Here is some early, massive stability in the paddock: Winward Racing has already confirmed that its championship-winning Grand Touring Daytona class lineup of Russell Ward and Philip Ellis will return unchanged for the full 2027 season. They will be right back in their natural habitat, piloting the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Before anyone gets too far ahead of themselves with 2027 prep, however, this Texas-based operation is staring down a piece of history. They head to the 2026 season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 3 sitting six points ahead of second place in the championship standings, putting them just one race away from a third straight IMSA championship.
For the second consecutive race, their machine will feature a striking Austin Hatcher Foundation livery, trading its traditional black and blue for black and green. Ward made sure to highlight the work done by Amy Jo Osborn and the Osborn family with the foundation.
This squad has been the absolute standard bearer for GTD success ever since joining the WeatherTech Championship full time in 2022. In total, Winward has bagged 15 WeatherTech Championship wins, every single one of them secured by the pairing of Ellis and Ward. The 2026 campaign marks the second time the team has conquered four races in a single year, matching their stellar run from 2024. That recent three-race win streak was also the first pulled off by any GTD team in six years, echoing Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus RC F GT3 back in 2020. Third driver Indy Dontje, who serves as the team's regular IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup addition, has been a part of seven of those 15 victories across legendary endurance venues and distances.
Their journey started with a stunning win on their GTD debut at the 2021 Rolex 24 At Daytona during a part-time WeatherTech Championship effort. Following fifth-place and 10th-place finishes in 2022 and 2023, Winward went back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. Russell Ward attributes this incredible upward trajectory directly to the people inside the Texas-based operation, which settled into a brand-new shop right before the 2025 season.
“I think it comes down to the personnel that we’ve been able to gather really since the start of 2024; that’s when we got all of our kind of critical personnel organized,” Ward explained, noting that getting core people dedicated to the program was the final puzzle piece.
It has been a wild 2026, featuring a class-high four wins including the Rolex 24 At Daytona opener followed by three consecutive victories at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and VIRginia International Raceway. If that wasn't enough, Winward’s European operation also conquered the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in 2026, pulling off the massive global achievement of winning two major 24-hour endurance races in the exact same year. All of this came after digging out of a 300-point hole following trouble at Watkins Glen International and Sebring International Raceway.
“I think 2026 has been one of our best years,” Ward said. “We’ve had some bad luck at the start of the season with Sebring and Watkins Glen. To be honest, I think it would not be out of the realm to say that if we hadn’t have had those issues, we’d be another 200 points ahead.”
Now, all eyes turn to Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 3, where Winward will battle for the triple before diving headfirst into preparations for 2027.
