Scott McLaughlin wins at Laguna Seca as Palou celebrates title with Zanardi tribute

Scott McLaughlin ended a 35-race winless run by taking victory at Laguna Seca in the final race of the IndyCar season. The Team Penske driver started from pole and finished ahead of Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood and ECR’s Alexander Rossi.

The win was McLaughlin’s eighth in IndyCar and ended a drought that stretched back to Milwaukee in 2024. It gave the New Zealander a significant finish to the 2026 season after starting the race at the front of the field.

Álex Palou, who had already secured the championship in Milwaukee the previous week, finished eighth for Chip Ganassi Racing. He ended the season with 631 points, 86 ahead of Kirkwood, 96 ahead of Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard and 109 ahead of Mexico’s Pato O’Ward.

Palou used the race to honor Alex Zanardi, the legendary Italian IndyCar driver who died this year. Laguna Seca officially renamed its famous Corkscrew corner “The Zanardi Corkscrew,” while Chip Ganassi Racing restored the historic lightning-bolt design associated with Zanardi on Palou’s car. “We race in memory of Alex Zanardi. We race at Laguna, his place, his corner,” Palou said before the race.

With no championship pressure, Palou was celebrated by his team after climbing from the car and placed his hands on the championship trophy. The race marked both McLaughlin’s return to victory and the season’s tribute to one of IndyCar’s most remembered figures.

“

We race in memory of Alex Zanardi. We race at Laguna, his place, his corner.