IndyCar’s 2026 season closes out Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where one championship will be wrapped up but another may come down to the final lap.
Alex Palou already clinched his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title, but the INDY NXT development series crowns its own champion hours earlier — and that race isn’t settled.
The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey closes out the championship season on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course that includes the famous Corkscrew, according to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s official schedule.
| INDY NXT Race 2 | Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California |
| Distance | 30 laps / 67.14 miles | 95 laps / 212.61 miles |
| TV Coverage Begins | 12:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Network | FS1 | FOX |
| Green Flag | About 12:35 p.m. ET | About 3 p.m. ET |
| Stream | FOX One, FOX Sports app, FOXSports.com | FOX One, FOX Sports app, FOXSports.com |
| Radio | IndyCar Radio, SiriusXM 218 | IndyCar Radio, SiriusXM 218 |
Expect a calm, dry Sunday on the Monterey Peninsula for both races. Skies stay clear and temperatures climb toward 70 degrees as the IndyCar field takes the green flag, with west winds building past 15 mph by mid-afternoon, according to the hour-by-hour Laguna Seca forecast. Morning fog burns off well before either race goes green.
| NTT INDYCAR SERIES — OFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey • Round 18 | ||||
| WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca • 2.238 mile(s) • September 6, 2026 • All Dallara chassis • C=Chevy, H=Honda • F=Firestone | ||||
| SP | Car | Driver | C/E/T | Tire |
| 1 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | D/C/F | Alternate |
| 2 | 10 | Alex Palou | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 3 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 4 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | D/C/F | Primary |
| 5 | 12 | David Malukas | D/C/F | Primary |
| 6 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 7 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 8 | 66 | Marcus Armstrong | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 9 | 45 | Louis Foster | D/H/F | Primary |
| 10 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | D/C/F | Alternate |
| 11 | 7 | Christian Lundgaard | D/C/F | Primary |
| 12 | 26 | Will Power | D/H/F | Primary |
| 13 | 47 | Mick Schumacher (R) | D/H/F | Primary |
| 14 | 28 | Marcus Ericsson | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 15 | 6 | Nolan Siegel | D/C/F | Primary |
| 16 | 9 | Scott Dixon | D/H/F | Primary |
| 17 | 21 | Christian Rasmussen | D/C/F | Alternate |
| 18 | 4 | Caio Collet (R) | D/C/F | Primary |
| 19 | 76 | Rinus VeeKay | D/C/F | Alternate |
| 20 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | D/C/F | Alternate |
| 21 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | D/C/F | Primary |
| 22 | 15 | Graham Rahal | D/H/F | Primary |
| 23 | 18 | Romain Grosjean | D/H/F | Alternate |
| 24 | 19 | Dennis Hauger (R) | D/H/F | Primary |
| 25 | 77 | Sting Ray Robb | D/C/F | Alternate |
| (R) = Rookie. Cars 4, 7 and 28 penalized six grid positions (Rule 16.1.6.1.2). Car 14 confirmed on Primary tires (Rule 15.3.3.1.1). D=Dallara | C=Chevy, H=Honda | F=Firestone. Race: Sunday, September 6 • 2:30 PM ET • FOX. | ||||
INDY NXT’s Title Fight Comes Down to Laguna Seca
Nikita Johnson entered the weekend leading Enzo Fittipaldi by three points and Tymek Kucharczyk by 29, with Josh Pierson and Kucharczyk claiming Saturday’s poles for the doubleheader, according to INDYCAR’s official Laguna Seca event coverage. Pierson made the most of his, leading all 35 laps of Race 1 for his first career INDY NXT victory in his 53rd start, while Johnson finished second and stretched his cushion. Fittipaldi crossed eighth.
Kucharczyk salvaged his weekend by claiming his first career pole for Sunday’s Race 2, giving the HMD Motorsports rookie a shot at crashing the title fight. Johnson wins the title simply by staying out of trouble. Pierson is the driver in form after his flag-to-flag runaway. Fittipaldi has to attack from the back to stay alive, and Kucharczyk needs both leaders to fade.
Alex Palou’s Coronation Doesn’t End the Drama at Laguna Seca
Palou wrapped up his championship — his fifth title and fourth in a row — at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 30, according to a FOX Sports report. Pato O’Ward swept that same Milwaukee doubleheader, the first driver to win two IndyCar races in one day since 1981, and arrives chasing the runner-up battle. Palou was fastest before the weekend even got to qualifying, according to RACER’s report on Friday’s practice.
This is Round 18 of 18, the last points-paying race of the year. Behind Palou’s locked-up title, four points separate Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O’Ward for second in the standings, with David Malukas lurking 23 back.
Three of the 25 full-time entries will miss out on a $1.7 million Leaders Circle contract for 2027. Christian Rasmussen has clinched his spot, and Dennis Hauger holds the last guaranteed slot at 223 points. Mick Schumacher trails by 18 and would need a career-best finish, plus a Hauger collapse, to jump the cutoff, according to RACER’s Marshall Pruett, who detailed the stakes.
Sunday is also a goodbye tour. Scott Dixon closes out his run at Chip Ganassi Racing, Felix Rosenqvist wraps up with Meyer Shank, and Christian Lundgaard makes his last start for Arrow McLaren, Pruett reported separately in a follow-up dispatch from Laguna Seca.
How to Watch Both IndyCar Races at Laguna Seca Today: TV, Live Stream, Lineup