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🇺🇸 Russell Ward

Racing driver from United States. IMSA WeatherTech, WINWARD RACING. Two-time champion.
Driver facts
Full name
Russell Ward
Born
22 August 1989(b. 1989)
Nationality
United States
Current team
WINWARD RACING
Series
IMSA WeatherTech
Status
Active
Championships
22024, 2025
Career wins
15
Career podiums
27
Career starts
110
Career DNFs
3
Racer Rating
5,281
Russell Ward
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Racer Rating
5,281
Rank 817 of 38,983 indexed, -167 this season
FIA Categorisation
Silver
FIA driver categorisation
Source: fia.com
Synthesized from 1 source, updated 0h ago

Russell Ward is a racing driver from United States who competes in IMSA WeatherTech for WINWARD RACING. Ward is a two-time champion (2024, 2025), with 15 wins and 27 podiums from 110 starts.[1]

A Racer Rating of 5,281 ranks Ward 817th of 38,983 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file.

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications
2026 form
Last 20 races, finish position (higher is better)
P1P5P10P20DNFUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
Recent results
Tap a row for the full race
2026-07-12Canadian Tire Motorsport Park GTDIMSA WeatherTechP1+112
2026-06-28Watkins Glen International GTDIMSA WeatherTechP15−123
2026-05-03Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca GTDIMSA WeatherTechP5+3
2026-04-18Long Beach Street Circuit GTDIMSA WeatherTechP9−53
2026-03-21Sebring International Raceway GTDIMSA WeatherTechP18−197
Career-best drives
Ranked by rating won, which prices the opposition
Rating wonRaceSeriesFinish
+183Daytona International Speedway 2021IMSA WeatherTechP1
+175Road America 2022IMSA WeatherTechP1
+169Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca 2019IMSA Pilot ChallengeP1
+161VIRginia International Raceway 2022IMSA WeatherTechP1
+160Indianapolis Motor Speedway RC 2023IMSA WeatherTechP1
Circuits
Rating per start against their own form that season
Raises their game
Daytona International Speedway9 starts+57
VIRginia International Raceway7 starts+37
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park8 starts+29
Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca9 starts+25
Struggles
Watkins Glen International8 starts-44
Road Atlanta8 starts-24
Long Beach Street Circuit5 starts-18
Road America9 starts-17
Season by season
SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPodiumsDNFsPolesPointsPosGain/LossRating
2026▸IMSA WeatherTechWINWARD RACING622000P3−1675,281
2025▸IMSA WeatherTechWinward Racing1034000P1+2505,448
2024▸IMSA WeatherTechWINWARD RACING1046000P1+7355,198
2023▸IMSA WeatherTechWinward Racing1112000P11−1534,464
▸GT World Challenge EuropeWinward Racing300000P39−5
▸Road to Le MansWINWARD Racing201000—+83
2022▸IMSA WeatherTechWinward Racing1334000P4+1644,538
▸GT World Challenge EuropeWinward Racing100000P43−113
2021▸IMSA Pilot ChallengeWinward Racing802000P7+874,488
▸GT World Challenge EuropeWinward Racing400000P37+33
▸IMSA WeatherTechWinward Racing211000P17+122
2020▸IMSA Pilot ChallengeWinward Racing1002000P6+4054,518
▸24H SeriesHTP Winward Motorsport100110—−113
▸GT World Challenge EuropeHTP Motorsport100000P41↑382+27
2019▸IMSA Pilot ChallengeWinward Racing / HTP Motorsport811000P11+493,670
▸24H SeriesWinward Racing200200P26−285
2018▸IMSA Pilot ChallengeWinward Racing / HTP Motorsport601000P9+2893,535
▸24H SeriesWinward Racing / HTP Motorsport200000P7−261
2017▸IMSA Pilot ChallengeCJ Wilson Racing1001000P10+2,5403,890
Recent coverage
No recent coverage found.
Head-to-head
Most-raced and strongest-beaten: times Ward finished ahead vs behind
RivalRatingRacedAheadBehindRecord
🇺🇸 Robby FoleyFIA Gold4,76877413653%
🇺🇸 Trent HindmanFIA Gold4,45373363749%
🇺🇸 Patrick GallagherFIA Silver5,13652312160%
🇺🇸 Alan BrynjolfssonFIA Bronze4,60952242846%
🇺🇸 Sheena MonkFIA Bronze3,95150351570%
🇺🇸 Brendan IribeFIA Bronze4,32949292059%
🇺🇸 Frankie MontecalvoFIA Silver4,84147281960%
🇧🇪 Jan HeylenFIA Gold4,19247242351%
🇩🇰 Frederik SchandorffFIA Gold4,63243261760%
🇨🇦 Orey FidaniFIA Bronze4,17243321174%
🇺🇸 Chase BriscoeHigher-rated, 1× champion6,83174357%
🇺🇸 Kyle KirkwoodFIA Gold, 3× champion6,77153260%
🇳🇿 Scott McLaughlinFIA Platinum, 2× champion6,604110100%
Raced wheel-to-wheel, not as team-mates
On the leaderboard
Global rank, 38,983 drivers indexed
#DriverSeriesRating
807🏳️ Wade CunninghamIndyCar5,287
808🇫🇷 Evan GiltaireSuper Formula Lights5,286
809🇳🇱 Giedo Van Der GardeIMSA WeatherTech5,286
810🇯🇵 Ritomo MiyataFormula 25,285
811🇫🇷 Théophile NaëlFormula 35,285
812🇮🇹 Matteo Malucelli24H Series5,284
814🇫🇷 Éric BernardFIA GT Championship5,283
813🇨🇭 Gregor FoitekFormula 15,283
815🇬🇧 Jamie GreenNürburgring Langstrecken-Serie5,281
816🇺🇸 Ricky TaylorIMSA WeatherTech5,281
817🇺🇸 Russell WardIMSA WeatherTech5,281
818🇺🇸 Jesse LoveNASCAR Xfinity5,279
819🇧🇷 Ricardo SperaficoStock Car Pro Series5,279
820🇦🇺 Garth TanderSupercars Championship5,277
821🇷🇺 Matevos IsaakyanWEC5,275
822🇺🇸 Ugo UgochukwuFormula 35,275
823🇨🇭 Andrea ChiesaFIA GT Championship5,273
824🇲🇨 Clivio PiccioneFormula V8 3.55,272
825🇩🇪 Hans-Joachim StuckNürburgring Langstrecken-Serie5,272
826🇫🇷 Jacques GoudchauxInternational Formula 30005,270
827🇺🇸 Jeff GordonPorsche Carrera Cup NA5,270
Full leaderboard →
RacerDB. Race results and driver ratings.Aggregated from 1 source, synced 4d ago
Series and team names are trademarks of their respective owners.Privacy
Synthesized from 2 sources, updated 700h ago

Russell Ward is a professional-level sportscar driver with a rating of 5,385, placing him among established professionals competing at the sharp end of strong fields. His FIA Silver categorisation reflects his standing as a professional-level driver in GT and endurance racing, typically early in his career trajectory within that discipline. Ward has spent a decade racing across IMSA's top categories, establishing himself primarily through 52 starts in the IMSA WeatherTech championship where he has recorded 14 wins and 19 podiums, a win rate that reflects consistent front-running performance. Across 103 career starts in major series, he has 15 wins and 26 podiums, with an average finish of P9.4 that masks a polarised record; he tends to finish either well up the field or outside the points.[1]

Ward's primary competition has been against a stable of professional rivals of comparable and slightly stronger rating. Over 76 shared races against Robby Foley, a Gold-graded professional and 2025 GT World Challenge America Pro-Am champion, Ward holds a narrow advantage with 40 finishes ahead to 36 behind; against Trent Hindman, a Gold professional and champion of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech GTD and 2022 IMSA Pilot Challenge GS, the head-to-head is nearly even at 35 ahead and 37 behind across 72 races. His record against Patrick Gallagher, a Silver professional of marginally stronger rating, slightly favours Ward at 30 finishes ahead to 21 behind. More strikingly, Ward has shown he can occasionally trouble much stronger drivers; he has finished ahead of elite professionals including Kyle Kirkwood, a three-time champion and Formula Regional Americas winner, on three occasions, and has beaten Chase Briscoe, a significantly stronger driver, four times.[2]

Ward has driven exclusively for Winward Racing since 2017, winning the IMSA WeatherTech GTD championship in both 2024 and 2025. In 2026 he remains active in IMSA WeatherTech competition, having recorded two wins and four podiums across the first six rounds while finishing fourth in the season standings. His dual role as both team principal and driver is unusual at this level of professional racing.

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications[2] Wikipedia
Winward Racing closes in on GTD title after big Road America win[1]
inkl
4 Aug 2026
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Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Team Winward Racing Secures Third Win of the Season[2]
SpeedwayMedia.com
3 Aug 2026
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Licensable picture: The GTD Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje (57) drives through Turn 12 in the IMSA Motul[3]
reutersconnect.com
3 Aug 2026
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