Scott McLaughlin ended the 2026 IndyCar season in style.
The Team Penske driver dominated the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, leading 87 of 95 laps to capture his first victory in 36 races. McLaughlin started from pole and never let the field seriously challenge him for the win.
McLaughlin Controls the Race
From the opening laps, McLaughlin looked like the driver to beat.
The No. 3 Chevrolet immediately established control of the race and built a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field. Even as the strategy and traffic shuffled behind him, McLaughlin remained out front.
By the time the checkered flag flew, he had won by 1.3739 seconds over Kyle Kirkwood.
The victory was McLaughlin’s eighth career IndyCar win and his first since September 2024, ending a frustrating winless streak that had stretched to 36 races.
Kirkwood Finishes Second
Kyle Kirkwood put together an impressive drive of his own.
The Andretti Global driver finished second, securing second place in the final championship standings behind Palou. Christian Lundgaard, Pato O’Ward and David Malukas rounded out the top five in the final standings.
Kirkwood’s runner-up finish capped off a strong season and gave him plenty of momentum heading into the offseason.
Palou Caps Off Another Championship
While McLaughlin celebrated the race victory, the biggest championship celebration belonged to Alex Palou.
Palou had already clinched the 2026 IndyCar championship before arriving at Laguna Seca, securing his fifth career title and fourth consecutive championship.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver once again proved to be the class of the series, finishing the season with 631 points, 86 ahead of Kirkwood.
A Strong Finish to the Season
The Laguna Seca finale provided the perfect ending to another action-packed IndyCar campaign.
McLaughlin finally returned to Victory Lane, Palou added another championship to his résumé, and several young drivers continued to establish themselves as future stars.
The 2026 season is officially in the books, but the battle for the next championship is already beginning.
Scott McLaughlin ended his long winless drought in dominant fashion, while Alex Palou once again stood on top of IndyCar. The 2026 season may be over, but the next chapter is already waiting.