IMSA, IndyCar, Formula 1 and NASCAR Race Wrap-ups

Pfaff Motorsports and Winward Racing Take IMSA GT Wins at VIR, Norris Takes Last F1 Dutch GP at Zandvoort, Kirkwood Dominates IndyCar Freedom 250, and Blaney Tops NASCAR Field at Loudon 

IMSA

Pfaff Motorsports, which will withdraw from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the end of the season, delivered a command performance Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway, with Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell winning the Michelin GT Challenge in the No. 9 Lamborghini Temerario GT3.

Caldarelli started from the pole and, after an early caution caused by Alexander Sims’ crash in the No. 3 Corvette, teamed with Mitchell to control the GTD Pro race. Mitchell beat the No. 64 Ford Mustang of Dennis Olsen and Ben Barker by 1.517 seconds.

Christopher Mies and Frédéric Vervisch gave Ford a second podium finish, charging from ninth to third. Championship leaders Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen finished fifth in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW and maintained a 23-point advantage. Caldarelli and Mitchell moved to third, 56 points back.

In GTD, Russell Ward and Philip Ellis rallied late in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG to claim their third consecutive class victory and regain the championship lead.

Ellis battled Tom Gamble’s No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin before contact resulted in a drive-through penalty for Gamble. Ward and Ellis beat the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW of Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley by 6.413 seconds.

With two races remaining, Ward and Ellis lead the GTD standings by 36 points.

Results

Next: Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks, Indianapolis, Sept. 18-20

Formula 1

Defending F1 World Champion Lando Norris won the final Heineken Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday at Circuit Zandvoort, taking advantage of his McLaren team’s tire strategy to beat Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli after home favorite Max Verstappen crashed heavily on the opening lap.

Rain before the start left portions of the circuit slippery despite drivers starting on slick tires. Verstappen lost control entering the banked final corner, slamming his Red Bull into the outside barrier before bouncing back onto the track. The field avoided the damaged car, and Verstappen climbed out unhurt. Gabriel Bortoleto spun moments later but avoided contact.

After the red flag, Antonelli grabbed the lead from Norris and initially appeared to have the faster car. However, Norris stayed close before McLaren played the long game, extending his second stint to create a seven-lap tire advantage.

That strategy paid off dramatically. Norris quickly erased Antonelli’s advantage on fresher hard tires and used traffic involving Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari to sweep around the outside and reclaim the lead. Norris pulled away to win by 11.5 seconds.

Antonelli later switched to soft tires during a virtual safety car and regained second from teammate George Russell, who held off the Ferraris to complete the podium.

Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson was seventh, substituting for the injured Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull, followed by Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).

The result moved Russell into second in the championship, although he remains 59 points behind leader Antonelli.

Results

Next: Pirelli Gran Premio D’Italia, Monza, Sept. 4-6

IndyCar

Kyle Kirkwood made history Sunday, dominating the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., as IndyCar raced around the National Mall for the first time.

The No. 27 Andretti Global driver led 128 of 147 laps, beating Arrow McLaren Racing's Christian Lundgaard by 3.09 seconds after late cautions erased a lead that had grown to more than 16 seconds. Will Power finished third, giving Andretti two podium positions, while Marcus Ericsson placed fourth and Kyffin Simpson fifth. Nolan Siegel was sixth, his best career IndyCar finish, with Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Caio Collett and Romain Grosjean filling out the top 10.

It was Kirkwood’s second victory of 2026 and seventh of his career. Six have come on temporary street circuits, including this year’s inaugural Arlington race.

The victory also revived Kirkwood’s championship hopes after points leader Alex Palou endured a disastrous afternoon.

Palou entered the weekend 133 points ahead of Kirkwood but finished 20th, cutting the margin to 91 with three races remaining. The four-time champion hit a competitor’s tire during his first pit stop, earning a drive-through penalty, and later suffered a slow stop because of a loose wheel.  He eventually crashed after earlier wall contact damaged a toe link and was classified 20th in the final results.

Kirkwood, meanwhile, was virtually untouchable after taking the lead from Palou on the opening lap.

A late restart briefly gave Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin an opportunity, but his Turn 1 challenge ended with contact against a tire barrier and retirement due to damage.

The historic event, part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, drew a reported two-day attendance of 215,000.

Results

Next: Snap-On Milwaukee Mile Twin 250s, Milwaukee, Aug. 29-30

NASCAR

Ryan Blaney overcame changing weather, nine cautions and a costly pit stop Sunday to win the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, earning his second consecutive victory at the 1-mile track.

Blaney led a race-high 115 of 301 laps in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford and held off Bubba Wallace by 0.586 seconds. Wallace challenged late in his 23XI Toyota but locked his brakes while closing on Blaney with five laps remaining.

The victory was Blaney’s third of the season and 20th of his NASCAR Cup Series career. The 2023 champion remained second in the standings, 77 points behind Denny Hamlin, who finished seventh and secured the top seed for the Chase.

Josh Berry finished third for Wood Brothers Racing, earning his third consecutive top-five finish at New Hampshire and fourth straight top-10 overall. Christopher Bell was fourth and Kyle Larson fifth, followed by Ty Gibbs, Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson.

The race began in wet conditions following a rain delay, with drivers completing 40 laps on wet-weather tires before the track dried.

With one regular-season race remaining, three Chase positions remain undecided. Wallace holds a 75-point cushion above the cutoff, while Preece trails Shane van Gisbergen by 31 points entering Saturday’s finale at Daytona International Speedway.

Results

Next: Coke Zero Sugar 400, Daytona, Aug. 28-29