Alex Palou reclaimed the top spot in the 2026 IndyCar Series championship standings after winning Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The downtown California street circuit once again served as a decisive stage in the shaping of the 2026 title chase, with Chip Ganassi’s Palou moving ahead of Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood by 17 points after taking his third victory in the opening six rounds of the season.
David Malukas steps up into third as the best of the Team Penskes, 63 points off Palou, followed by Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in fourth with 136 points.
Christian Lundgaard and Josef Newgarden chase along in fifth and sixth at 131 and 130 points respectively, rounding out the group of drivers who remain mathematically in the race for the title.
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist (who has jumped from 14th to ninth) and Graham Rahal complete the top ten.
2026 IndyCar Championship Standings after Long Beach – Round 5 of 18
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 205 |
| 2 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global Honda | 188 |
| 3 | David Malukas | Team Penske Chevrolet | 142 |
| 4 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 136 |
| 5 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 131 |
| 6 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske Chevrolet | 130 |
| 7 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske Chevrolet | 127 |
| 8 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 120 |
| 9 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 109 |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 106 |
| 11 | Alexander Rossi | Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet | 105 |
| 12 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global Honda | 104 |
| 13 | Marcus Armstrong | Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 104 |
| 14 | Will Power | Andretti Global Honda | 89 |
| 15 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 79 |
| 16 | Dennis Hauger (R) | Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 76 |
| 17 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 75 |
| 18 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet | 74 |
| 19 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 60 |
| 20 | Louis Foster | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 60 |
| 21 | Caio Collet (R) | AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet | 59 |
| 22 | Christian Rasmussen | Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet | 59 |
| 23 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 56 |
| 24 | Mick Schumacher (R) | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 44 |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 42 |
READ MORE:
2026 IndyCar Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Race Results
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