Russell Ward and co-driver Philip Ellis entered the Indianapolis round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in control of the GTD points lead.
The Winward Racing duo was due to start from pole after GTD qualifying was cancelled because of lightning, but a pre-race penalty sent the No. 57 Mercedes to the back of the grid, a decision Ward strongly criticised.
According to race control, they violated Article 42.1, which states that “all cars must adhere to the pre-race times designated in the MxM. Any car arriving at the pit entry loop, grid, or designated location after a published time may, at the discretion of the Race Director, be placed at the back of the grid and must not attempt to regain its original starting position. Running of engines during pre-race ceremonies is prohibited unless otherwise instructed by IMSA.”
Ward started the race, and after a solid first stint, did not hold back in his interview to the live TV broadcast.
“Yeah, I think there was just a little bit of miscommunication where we drove by the pit entrance, ended up getting parked here before the start-finish and getting towed back,” Ward said. “You know, there is a provision in the rules that at once a certain time has passed, if you haven’t gridded up, that you lose your position.
“You know, really, the interpretation’s up in the air of where we should actually be. I think it was a bad call. It seems that every committee in this organization is doing whatever they can to prevent us from winning a straight championship — a third straight championship.
“But, man, we’re not going to give up. I mean, they’re going to have to crash us, kill us, or kick us out. That’s the only way we’re going to lose. So, Phillip’s out there. He’s going to drive the wheels off the car. We’ll be back up there in no time.”
With about an hour remaining in the race, the No. 57 Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 had already climbed back into top-five contention.
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