Scott McLaughlin wins IndyCar Laguna Seca season finale, snaps 35-race victory drought

Scott McLaughlin delivered a dominant wire-to-wire drive to claim victory in the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, ending a two-year and 35-race winless streak.

Starting from pole position in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet, McLaughlin led 87 of the 95 laps around the challenging 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course to grab his eighth career IndyCar triumph and close out the 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion.

Kyle Kirkwood finished second in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Andretti Global Honda to secure runner-up status in the championship standings, while Alexander Rossi rounded out the podium in third for his first top-three finish since mid-2024.

When the lights went green, McLaughlin launched cleanly from pole and commanded the opening corners with authority, fending off Alex Palou and keeping the inside lines through the opening sequence of tight, technical turns.

Felix Rosenqvist slotted into third behind the two front-row starters, while Alexander Rossi and Kyle Kirkwood jostled for position alongside David Malukas in the tight confines of the opening lap.

However, the race’s only full-course caution came before the field had completed even its first lap when Sting Ray Robb drove his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet into the rear of rookie Dennis Hauger’s No. 19 DCR Honda at Turn 6, sending the young Norwegian spinning violently into the tire barrier.

After the full-course yellow, McLaughlin led the field back to the green flag on Lap 4 and immediately re-asserted his dominance, pulling away from Palou and the rest of the field.

The first wave of pit stop activity among the top runners began as early as Lap 17, when Marcus Ericsson and rookie Mick Schumacher came in for fresh rubber.

Palou followed suit, becoming the first of the front-running Chip Ganassi Racing entries to attempt the undercut strategy, but suffered a slight delay before heading back out on soft Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, hoping the fresher rubber would allow him to pressure McLaughlin when he eventually pitted.

McLaughlin eventually came in for his own first stop on Lap 20 alongside Kirkwood and Will Power, and cycled back out without drama, resuming control of the race once the sequence settled.

Rossi, who had assumed the lead by staying out on the harder tire, finally made his own first stop on Lap 25, rejoining in fifth.

On Lap 30, Kirkwood committed to the inside line at Turn 2 and forced his way past Palou to claim second place, 4.3 seconds behind McLaughlin. Rossi followed through as well, leaving Palou stranded in fourth and managing rapidly deteriorating tire performance.

With Palou’s misfortune on strategy effectively removing him from the podium battle, the race developed into a straightforward contest between McLaughlin out front and Kirkwood working hard to close the gap.

Kirkwood proceeded to close within 2s before making his final stop on lap 69 for the faster but less durable Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, which allowed him to cut the gap down to 1.2 seconds by Lap 72.

However, Kirkwood’s fast fading tires ultimately faltered his challenge, ensuring Scott McLaughlin wins IndyCar Laguna Seca season finale by 1.3739 seconds.

Pato O’Ward wins IndyCar Milwaukee double as Alex Palou claims 5th title

Full 2026 IndyCar Laguna Seca Race Results