McLaughlin Returns to Victory Lane in Laguna Seca Finale

Credit: Chris Jones

Scott McLaughlin ended a 36-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES win drought with victory at the Grand Prix of Monterey, controlling the season finale at Laguna Seca as Kyle Kirkwood secured second place in the championship.

McLaughlin entered Sunday from pole after delivering Chevrolet its 250th INDYCAR SERIES pole position with a 1:09.1363 lap in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet. The New Zealander had not won since Milwaukee in August 2024, but converted his qualifying pace into victory over 95 laps, eventually crossing the line 1.3 seconds ahead of Kirkwood.

With Álex Palou having secured his fifth IndyCar championship at Milwaukee last week, attention turned towards the battle directly behind him. Arrow McLaren teammates Lundgaard and O'Ward entered the finale separated from Kirkwood by only four points for second, while Malukas also retained a slim chance of taking second.

McLaughlin had a different target after securing pole. He started alongside Palou, with Rosenqvist third, while Lundgaard faced a more difficult afternoon after receiving a six-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. Marcus Ericsson and Caio Collet also received six-place penalties for the same reason.

When the field went green, the top three held their positions, but the race lasted less than a lap before its first interruption. Dennis Hauger made contact with the tyre barrier at Turn 6 following contact from Sting Ray Robb, who misjudged Hauger's position and struck the rear of his car. Hauger retired on the opening lap, while Robb continued before receiving a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for his role in the incident.

Racing resumed on Lap 4 and Kirkwood wasted little time moving towards the front. One lap later, the Andretti driver passed Rosenqvist for third, strengthening his position in the championship battle while McLaughlin continued to lead Palou.

The first scheduled stops began early. Scott Dixon and Christian Rasmussen came to the pit lane on Lap 11, with Dixon moving onto the softer compound and Rasmussen on the hard compound. Josef Newgarden made his second visit to pit road on Lap 16 before Lundgaard stopped one lap later, returning to the circuit behind Kyffin Simpson in 17th.

Palou and Malukas became the first of the leading group to stop on Lap 18, returning in ninth and 11th respectively. Palou's position left him exposed to drivers running longer, with Santino Ferrucci passing the five-time champion for ninth on Lap 20.

McLaughlin and Kirkwood stopped on the same lap, emerging fifth and seventh before Rosenqvist inherited the lead. The Meyer Shank Racing driver extended his stint until Lap 21 before making his first stop and returning in 10th.

Further back, Will Power and Newgarden made contact on Lap 24, though both continued without race-ending damage. Rossi and Ferrucci completed the first major pit sequence on Lap 25, with Rossi emerging fifth and Ferrucci 11th. Once the order settled, McLaughlin, Palou and Kirkwood remained the leading three among the primary contenders.

The second phase saw greater movement as different strategies began to emerge. Dixon made his second stop on Lap 28, while Lundgaard continued recovering from his grid penalty. The Arrow McLaren driver passed Marcus Armstrong at Turn 11 on Lap 27 to move into seventh, keeping himself within reach of Kirkwood in the championship fight.

Rossi was also moving forward. He passed Malukas for fourth at Turn 4 on Lap 31 before Kirkwood made his move on Palou one lap later, taking second place. Rossi followed shortly afterward to move into third, dropping Palou to fourth before the Chip Ganassi Racing driver stopped at the end of Lap 32 and returned in 15th.

With several drivers stretching their second stints, the race settled into a longer green-flag period. Lundgaard remained on track until Lap 42, stopping from sixth and emerging 14th behind Palou. Malukas followed from fourth on Lap 43 and returned in 10th.

Credit: Travis Hinkle

The leading trio then made their moves. McLaughlin, Kirkwood and Rossi all stopped after running first, second and third, returning to the circuit in second, fourth and fifth as the alternate strategies temporarily reshuffled the order.

Palou stopped again on Lap 45 for his third pit stop, falling to 17th. Rosenqvist stopped from the lead on the same lap for only his second scheduled stop and returned seventh, slotting in behind Malukas.

O'Ward's difficult afternoon continued when he ran through the gravel on Lap 47, although the Arrow McLaren driver kept going. Armstrong led briefly before stopping on the same lap and returning in 12th. Ferrucci extended his stint until Lap 51, becoming the final driver to complete the second major cycle before emerging 13th behind Palou.

As the race moved beyond the half-distance mark, McLaughlin remained in control of the effective lead. Kirkwood stayed close enough to maintain pressure while Rossi continued to hold a strong position for his first podium of the afternoon.

Power became the next driver to make a mistake when he went through the gravel at the Turn 2 hairpin on Lap 56, but he recovered without bringing out another caution. With the field remaining green, teams began calculating their final stops, which were expected around Lap 70.

Malukas and Lundgaard were among the first leading contenders to commit, stopping from fourth and sixth respectively on Lap 69. They returned in sixth and ninth, leaving both with clear targets for the closing stages.

Nolan Siegel had his own scare on the same lap, running through the gravel at Turn 6 and narrowly avoiding the barrier before continuing.

McLaughlin, Kirkwood and Rossi all made their final scheduled stops on Lap 70. The trio emerged in the same relative order, leaving McLaughlin with the advantage he had worked to protect throughout the afternoon. Armstrong stopped from fourth one lap later and returned eighth, directly behind Lundgaard.

Ferrucci once again stretched his stint further than most of the field, making his final stop from seventh on Lap 75 and emerging 13th. Siegel later made a fourth stop on Lap 84, which dropped him to the back of the field.

While McLaughlin controlled the front and Kirkwood concentrated on securing second in both the race and championship, one of the strongest late battles developed between Rosenqvist and Malukas.

Rosenqvist attacked Malukas at the Turn 2 hairpin on Lap 89 and initially took the position. Malukas responded immediately at Turn 3, reclaiming the place and forcing Rosenqvist to prepare another attempt.

The Swede returned to the hairpin on Lap 90 and completed another move, this time making the position stick. With six laps remaining, Rosenqvist held fourth and began pulling away from Malukas, ending his season with another strong result for Meyer Shank Racing.

Ahead of them, McLaughlin refused to give Kirkwood a meaningful opportunity. After controlling the race through each pit cycle and responding whenever the gap began to fall, the Team Penske driver entered the final laps with his first victory in more than two years within reach.

Credit: Joe Skibinski

McLaughlin crossed the line 1.3 seconds ahead of Kirkwood to win the Grand Prix of Monterey, ending a 36-race winless run dating back to Milwaukee in August 2024. After starting from pole, he kept himself at the centre of the fight throughout all 95 laps and finished the season by returning Team Penske to the top step.

Kirkwood followed in second, completing an important afternoon for Andretti Global. His runner-up result secured second in the championship by 10 points over Lundgaard, giving Kirkwood his best final championship position after entering Laguna Seca locked in a tight fight with both Arrow McLaren drivers.

Rossi completed the podium after a great drive through the different strategy phases. Rosenqvist finished fourth following his late battle with Malukas, who completed the top five.

Lundgaard crossed the line sixth after recovering from his six-place grid penalty, securing third in the championship and the highest championship finish of his IndyCar career. His result also carried another milestone, as Lundgaard became the sixth driver in series history to complete every racing lap across an entire IndyCar season.

Armstrong finished seventh ahead of champion Palou, whose alternate strategy left him eighth after starting from the front row. Ericsson recovered to ninth, while Simpson completed the top 10.

O'Ward's afternoon left him outside the fight for championship runner-up, while Malukas' fifth-place finish was not enough to overcome the sizeable deficit he faced entering the finale.

Hauger's race lasted only one lap after the contact with Robb, but the Dale Coyne Racing driver still ended his first IndyCar campaign as the 2026 Rookie of the Year.

McLaughlin finally experienced the ending he had waited more than two years to achieve at Laguna Seca. The chequered flag settled a season-long fight between Kirkwood and Lundgaard behind Palou, establishing both drivers as leading championship challengers heading into next year.

After 95 final laps at Laguna Seca, the 2026 IndyCar season ends with McLaughlin back in Victory Lane, Kirkwood second in the standings and Palou already crowned a five-time champion.