Final IndyCar 2026 Championship standings
September 8, 2026
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou cemented his legacy by capturing his fifth IndyCar title in six seasons, finishing the year with a commanding 86 markers clear of his nearest rival.
Palou claimed the championship a week ago at Milwaukee thanks to his multiple race victories including St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach, Detroit, Nashville and Portland.
However, the fight for the runner-up position was settled at the season finale in Laguna Seca where Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood ultimately secured the spot but only after a season-long duel with Christian Lundgaard that went down to the final laps of the final race.
Kirkwood’s podium finish at Laguna Seca was crucial, allowing him to hold off the departing Arrow McLaren driver who eventually finished 10 points adrift in third.
Lundgaard’s teammate Pato O’Ward and Team Penske’s David Malukas rounded out the top five.
Dennis Hauger, meanwhile, claimed Rookie of the Year honors ahead of Mick Schumacher and Caio Collet.
Scott McLaughlin wins IndyCar Laguna Seca season finale, snaps 35-race victory drought
Final IndyCar 2026 Championship standings after Laguna Seca finale
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 631 |
| 2 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global Honda | 545 |
| 3 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 535 |
| 4 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 522 |
| 5 | David Malukas | Team Penske Chevrolet | 514 |
| 6 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske Chevrolet | 482 |
| 7 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global Honda | 429 |
| 8 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske Chevrolet | 423 |
| 9 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 412 |
| 10 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 378 |
| 11 | Will Power | Andretti Global Honda | 368 |
| 12 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 331 |
| 13 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 327 |
| 14 | Marcus Armstrong | Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 320 |
| 15 | Alexander Rossi | ECR Chevrolet | 307 |
| 16 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 302 |
| 17 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet | 280 |
| 18 | Louis Foster | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 267 |
| 19 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 259 |
| 20 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 259 |
| 21 | Christian Rasmussen | ECR Chevrolet | 245 |
| 22 | Dennis Hauger – Rookie of the Year | Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 228 |
| 23 | Mick Schumacher | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 213 |
| 24 | Caio Collet | AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet | 203 |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 182 |
| 26 | Conor Daly | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet | 24 |
| 27 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 20 |
| 28 | Jack Harvey | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet | 8 |
| 29 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports Chevrolet | 6 |
| 30 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 5 |
| 31 | Ed Carpenter | ECR Chevrolet | 5 |
| 32 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 5 |
| 33 | Katherine Legge | HMD Motorsports Chevrolet | 5 |
