Hyundai Puts a Childhood Cancer Livery on Its Championship-Leading Race Car
The No. 33 Elantra N TCR will wear a giant blue handprint at Indianapolis on Saturday, where Hyundai can tighten its grip on a seventh straight IMSA TCR manufacturers' crown.
Hyundai will run a one-off childhood cancer awareness livery on its championship-leading No. 33 Elantra N TCR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Saturday, turning the penultimate round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge into a rolling billboard for its Hope on Wheels charity.
The white car wears an oversized blue handprint across the hood and doors, the signature of Hyundai Hope on Wheels and the centerpiece of the automaker's new The Mark of a Warrior campaign, timed to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Hand-scrawled lettering along the flanks reads "join our fight to end childhood cancer," and drivers Mason Filippi and Bryson Morris will wear matching handprint-covered helmets.
There is money attached to the message. For the third season running, Hope on Wheels donates $100 for every lap a Hyundai leads in the Pilot Challenge, a tally that stands at $77,800 after the most recent round at Virginia International Raceway. Filippi and Morris will also visit Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis during race week, where the charity will hold a handprint ceremony and make a further donation.
The number painted on the car's roof — $303 million — is the charity's lifetime total. Founded in 1998 and funded by Hyundai Motor America and its more than 855 US dealers, Hope on Wheels crossed the $300 million mark in pediatric cancer research funding earlier this year.
Two Hyundais on top with two races left
The livery arrives at a convenient moment competitively. Filippi and Morris lead the TCR drivers' standings on 2,470 points after finishing second at VIR last month, while Bryan Herta Autosport teammates Preston Brown and Denis Dupont sit second on 2,210 in the No. 76 Elantra, giving Hyundai a one-two at the head of the table. In the manufacturers' fight, the brand holds a 120-point cushion over Honda.
The stakes are historical as much as sporting. Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport swept all three TCR titles in 2025, when Harry Gottsacker took the drivers' crown and the manufacturers' championship became Hyundai's sixth in a row. A seventh consecutive manufacturers' title is now within reach, which would extend a partnership that has already produced 18 IMSA championships since 2019.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 runs Saturday, September 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course, streaming on Peacock and IMSA's YouTube channel. Whatever happens at Indy, the title fight carries on to the season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 3, held on the Petit Le Mans weekend.
