IndyCar travelled out west to the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California for the final round of the 2026 Season last weekend. After a month on the road that saw the series race in Portland, Markham, Washington D.C and Milwaukee, it all came down to this. With Álex Palou crowned Champion for a fifth time last time out and with Honda crowned as Manufacturer’s Champions, the race weekend in Laguna Seca was an epilogue to the season in a number of ways. But there were still plenty of storylines with conclusions that needed writing before season’s end.

Here are The Paddock Chronicle’s Key Takeaways from Laguna Seca.

McLaughlin Back on Top at Laguna Seca

With seven wins in IndyCar under his belt heading into the season, Scott McLaughlin hadn’t been on the top step of the podium since the penultimate round in Milwaukee back in 2024. With two second place finishes this season and a further four trips to the rostrum since that race in Milwaukee two years ago, the New Zealander was one of many drivers keen to end the year on a high.

Part I to achieve this went his way when he claimed Team Penske’s 250 Pole Position on Saturday. Then when Sunday came around, nobody could touch him. He led essentially from lights to flag with none of the other drivers on the grid able to hold a candle to him as he put on an incredibly dominant drive. Sixth overall in the Championship, he’ll be hoping to carry this positive result deep into the off season so that he can use the momentum from it to kickstart his 2027 campaign in style.

Kyle Kirkwood – Best of the Rest

Coming home in second place behind McLaughlin was Kyle Kirkwood. The American made up four places after starting from sixth on the grid to claim second place and sealed the same position in the Championship, eighty-six points behind Palou. With two wins and a further four podiums to his name this season, 2026 has been Kirkwood’s strongest to date. He’ll be another driver looking to take the fight to Palou next season. While consistent in his finishes in the top ten, he now needs to work on finishing higher in those results if he wants to turn the dream of becoming Champion into reality.

Rossi Returns to the Rostrum at Laguna Seca

Laguna Seca marked the end of Alexander Rossi’s second season with Ed Carpenter Racing. The 2016 Indy 500 Champion hadn’t scored a podium in that time for the team but that all changed last weekend. After a phenomenal qualifying saw him start Sunday’s race from fourth on the grid, he was able to keep Rosenqvist at bay to convert it into third place. Prior to Laguna Seca, he’d had a best finish this season of sixth place which he achieved twice, at Phoenix and Road America respectively. After a tough season for him and the team, this podium came at just the right time and will put them on a good trajectory on which they can go into the winter break with.

Final Outings at Laguna Seca

Laguna Seca marked Scott Dixon’s last race with Chip Ganassi Racing after 25 years with the team. It’s been a lacklustre season for the Six-Time Champion and Laguna Seca was no exception as he finished down in P17. He’ll be hoping to bounce back next year when he returns to IndyCar with Arrow McLaren.

Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel meanwhile had their last races for Arrow McLaren. Lundgaard was once again the highest finishing driver for the team in sixth place while Siegel had a shocker of a Sunday to finish down in P24.

Mick Schumacher had a bad day at the office too in his last outing with RHLL before he makes the move to Meyer Shank Racing in 2027. P22 was all he could muster in Laguna Seca. The driver he’ll be replacing, Felix Rosenqvist, had a much better time of it as he finished in fourth place with teammate Armstrong in a solid seventh place.

Rookie of the Year

Despite being taken out almost immediately by Sting Ray Robb in Sunday’s race at Laguna Seca, Dennis Hauger was still able to clinch the title of Rookie of the Year and the prize money that came with it. There is not any confirmation on where he’ll race next year if he returns to the series but after a strong start to the year and his performances at an outfit such as Dayle Coyne, the Norwegian has had a better season than his result on paper present.

Palou Looms Large

Despite finishing in eighth place in Laguna Seca, the spectre of Palou was everywhere. Starting from second on the grid, he had nothing to lose by trying out a different strategy and still managed to finish inside the top ten. Laguna Seca marks the fifth race in a row that he hasn’t finished on the podium – the first time that’s happened since his rookie year with Dayle Coyne Racing.

But Palou is still very much the man to beat and it will take everything that all of the other drivers have combined if anyone stands a chance at toppling him in 2027.

Final Thoughts from Laguna Seca

With five different winners from the last six races and a further nine different drivers on the other two steps of the podium, IndyCar saw out its 2026 season in style. Big shakeups for next season at teams such as Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi make 2027 hard to predict. Palou will have an even bigger target on his back and his rivals have all levelled up this season and look set to do so again next year. But will any of it be enough to prevent Palou from clinching his sixth title in seven years? That’s the million dollar question. For now, IndyCar remains a Championship where even with this level of domination, when it comes to a race weekend, anyone can win a race. Formula 1 can’t say that.

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IndyCar returns on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Sunday, March 7, 2027.

Feature Image: Penske Entertainment