McLaughlin controls Laguna Seca from pole to snap long drought
Scott McLaughlin converted pole position into a commanding victory in the IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, leading 87 of 95 laps and taking the checkered flag 1.3739 seconds clear of Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood. The result ended a 35-race winless streak dating to his prior triumph at the Milwaukee Mile in September 2024 and marked the New Zealander's eighth career IndyCar victory, his first since becoming a father. McLaughlin's only spells outside the lead came through three pit-stop cycles, with racing interrupted by a single full-course caution on the opening lap.
Emotional payoff in Victory Lane for the Penske driver
McLaughlin framed the Laguna Seca breakthrough as a personal milestone rather than a statistical one, telling reporters that his daughter Lucy, born in October 2024, had finally seen him win a race. The Team Penske driver was joined post-race by team president Jonathan Diuguid as the win delivered Penske its 312th IndyCar Series victory. McLaughlin finished the 2026 season sixth in the standings, with one win, four podiums, seven top-fives, 12 top-10s, three poles, and bookended the championship by leading both the first and final lap of the year.
Kirkwood settles for second as Palou seals fifth title
Kyle Kirkwood climbed from sixth on the grid to second by Lap 20 after champion Alex Palou made an early stop on an alternative tire strategy, and the Andretti Global driver shadowed McLaughlin thereafter. Kirkwood closed to roughly 1.2 seconds on Lap 72 on the faster alternate compound but could not find a way past, and the result was enough to lock down second in the final standings, 86 points behind Palou. Palou had already been confirmed as champion at the Milwaukee Mile and finished eighth at Laguna Seca after starting alongside McLaughlin on the front row and making four pit stops, completing his fifth IndyCar title.
Rossi returns to the podium as Penske and ECR close the year
Alexander Rossi delivered Ed Carpenter Racing its most significant road-course result in a difficult season, finishing 2.8108 seconds behind McLaughlin for his first IndyCar podium since a third place at Laguna Seca in June 2024. Felix Rosenqvist was fourth and David Malukas fifth, giving Team Penske two cars inside the top five, with Christian Lundgaard sixth and fellow New Zealander Marcus Armstrong seventh. Dennis Hauger, who retired on Lap 1 after contact from Sting Ray Robb at Turn 6, secured IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors with 228 points, 15 clear of Mick Schumacher. Will Power ended his first Andretti Global campaign 11th in the standings in a season that saw him replaced at Penske by Malukas.
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