The checkered flag flew on the 2026 season within the IndyCar Sequence with the Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The season finale on the iconic 2.238-mile, 11-turn pure terrain street course was a walkoff by Scott McLaughlin, who coasted to his first win since 2024 (Milwaukee, Race 2). The New Zealander ended up ending an uncontested 1.3739s forward of Andretti World’s Kyle Kirkwood, who secured his best-ever end on a street course.
It was a race that featured 160 complete passes, with 146 of these for place. There have been six lead adjustments amongst 4 totally different drivers, together with one warning accounting for 3 laps.
Listed below are the winners and losers from the 18th spherical of the season.
Winner: Scott McLaughlin
Scott McLaughlin, Workforce Penske
Photograph by: Perry Nelson / Lumen through Getty Pictures
McLaughlin placed on a clinic from pole place, main 87 of 95 laps to seize his eighth profession IndyCar victory and snap a 35-race winless drought. After delivering Chevrolet’s 250th IndyCar pole on Saturday, the Workforce Penske driver was just about untouched on Sunday, executing pit cycles cleanly and fulfilling a promise to deliver house a race-winner’s trophy for his younger daughter, Lucy.
The win helped solidify sixth within the championship standings, offering a strong rebound after being tenth final yr and giving good momentum heading into the offseason.
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Loser: Alex Palou
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen through Getty Pictures
Although Alex Palou entered Monterey together with his fifth IndyCar championship already secured, the season finale didn’t go in accordance with plan for the Spaniard. After beginning on the entrance row within the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Palou opted for an early four-stop technique on Lap 19 that backfired. Heavy tire degradation on used softs left him defenseless towards passing maneuvers from Kyle Kirkwood and Alexander Rossi, forcing the champion to fade to an eighth-place end.
The consequence marked the primary time Palou had completed off the rostrum at Laguna Seca. In 5 earlier begins, he collected three wins, one runner-up consequence and a 3rd. Now, his common end on the monitor dropped from a 1.6 to a 2.7, which continues to be ridiculous.
Winner: Alexander Rossi
Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing
Photograph by: Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures
Alexander Rossi delivered his best drive of the 2026 season, bringing ECR its second podium of the yr – first on a street course – with a third-place end. Returning to the Laguna Seca podium for the primary time since June 2024, Rossi was on an island all through his last stint – not able to strain Kirkwood for second but in addition ending roughly 2.5s forward of Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas.
Ultimately, it was the kind of consequence that offered ECR an enormous enhance on a street course. It marks the crew’s first podium on a street course since 2022 (Rinus Veekay, Barber Motorsports Park).
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Loser: Louis Foster
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
Anytime a driver qualifies within the high 10, there’s some expectation of changing an honest consequence. It was removed from that for Louis Foster on Sunday.
After beginning ninth within the #45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) Honda, the Briton was uncompetitive all through – principally shedding time on out-laps after pitting. He ended up main RLL’s contingent, however was nonetheless left with a lowly 14th-place end. He was the one driver to begin on the day to begin within the high 10 and fall a number of spots to complete exterior of it.
It was a depressing technique to finish a sophomore marketing campaign that featured a career-best end of seventh (twice – Indy GP, Detroit) and one pole (Markham) en path to 18th within the championship.
Winner: Santino Ferrucci
Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Photograph by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen through Getty Pictures
It was a quiet however sturdy drive by Santino Ferrucci.
With questions looming on his future with AJ Foyt Racing, the Connecticut native turned a Twenty first-place beginning grid place right into a Twelfth-place end. Regardless of just one warning, which got here on the opening lap, he was capable of cost via the sphere and advance a race-high 9 positions on the technical California circuit the place passing got here at a premium.
Loser: Sting Ray Robb / Nolan Siegel
Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Photograph by: Perry Nelson / Lumen through Getty Pictures
In a pivotal race through which each drivers are auditioning for his or her respective futures in IndyCar, it was a race to neglect for each Sting Ray Robb and Nolan Siegel.
Robb, driving the #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, triggered the race’s solely full-course warning on Lap 1 when he misjudged Flip 6 and punted Dennis Hauger into the tire obstacles, ending Hauger’s day. Robb was handed a 10-second stop-and-hold penalty because of the contact, which he by no means overcame en path to a Twenty third-place end.
In the meantime, Arrow McLaren’s Siegel was mired mid-pack for a majority of the competition earlier than an off-track tour relegated him down the operating order and to a Twenty fourth-place end.
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