The NTT IndyCar Series competed at Laguna Seca, and it was a thrilling event. Laguna Seca marked the final race of the 2026 IndyCar season and several drivers didn't want to leave the campaign without a victory. However, only one driver could make that happen, and it was from Team Penske.
Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 team for Team Penske won at Laguna Seca, earning their first victory of the 2026 IndyCar season. McLaughlin started on the pole and controlled the entire event despite late pushes from Kyle Kirkwood and Alexander Rossi. The Team Penske driver ultimately cruised to victory lane.
It has been a tough few years for McLaughlin, and he finally returned to the winner's circle in IndyCar's last race of the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Alex Palou capped off the season with another championship, earning his fourth in the last five seasons.
No. 3 Scott McLaughlin
No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood

#team #indycar #laguna

The 18-race 2026 IndyCar season has officially come to an end. After Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou had already clinched his fifth championship before the Grand Prix of Monterey, Palou finished just eighth at Laguna Seca – the worst finish of his career at the track.
Instead, it was Scott McLaughlin claiming his first victory of the season to close things out. Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood finished second to clinch second in the championship, just 10 points ahead of Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard.
With the season coming to an end, here are five thoughts to wrap up another year in IndyCar.
It had been 35 races since McLaughlin was in victory lane. After going through the longest drought of his career at any level, the 33-year-old went out on top in 2026.
This season has been about baby steps for McLaughlin and the crew on his No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet. After the team shuffled the personnel around McLaughlin – mainly rehiring former Team Penske president Tim Cindric as strategist and making accomplished IMSA engineer Raul Prados the race engineer – the New Zealander had to adjust to new folks around him.

#palou #championship #Career

Kyle Kirkwood closed out his 2026 IndyCar Series campaign on a high note, driving from sixth on the grid to a runner-up finish behind Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The strong drive cemented a career-best second-place finish in the championship standings for the 27-year-old Florida native.
Kirkwood, driving the #27 Andretti Global Honda, concluded the 18-race season with 545 points, placing 86 points behind champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Over the course of the year, Kirkwood led Andretti Global's **** le challenge, recording two wins, six podiums, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s, and one pole position.
Reflecting on the finale, Kirkwood acknowledged that points strategy dictated his approach late in the race.
"Yeah, it was," Kirkwood said regarding securing second in the championship. "Yeah, we played it a little bit safer than I might have hoped for the last race of the season, but we had to for the championship. We made all the decisions based on that. Probably could have had a go at Scottie (Scott McLaughlin) at the end on the first few laps on reds. The number one goal was to make the tires last. That's what we did. Came home with a second, which is something to be proud of."

#second #race #yeah

This is it for the 2026 IndyCar Series season. The 25 entries run 95 laps on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. Scott McLaughlin starts from the pole position with already crowned season points champion Alex Palou second.
Runner-up hopefuls Kyle Kirkwood (starting 6th), Christian Lundgaard (11th, including a 6-place grid penalty for excessive engine changes) and Pato O'Ward (12th) are separated by 4 points.
Palou has won this race the past two years and three of the past four.
We will have leaderboard updates and highlights, so please remember to refresh.
Welcome back: Dreyer & Reinbold chooses Conor Daly for full-time ride

#palou #season #points #indycar

This is it for the 2026 IndyCar Series season. The 25 entries run 95 laps on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. Scott McLaughlin starts from the pole position with already crowned season points champion Alex Palou second.
Runner-up hopefuls Kyle Kirkwood (starting 6th), Christian Lundgaard (11th, including a 6-place grid penalty for excessive engine changes) and Pato O'Ward (12th) are separated by 4 points.
Palou has won this race the past two years and three of the past four.
We will have leaderboard updates and highlights, so please remember to refresh.
Welcome back: Dreyer & Reinbold chooses Conor Daly for full-time ride

#palou #points #seca

There is one more race of the 2026 NTT IndyCar season, and everything is still at stake. As they take on Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey, drivers look to go out with a bang, whether they'll be returning to the series or not.
Alex Palou has nothing to lose, however. After placing higher than Kyle Kirkwood in both races at the Milwaukee Mile, his fifth championship was secured. This was his fourth consecutive championship, and despite not winning both races, he proved why he deserved it.
Since he didn't get the results he may have wanted, Palou is likely to give it his all this race. He's shown dominance at Laguna Seca before, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he did once again.
The two runner-ups have the most to prove in this season finale. Christian Lundgaard and Kirkwood are only separated by two points. For Lundgaard, this race can help secure a seat for the 2027 season, as he is still unsigned. There's a chance he can take Scott Dixon's Chip Ganassi seat, and this is the best chance for him to prove that he's earned it.
Lundgaard is known for his dominance on road courses. He won the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. Lundgaard is a potential winner at Laguna Seca with his road course abilities.

#lundgaard #seca #prix #race

IndyCar president Doug Boles flew from Ontario to Washington, D.C., the evening of Aug. 16 with as much trepidation as he had optimism. Boles, who typically travels to the site of IndyCar's upcoming race mid-week, wasted no time getting to the nation's capital ahead of the series' second-biggest race of the year, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
After IndyCar and promoter Green Savoree Racing Promotions made a poor first impression – having to call off Friday's practice session – at their new street race in Markham, Ontario, it wasn't clear what awaited for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, although this race was promoted by Penske Entertainment with ****** istance from Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Harbinger.
"Honestly, I was worried just because how Canada had gone," Boles told IndyStar in an exclusive interview.
But after a dinner with Penske Corporation president Bud Denker and the chance to see the 7-turn, 1.7-mile track come to fruition, Boles realized that IndyCar was "in good shape" for Saturday and Sunday's on-track sessions.
Once President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing the IndyCar race – which was won by Kyle Kirkwood – to occur around the U.S. Capitol Building, the series had less than seven months to check every box for the new street course. (It typically takes a year, sometimes two, to set up new street circuits.)

#street

With Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood winning the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, IndyCar's final street race in 2026, there was one common denominator in all six street races: They were won by a car with a Honda engine.
Honda went 6-of-6 on the street circuits (two Kirkwood wins, three Alex Palou wins and one from Marcus Ericsson) while Chevrolet, IndyCar's other engine manufacturer, didn't win any.
To sweep the streets, Honda never really had to scrape by in any race, as a Honda engine led 542 of the 597 (90.7%) of the laps on streets this year while claiming 15 of the 18 podium spots. The manufacturer has won 19 of the last 21 street races dating back to 2023, when it also swept the streets.
Honda has won 10 of the 15 races, including Felix Rosenqvist's win in the Indianapolis 500 for Meyer Shank Racing. After Chevrolet closed the gap with three straight wins in June and July, Honda has separated itself by winning four in a row.
"I think the fact that we won the 500 and we also turn around and we're doing it currently on street courses, it makes me proud for the team," Honda Racing Corporation USA vice president Kelvin Fu told IndyStar. "And a lot of it is, it's just not us, it's Andretti and it's (Chip Ganassi Racing), right? It's a combination of their ability to develop their car control and the drivers and surviving a 147-lap, ******* py street course."

#racing

US President Donald Trump was among hundreds of people who gathered to see the IndyCar race through the streets of Washington DC on Sunday, marking the culmination of a series of summer events to celebrate the country's 250th birthday.
Driver Kyle Kirkwood won the race, earning his seventh career Indycar win.
Ahead of the race, the president and First Lady Melania Trump took a ceremonial lap of the 1.7-mile track in his presidential limousine, The Beast.
As they reached the finish line, Trump's new Air Force One completed a flyover above the capital.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is the first time professional road racing has been hosted in the capital.

#indycar #donald #driver

The IndyCar Series will race by the National Archives and the Smithsonian Air and ***** e Museum today in the Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington, D.C.
Championship points leader Alex Palou starts from the pole position for the longest street course race in series history, 147 laps on a 7-turn, 1.7-mile layout. He has an outside chance to lock up his fourth consecutive ***** le, and fifth in six years.
Kyle Kirkwood also earns a front-row starting spot as he and David Malukas (starting 6th) and Christian Lundgaard (9th) fight for second place in the standings.
President Trump is scheduled to wave the green flag shortly after 1 p.m.
We will have leaderboard updates and highlights throughout, so remember to refresh.

#race

Alex Palou will lead the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field to green Sunday after capturing the pole position for the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.
Palou delivered when it mattered most in qualifying, putting down a 56.899-second lap around the new 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver beat Kyle Kirkwood by more than half a second in the final round to secure his seventh pole position of the 2026 season.
It continues another dominant season for Palou, who entered the weekend with a 133-point championship lead over Kirkwood. Now, the two championship leaders will share the front row for one of the most anticipated races on the 2026 INDYCAR schedule.
The pole didn't come out of nowhere.
Palou led Saturday's second practice with a 56.614-second lap after finishing second in the opening session. Kirkwood was right behind him in final practice at 56.691, setting up a battle between the championship's top two drivers once qualifying arrived.

#palou

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two practice sessions are in the books on the streets of the nation's capital.
But who will take pole position for the IndyCar Freedom 250?
Kyle Kirkwood topped the timing sheets during the first practice session, ahead of Alex Palou, the driver he is chasing in the IndyCar standings. But it was Palou who led the way in the second session, just 0.0766 seconds ahead of Kirkwood.
Scott Dixon and the Arrow McLaren pair of Nolan Siegel and Pato O'Ward rounded out the top five from the second practice session. Their Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard posted the sixth-fastest time.
Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, following the first practice session Palou talked at length about the 1.7-mile track that winds around the National Mall, with landmarks such as the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol Building helping to round out the backdrop.

#indycar #kirkwood #mclaren

The IndyCar Series' first race in Markham, Ontario, Canada, will have a different look up front. Louis Foster starts from the pole position and Christian Lundgaard is second for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, a 90-lap race on the 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout.
These drivers crashed during practice or qualifying: Alex Palou, Caio Collet, Will Power and Josef Newgarden all start further back in the field than they'd like.
These drivers face 6-position grid penalties for excessive engine changes: Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen, Marcus Armstrong, Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O'Ward.
We will have leaderboard updates and highlights throughout, so please remember to refresh.
(*-drivers moved back 6 places on starting grid for excessive engine changes)

#drivers #markham #grid

The IndyCar Series' first race in Markham, Ontario, Canada, will have a different look up front. Louis Foster starts from the pole position and Christian Lundgaard is second for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, a 90-lap race on the 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout.
These drivers crashed during practice or qualifying: Alex Palou, Caio Collet, Will Power and Josef Newgarden all start further back in the field than they'd like.
These drivers face 6-position grid penalties for excessive engine changes: Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen, Marcus Armstrong, Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O'Ward.
We will have leaderboard updates and highlights throughout, so please remember to refresh.
(*-drivers moved back 6 places on starting grid for excessive engine changes)

#markham #christian #position #excessive

The NTT IndyCar Series competed at Portland International Raceway, and it was a thrilling event. Alex Palou entered with a commanding lead in the points standings after winning at Nashville Superspeedway. However, was the four-time IndyCar champion able to enter victory lane at Portland?
Palou and the No. 10 team for Chip Ganassi Racing won the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, earning their sixth victory of the 2026 IndyCar season. The driver of the No. 10 car won by four seconds over Felix Rosenqvist and eight seconds over Will Power.
Now, Palou has a 110-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood in the standings. Meanwhile, David Malukas has a 118-point deficit to Palou. Barring a historic collapse, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver seems destined for a fifth IndyCar championship. Palou is the best driver in the world, and he continues to flex his muscles.
No. 10 Alex Palou
No. 60 Felix Rosenqvist

#portland #driver #chip #racing

Alex Palou is once again on the top step of the podium, winning at Portland with Felix Rosenqvist second and Will Power third. The margin of victory was 4.1 seconds.
Rinus VeeKay earned another impressive result for Juncos Hollinger in fourth, and Kyle Kirkwood finished fifth.
Rosenqvist led the first 30 laps of the race, with Palou moving ahead through the first sequence of pit stops. Palou took the lead for the final time on Lap 87 of 110 after Power made his stop, and he never looked back.
19 of 25 starters finished on the lead lap, and Marcus Armstrong was the only DNF.
Read Also:

#portland #felix

As the IndyCar Series enters its closing stretch, Team Penske veteran Scott McLaughlin believes the key to aiding teammate David Malukas in his championship pursuit against points leader Alex Palou comes down to flawless execution and a collective team effort.
Malukas currently sits 83 points behind four-time and reigning series champion Palou in the overall standings, facing his first true ******* le fight in IndyCar. Drawing on his own championship experience, McLaughlin's advice is simple: ignore the points and focus on execution.
"Firstly, one race at a time for everybody," said McLaughlin, 33. "Just take it as it comes, especially in this series these days, how competitive it is."
While Malukas has battled for championships during his junior formula career, notably finishing runner-up to Kyle Kirkwood for the 2021 Indy NXT ******* le, an IndyCar ******* le fight presents a different level of pressure. McLaughlin, who has finished third in the IndyCar championship twice (2023-24), emphasized that building the composure needed for these moments takes time on track.
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

#indycar #championship #time #title

Megan Keith's grandad had two goals. To make it to 100 years old and then to watch the Commonwealth Games.
Dr Murray Kirkwood achieved both - and even saw his granddaughter win a bronze medal in the women's 5000m at Scotstoun.
He's no stranger to the ground. As an ardent Glasgow Warriors fan, he delivered the match ball before Franco Smith's side hosted Benetton in March, days before he became a centenarian.
He's had some memorable nights round these parts, but watching Megan tear to the podium should eclipse them. Well, so she hopes...
"He's a bit of a phenomenon," Keith, who finished a disappointing ninth in the 10,000m earlier in the week, told BBC Scotland.

#megan

Newark National League wasn't sure if it could put a Senior League all-star roster together this summer because of players' travel team and family vacation plans.
Now the team that was formed is still playing, and has reached its competitive pinnacle.
Newark National is taking part in the upcoming Senior Little League World Series.
The team was given a send-off July 28 at the Delaware State Police Troop 6 headquarters on Kirkwood High attended by Gov. Matt Meyer.
Here are the details on how to follow Newark National on its quest:

#newark #july

The NTT IndyCar Series competed at Mid-Ohio, and it was a thrilling event. Christian Lundgaard won the pole for the grand prix, but he lost the lead to his Arrow McLaren teammate Pato O'Ward later in the race. However, in the closing laps, Lundgaard made a push, and only one of the McLaren drivers could enter victory lane.
O'Ward and the No. 5 team for McLaren won Sunday's race at Mid-Ohio, earning their first victory of the 2026 IndyCar season. The driver of the No. 5 car was able to maintain a healthy gap over Lundgaard, who came up just short of winning his third race of the 2026 campaign.
Alex Palou finished in fifth place and continues to hold a healthy gap over second-place Kyle Kirkwood in the point standings. However, O'Ward stole the headlines on Sunday afternoon. It has been a tough season for O'Ward, but it finally paid off with a very impressive win at Mid-Ohio.
No. 5 Pato O’Ward
No. 7 Christian Lundgaard

Pato O'Ward earned his first podium and his first victory of the 2026 season at Mid-Ohio, holding off teammate Christian Lundgaard. They started 1-2, and finished 1-2, with O'Ward pulling off a daring pass on pole-sitter Lundgaard partway through the race. Just under a second separated them at the checkered flaag.
This is O'Ward's tenth career win, tying him with Pete DePaolo and Jimmy Vasser for 40th on the all-time wins list.
Kyle Kirkwood finished third, leading the way for Andretti Global, followed Juncos Hollinger Racing's Rinus VeeKay in fourth, and championship leader Alex Palou in fifth for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Will Power, Christian Rasmusen, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, and Nolan Siegel filled out the remainder of the top ten.
Caio Collet led the way for the 2026 rookie class, finishing 11th. The race went completely caution-free with no incidents.

ELKHART LAKE – The NTT IndyCar Series is returning to Road America for the XPEL Grand Prix presented by AMR, a four-day event set to begin June 18.
The event is expected to feature a deep field of drivers, including defending Road America winner Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood and newly crowned Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist, according to a community announcement.
The main race is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday and will be broadcast live on FOX, according to the announcement. Practice and qualifying sessions will be available on FS1, FS2 and FOX One, with radio coverage on SiriusXM channel 218 and the INDYCAR App.
Road America is a 4-mile, 14-turn circuit known for its long straightaways, fast corners, elevation changes and natural viewing areas. The track is widely recognized as one of the most respected road courses globally and is considered one of the most demanding stops on the IndyCar schedule.
Beyond the main event, the weekend will feature several other races, including Indy NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000, USF2000, Radical Cup North America and Vintage Indy. Indy NXT will have two races, with the first scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday on FS1, and the second at 11 a.m. Sunday, also on FS1.

IndyCar’s first race with its new full-course caution procedure caused immediate controversy.
After an incident that left Alexander Rossi’s car stranded powerless on the IMS front straightaway in the Sonsio Grand Prix, IndyCar Officiating announced an “operating and process update,” stating that pit windows and the running order of cars won’t affect whether race control — led by race director Kyle Novak — deploys a local caution or full-course caution in given situations.
The change affected the Detroit Grand Prix, the first street or road course IndyCar went to since the procedure change was announced May 12. Race control was quick to deploy full-course cautions, which hurt 2025 Detroit Grand Prix winner Kyle Kirkwood, who typically extends his stints before pitting.
In the second half of the race, Kirkwood had taken the lead from Alex Palou, who led 71 of the race’s 100 laps. Kirkwood and Palou both pitted on Lap 34, but when Palou made his second and final pit stop on Lap 64, Kirkwood remained on track to take the lead. But two laps later, contact between Santino Ferrucci and Rinus VeeKay led to a full-course caution, which closed the pits and left Kirkwood on track.
Palou recaptured the lead after Kirkwood pitted under caution on Lap 69, and Palou won the race with Kirkwood finishing second.

IndyCar’s first race with its new full-course caution procedure caused immediate controversy.
After an incident that left Alexander Rossi’s car stranded powerless on the IMS front straightaway in the Sonsio Grand Prix, IndyCar Officiating announced an “operating and process update,” stating that pit windows and the running order of cars won’t affect whether race control — led by race director Kyle Novak — deploys a local caution or full-course caution in given situations.
The change affected the Detroit Grand Prix, the first street or road course IndyCar went to since the procedure change was announced May 12. Race control was quick to deploy full-course cautions, which hurt 2025 Detroit Grand Prix winner Kyle Kirkwood, who typically extends his stints before pitting.
In the second half of the race, Kirkwood had taken the lead from Alex Palou, who led 71 of the race’s 100 laps. Kirkwood and Palou both pitted on Lap 34, but when Palou made his second and final pit stop on Lap 64, Kirkwood remained on track to take the lead. But two laps later, contact between Santino Ferrucci and Rinus VeeKay led to a full-course caution, which closed the pits and left Kirkwood on track.
Palou recaptured the lead after Kirkwood pitted under caution on Lap 69, and Palou won the race with Kirkwood finishing second.