Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS drivers Bryce Miller and Christopher Haase drove a strong race and persevered to a fourth-place GT Daytona (GTD) finish in the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on Sunday.

The hard-earned result was the team’s fourth top-five in the 2014 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and kept its championship hopes alive with just two rounds remaining on this season’s schedule.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Bryce Miller said. “Christopher drove an awesome race, carving through the field. He got us the results we wanted and needed.”

Running as the first ever GT-only event for both the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GTD classes, the No. 48 Castrol EDGE Audi R8 LMS team and drivers used a heady combination of pace, strategy and attrition to work their way up the field. The team just barely missed another podium to go along with its pair of runner-up placings and a third-place showing this season but left VIR well positioned in the championship.

“We gained points and stayed close to the front,” Haase said. “At the end we stayed out of trouble which was our main goal. We are definitely happy but it was tough.”

A full race report from VIR will follow.