major factor in my growth. As a junior factory driver, Honda Racing/HPD provided key support both on-track and off.

Mario taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined, and he did more than just coach me on racing. He truly became a teammate in every sense of the word – we laughed, we bickered, we played pranks on each other, and our podium antics have become legendary. But most importantly, he stood beside me during some low moments this season when I doubted myself and he pushed me to come back even stronger.

There’s something so special about finding that teammate with whom you just click. Christina Nielsen really put that relationship into perspective for me when she started crying after the race was over.

She knew how much that moment meant to me, more than just because we won the championship, or that I’d made history in sports car racing – both of which she’d also done. She also understood why this accomplishment was so special for me to share with Mario, which led us to crying happy tears on the podium.

I can’t believe I was able to win this championship with this crew and this teammate. Not until talking to some of the crew at the gala did I realize how much this would mean to all of us, and how close we became as an actual racing family.

At Harrison Contracting, I’ve only worked in groups that have been a family effort; we’re all hands-on deck no matter the situation. We have high standards and we hold each other accountable, but we support and take care of each other one hundred percent of the time. HCC is a family like that, and I’ve found that same family with Racers Edge Motorsports.

As we entered the last race of the year, we were 15 points from the lead and sitting in third for the championship points. Sure – that’s a big chunk of points to make up and doing so could have felt like an impossible task, but it wasn’t anything myself, Mario or the team felt was unobtainable.

In fact, we were pumped because we had nothing to lose and everything to gain- the underdogs, in this case, although we never felt like one.

Adding Christina to the driver lineup was a huge factor in our success. She’d won a major sports car championship twice and knew the magic of teamwork and a winning mentality. She immediately infused the team with enthusiasm, and she delivered exactly what we needed in her stints behind the wheel.

Sometimes in racing you’re both really good and really lucky, and sometimes you’re just really good. We deserved the championship, but we weren’t in the position to win the championship. However, Racers Edge always comes to each and every session prepared, and nothing changed going into this final race at Indy.

The team didn’t flinch under the pressure, and just did what they do best. Prepare, plan, compete, repeat. Because of that mindset, we were ready to capitalize on the opportunities when presented to us. As the race began to develop, over two hours and then four hours and then into that final 60 minutes (talk about one of the most stressful hours of my life!), we just had to stay focused, stay on track, and minimize mistakes.

I’ve written about the specifics of some races this season, but this race was so much more than those eight hours on track. All of the practice and training, from the HPD Driver Academy and through this season, allowed me to get in the Acura NSX GT3 for each stint with tunnel vision.

I remember specific conversations and high fives, but the rest is just a blur of emotions. I’ll cherish every memory from this season, good and bad. The good ones will bring smiles and happy tears, and the not-so-good ones will keep me motivated to grow as a driver. I have a lot yet to learn in my career, even as Rookie of the Year.

We couldn’t have achieved all we did this season without a huge support system behind the scenes. My dad, Bill Harrison, and my husband, Jonathan, have been my number one fans throughout my racing career; Calvin Pate, Chris Murphy and Sean Gillespie and the entire Harrison Contracting Company family; everyone at Honda/HPD Racing, especially Bill Hughes (Wild Bill!) and Lee Niffenegger; Travis Houge and Wayne Taylor from Wayne Taylor Racing.

To my Racers Edge family: Jon Mirachi, Jim Pattin, Nick Pattin, Connor Adair, Ethan Swan, Dave Krupiak (aka Nosebleed), Erin Charlton, Marcus Cabbibo, Ryan Koprowski, Smith Hawkins and Steve Wedman (The Best Chef in the Paddock!)- thank you for your work ethic, resiliency and determination.

This championship was a team effort and each one of you played a huge role in making that happen.

In addition to our Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Drivers and Team championship, Acura, its teams and drivers swept all six major titles in the 2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, including the overall Manufacturer, Driver and Team; and the same categories in the Michelin Endurance Cup.

To be included in this legacy as the first female driver to win a professional sports car championship for Honda Racing/HPD is pretty mind blowing. I could not be prouder to represent Acura Motorsports & Honda Racing/HPD in such a historic event for the brand, myself, Harrison Contracting, and everyone at Racers Edge Motorsports.