McLaughlin dominates Laguna Seca to win IndyCar Monterey finale

Scott McLaughlin enjoyed an Álex Palou-style day at IndyCar’s season finale. On Sunday (6), the New Zealander converted pole position at Laguna Seca into a dominant victory, leading the Grand Prix of Monterey for all but the laps in which he visited pit lane.

Over 95 laps, the Team Penske driver never faced a serious threat and ended a winless streak that stretched back to the Milwaukee race in 2024. The victory also provides McLaughlin with some much-needed relief heading into the offseason.

Kyle Kirkwood finished second and secured the 2026 championship runner-up spot for Andretti. Christian Lundgaard could only manage sixth, while Pato O’Ward finished 11th, allowing Kirkwood to move ahead of both rivals. David Malukas finished fifth after entering the finale with an outside mathematical chance of taking second.

Alexander Rossi completed the podium after briefly leading the race during the pit-stop cycles. The result gave the Ed Carpenter Racing driver his first and only podium of the season, while also securing ECR its second podium of 2026 after Christian Rasmussen finished third at St. Louis.

McLaughlin’s victory was particularly notable given that he had entered Laguna Seca under pressure after failing to win since 2024. The Penske driver had already shown his pace by taking pole from newly crowned five-time champion Álex Palou by just 0.0177s.

The 2026 IndyCar season is now over. The championship returns in 2027 with the St. Petersburg Grand Prix from March 5-7, while IndyCar will test the new IR-28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday (9) and Thursday (10).

How the GP of Monterey unfolded at Laguna Seca

After an extensive pre-race ceremony, the green flag flew at 4:14 p.m. Brasília time (GMT-3). Despite pressure from Palou, McLaughlin held the lead into Turn 1.

The race was quickly interrupted by the safety car after Sting Ray Robb hit Dennis Hauger, sending the Norwegian into the tyre barrier at Turn 7.

Robb was due to serve a stop-and-hold penalty and used the caution period to pit for repairs to his front wing. Team Penske also brought Josef Newgarden into the pits and altered the two-time champion’s strategy.

The restart came at the beginning of lap 5, with McLaughlin once again controlling the field. Kirkwood, already fourth, passed Felix Rosenqvist for third at Turn 2, while Caio Collet ran 19th.

By lap 7, Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson and Rinus VeeKay had each gained three positions. VeeKay then moved up another place on the following lap by passing Scott Dixon for 15th.

Otherwise, the race settled quickly. McLaughlin led Palou by 1.5s, with another 1.5s back to Kirkwood, who was provisionally securing second in the championship. Rosenqvist, Rossi, Malukas, Kyffin Simpson, Marcus Armstrong, Louis Foster and O’Ward completed the top 10.

Dixon, unable to match VeeKay’s pace, was the first Ganassi driver to pit, opening the main pit window on lap 11. Christian Rasmussen followed one lap later.

More drivers stopped from lap 15 onward, including VeeKay and Newgarden, with Graham Rahal pitting on lap 16. McLaughlin remained comfortable at the front, holding a three-second advantage over Palou.

Simpson was the first top-10 driver to pit on lap 17, joining Christian Lundgaard, Nolan Siegel and Romain Grosjean. Collet had climbed to 13th, directly behind Rookie of the Year rival Mick Schumacher. The German pitted with Ericsson on the following lap.

Palou made his first stop on lap 19, switching from soft tyres to another set of softs. Malukas and O’Ward also stopped, reshaping the order behind McLaughlin.

The Penske driver pitted two laps later, alongside Kirkwood and Will Power. McLaughlin switched to the harder compound and returned with a comfortable margin over Palou, who emerged directly ahead of the #27 car.

Rossi inherited the lead on lap 22 when Rosenqvist pitted.

Armstrong and Foster stopped on the following lap, briefly promoting Collet to second. Malukas, meanwhile, made an aggressive move on Rosenqvist into the Corkscrew to take seventh.

VeeKay moved up to 13th with a strong pass on Rasmussen at Turn 2, earning attention from the international broadcast.

Armstrong eventually surrendered the lead when he pitted, returning McLaughlin to first place with a 2.9s advantage over Kirkwood. Rossi, Ferrucci, Malukas, Rosenqvist, Collet, Lundgaard, Dixon and Newgarden completed the top 10.

Collet dropped out of the top 10 on lap 50 when he made his pit stop and switched back to hard tyres. Ferrucci and Newgarden followed late on lap 51, while Dixon made another tyre change and refueled on lap 53.

McLaughlin led Kirkwood by 3.2s on lap 60. Rossi, Malukas, Rosenqvist, Lundgaard, Armstrong, Ericsson, Simpson and Palou occupied the remaining top-10 positions, with Collet 15th between Foster and Dixon.

Rinus VeeKay returned to the broadcast by passing Newgarden for 17th. He then closed on Dixon, who was part of a train that also included Collet, Foster and Power.

VeeKay eventually lost some of his momentum and was passed by Newgarden on lap 69.dgaard, Armstrong, Palou, Ericsson e Simpson fecharam o grupo dos dez primeiros.

Malukas, Lundgaard, Newgarden and Grosjean pitted as Siegel ran wide at Turn 6. The McLaren driver kicked up a cloud of dust but avoided both the tyre barrier and a caution.

McLaughlin, Kirkwood, Rossi and Rosenqvist made their final stops on lap 71, briefly promoting Armstrong back into the lead. He pitted one lap later alongside Palou and Foster.

Schumacher also ran wide at Turn 6 but avoided triggering another safety-car period.

Collet made his final pit stop on lap 73 and returned ahead of Foster and Newgarden.

With 20 laps remaining, McLaughlin led Kirkwood by 1.5s. Rossi was third, but Malukas was just one second behind the ECR driver and appeared to be his main threat for the final podium position.

VeeKay again featured on the broadcast after passing Dixon for 17th.

With 15 laps remaining, McLaughlin maintained a 1.5s advantage over Kirkwood, while Rossi remained third. Malukas continued to pressure the ECR driver, with Rosenqvist also closing in behind.

The closing laps produced little change.

With seven laps remaining, Foster used his softer tyres to pass Collet for 14th. Rossi gradually pulled away from Malukas, who then came under pressure from Rosenqvist.

The Meyer Shank driver tried a move at Turn 2 but Malukas held the position on the exit. Rosenqvist repeated the move one lap later and completed the pass.

McLaughlin then comfortably managed the final laps to take the chequered flag and end his long wait for an IndyCar victory.

Kirkwood crossed the line second, securing the championship runner-up position. Rossi completed the podium, followed by Rosenqvist, Malukas, Lundgaard, Armstrong, Palou, Ericsson and Simpson.

IndyCar 2026: GP of Monterey final results

FAQ

Who won the 2026 IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey?

Scott McLaughlin won the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca from pole position for Team Penske. He controlled the race throughout and ended a two-year wait for an IndyCar victory.

Who finished second in the 2026 IndyCar championship?

Kyle Kirkwood finished runner-up to Álex Palou in the 2026 IndyCar standings after finishing second at Laguna Seca. The Andretti driver beat Christian Lundgaard, Pato O’Ward and David Malukas in the closely contested fight for second.

When does the 2027 IndyCar season start?

The 2027 IndyCar season is scheduled to begin with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from March 5-7. Before then, IndyCar will test the new IR-28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of preparations for the 2028 regulations.