Winners and losers from the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca

The 2026 IndyCar season concluded at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a dominant performance by Scott McLaughlin, who secured his first win since 2024. McLaughlin led the race from pole position, finishing an astonishing 1.3739s ahead of Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global. The race saw 160 total passes, with 146 taken for position, and six lead changes among four different drivers. There was one caution period accounting for three laps.

For the Los Angeles Times, Scott McLaughlin emerged as the clear winner, ending a 35-race winless drought and solidifying sixth in the championship standings. In contrast, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing struggled, finishing eighth after a backfiring early four-stop strategy. Alexander Rossi of Ed Carpenter Racing secured second place, marking his first podium on a road course in over two years since June 2024.

Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing finished 14th, his lowest finish of the season, while Santino Ferrucci of A.J. Foyt Enterprises managed a solid 12th-place finish, advancing nine positions from his starting grid. The only notable loser in this race was Sting Ray Robb of Juncos Hollinger Racing, who triggered the only full-course caution and finished 23rd after causing a multi-car collision. Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren ended the race in 24th place.