This week, the Skip Barber Race Series field will take on its longest course of the season, VIRginia International Raceway's Grand Course with 4.20 miles of track that will test the driver's ability to handle a variety of challenges.
Fresh off a victory on VIR's North Course, Spain's Aaron Vazquez is just six points behind championship-leader Jaylan Battley. Vazquez, who won the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series title to earn his spot on the 2026 grid, has not finished off the podium since Circuit of the Americas, six races ago.
Thaden Van Wong, meanwhile, sits third in the Drivers' Standings. This is the Canadian's second season in the Skip Barber Race Series and he has continued to show signs of improvement. His season has been boosted by his strong performance at New Jersey Motorsports Park where he netted a pair of podium finishes.
Van Wong has an eight-point lead over rookie Shureed Kabir, who is coming off a fourth-place finish, his season-best result. The Grand Course, which combines VIRginia International Raceway's South and North Courses, presents a great opportunity for drivers such as Kabir to capitalize by racing on charted territory. Kabir leads a midfield battle which is shaping up to be an enticing one in the final six races of the season. Charlie Gillespie is just three points behind Kabir, while Ocean Lopez is another three points behind Gillespie.
A particularly strong week from any one of those drivers could see them move multiple spots up the order. Of that group, Gillespie has been the strongest with a victory at VIR's South Course and three additional podium results to go with it.
Two drivers will make their return to the Skip Barber Race Series grid this week: Adam Sana and Memphis Mondor. The pair of rookies are both running partial schedules this season as a prelude to bigger plans in 2027. Sana made his debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park and found the podium in his first race.
Mondor has been equally impressive with three top-five finishes through his first four races in the Skip Barber Race Series. California's Matt Ales rounds out the grid. The Master's Class driver got some welcome news with the announcement that his home track of Sonoma Raceway would serve as the location for the season finale.
Sonoma will also host the Skip Barber Race Series Winter Shootout, which will run alongside the Race Series season finale, on November 3–4. Jaylan Battley, the reigning winner of the Winter Shootout, currently leads the Championship Standings, demonstrating the potential that can be uncovered by enrolling in the Shootout!