Race Recap IMSA AAES Weathertech Sportscar Championship
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Sun, Aug 2, 2026Round 3
Photo Finish at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: Ewyk Edges Joseph Blommel by +0.482s
Race at a Glance
Field Size
16
Laps
25
Avg Lap Time
2:31.339
Cautions
2
Caution Laps
5
Lead Changes
4
Clean Runners
0
Lead Lap Finishers
5
Margin
+0.482s
Winner Spotlight
Graham Van Ewyk
P1 Finish
Round 3 of the IMSA AAES Weathertech Sportscar Championship produced one of the more surprising results of the young season at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, as #46 Graham Van Ewyk took the victory despite leading just one of the race's 25 laps. Starting from third, Van Ewyk navigated a race marked by two caution periods spanning five laps and four lead changes to claim the top step of the podium — his first win in the series. It was a result that required patience and precision through Spa's unforgiving corners, particularly as the two drivers ahead of him on the grid battled for position throughout the afternoon.
Pole-sitter #66 Joshua Rivera was the most dominant car on track all day, leading 15 of 25 laps from the front row. But despite controlling large portions of the race, Rivera slipped back to third at the finish, weighed down by nine incidents that ultimately cost him the result his pace deserved. Between Rivera and Van Ewyk at the flag was #87 Joseph Blommel, who started from second and led eight laps of his own in a strong showing. Blommel, who now carries one series win to his credit from earlier this season, kept his nose clean enough — logging just three incidents — to secure a runner-up finish and valuable points. Justin Landry in the #06 gained a position from fifth to fourth, while Logan Gensel in the #25 rounded out the top five despite accumulating 13 incidents, matching Raymond Bell at the back of the field for the highest incident count of the race.
The hard charger award nominally belongs to Van Ewyk with his two-position gain from third to first, though several drivers deeper in the field put together noteworthy charges of their own. #64 Dan Kopinski climbed two spots from ninth to seventh, and #157 Robert Davis and #469 Brian Bell each gained one position apiece in the closing stages. Notably, not a single driver in the 16-car field finished the race with a clean sheet — zero drivers recorded zero incidents — a testament to how demanding Spa proved to be in difficult league racing conditions.
In the championship picture, the results shake up what is already a tightly contested standings battle. Maxwell Waite in the #54 and Carlos Medrano are locked together at 400 points apiece at the top of the table, with Justin Landry just 25 points behind in third at 375. Christopher Peters and Steve Pierson sit at 350 points each, meaning five drivers are separated by just 50 points through three rounds. Van Ewyk's win injects new energy into what promises to be a fiercely competitive points fight, and with the top of the order this compressed, nothing will come easy for anyone chasing the series lead in the rounds ahead.
Top Movers
Graham Van Ewyk46
▲ +2Dan Kopinski64
▲ +2Justin Landry06
▲ +1Finishing Order
| Finish | Start | +/- | Car # | Driver | Inc | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | +2 | 46 | Graham Van Ewyk | 5x | 200 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 87 | Joseph Blommel | 3x | 175 |
| 3 | 1 | -2 | 66 | Joshua Rivera | 9x | 150 |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | 06 | Justin Landry | 9x | 120 |
| 5 | 4 | -1 | 25 | Logan Gensel | 13x | 105 |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 35 | Alex Hernandez | 2x | 200 |
| 7 | 9 | +2 | 64 | Dan Kopinski | 5x | 175 |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 54 | Maxwell Waite | 10x | 150 |
| 9 | 7 | -2 | 123 | Steve Pierson | 6x | 120 |
| 10 | 10 | 0 | 90 | Zack Yordy | 5x | 105 |
| 11 | 12 | +1 | 157 | Robert Davis | 11x | 90 |
| 12 | 13 | +1 | 469 | Brian Bell | 5x | 80 |
| 13 | 11 | -2 | 077 | Jacob Brownell | 6x | 70 |
| 14 | 14 | 0 | 440 | Ross Boudreau | 10x | 60 |
| 15 | 16 | +1 | 917 | Anthony Raso | 10x | 50 |
| 16 | 15 | -1 | 26 | Raymond Bell | 13x | 40 |
