SALINAS, Ca. – Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet) waited 36 races for his next NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory. When it finally came, he left no doubt.
Pole sitter McLaughlin dominated the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, converting his pole position into a commanding victory and closing the 2026 season with one of the most important wins of his career.
The Team Penske driver led 87 of 95 laps in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet and crossed the finish line 1.3739 seconds ahead of Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sam’s Club Andretti Global Honda), securing his eighth career INDYCAR victory.
Race Results
The victory ended McLaughlin’s winless drought that dated to September 2024 at Milwaukee. It was also his first win at Laguna Seca and his third victory of the 2026 season.
“My little girl hasn’t seen me win yet, and now she has,” McLaughlin said after the race. “So, Dad’s coming home with a trophy, baby. Let’s go!”
“These guys and girls at Team Penske have stood behind me the whole time. Congrats to Alex (Palou) on his fifth (championship), but we’re working hard to beat them, and today was a big step in the right direction.”
McLaughlin controls the finale
Starting from pole, McLaughlin immediately established control of the race.
The New Zealander survived the opening-lap chaos and settled into the lead, using clean pit strategy and consistent pace to keep the field behind him. The race featured just one full-course caution, which lasted three laps after contact between Sting Ray Robb and rookie Dennis Hauger sent Hauger into the tire barrier.
Once the race returned to green, McLaughlin continued to build his advantage.
Even when the field closed the gap through different pit strategies, the No. 3 Chevrolet remained the car to beat. By the closing laps, McLaughlin had the race firmly under control.
The result was particularly significant after a season in which McLaughlin repeatedly showed front-running speed without finding Victory Lane.
This time, there was no late-race heartbreak.
“We had to be solid,” McLaughlin said. “That’s what it’s going to take to win a championship. What a great warmup we had. Bring on 2027.”
Kirkwood secures second — and the championship runner-up spot
Kyle Kirkwood delivered one of the strongest drives of his career to finish second.
The Andretti Global driver started sixth but quickly moved forward, reaching the podium within the opening 10 laps. Kirkwood then used strategy and strong pace to settle into second and remained there through the final round of pit stops.
The runner-up finish also locked up second place in the 2026 championship, giving Kirkwood the best points finish of his INDYCAR career with 545 points.
Kirkwood entered the finale knowing he didn’t necessarily need to win the race. His primary objective was beating the drivers behind him in the championship battle.
He did exactly that.
“Second in the championship, and that’s my best road-course finish,” Kirkwood said. “We just played it super clean, super methodical. I wish I could have had a go at Scotty there at the end on the better tires, but we knew who we were fighting, and that was for the championship, mostly. So, we played it safe there. Second place is best of the rest.”
Rossi returns to the podium
Alexander Rossi (No. 20 Java House Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet) completed the podium in third, earning his first podium finish of the 2026 season.
Rossi’s result was especially notable because he had not finished on the podium since placing third at Laguna Seca in 2024. The Ed Carpenter Racing driver kept himself in contention throughout the race and emerged from the final round of pit stops with a podium position.
“I don’t think I could state the significance of it just with how challenging this year has been for the whole organization and how much road courses have been a huge struggle of ours,” Rossi said. “There was a lot of doubt coming into this event whether we could find a direction, so I think this is just a huge reward for all the effort.”
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Sirius XM / Nickelback Radio Honda) finished fourth for Meyer Shank Racing, while David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet) rounded out the top five for Team Penske.
Malukas’ fifth-place result capped a strong finish to his first season with Penske. He closed the year with three consecutive top-five finishes and nine top-five results overall.
Palou closes championship season with seventh
Already assured of his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) entered the finale looking to finish his dominant season with another victory.
Instead, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver finished outside the top five.
Palou nevertheless leaves 2026 as the unquestioned champion after another remarkable campaign that saw him establish himself as the driver to beat throughout the season.
The championship was already secured before Laguna Seca. The finale simply provided the final punctuation mark.
A season ends with a statement
For McLaughlin, however, Sunday was about far more than closing out the calendar.
It was redemption.
After more than two years without a victory, the Team Penske driver finally returned to Victory Lane — and did it by dominating one of the most demanding road courses on the INDYCAR schedule.
The 95-lap Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey provided the final chapter of the 2026 season.
Palou leaves with another championship.
Kirkwood leaves with the championship runner-up position.
And McLaughlin leaves Laguna Seca with something he had been chasing for 36 races:
A win.
McLaughlin’s victory brought the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season to a close at one of American open-wheel racing’s most iconic venues.
Up Next: 2027 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 7 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Original article
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