Overview
- Scott McLaughlin led 87 of 95 laps at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday to win the season finale and snap a long winless stretch, finishing about 1.37 seconds ahead of Kyle Kirkwood.
- Kyle Kirkwood’s second-place result secured him runner-up in the final championship standings behind Alex Palou.
- Alex Palou had already clinched the 2026 championship before the race and finished eighth at Laguna Seca after an early four-stop strategy and heavy tire degradation on used soft tires blunted his pace.
- The race featured intense on-track action with roughly 160 total passes, six lead changes among four drivers, and one three-lap full-course caution triggered by Sting Ray Robb’s Lap 1 contact that put Dennis Hauger out of the race and earned Robb a 10-second stop-and-hold penalty.
- Coverage now pivots to the offseason with roster moves such as Scott Dixon’s departure from Chip Ganassi Racing, questions about which drivers or teams can end Palou’s run, and the prospect that the 2028 new car could reshape the competitive order.