Alex Palou Wins Fifth IndyCar Title: How the 2026 Season Ended
Alex Palou won his fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship in 2026, including a record-tying fourth in a row. He drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, and the team called 2026 its record 18th IndyCar championship season. This recap covers how the 2026 IndyCar season ended, the final standings and what Palou’s numbers say about the year.
How the season finished
The season ended on Sunday, September 6, with the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California. Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske won that race. He started from pole and led 87 of the 95 laps, taking his first win of 2026. Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global finished second, 1.3739 seconds behind. Alexander Rossi of Ed Carpenter Racing took third for his first podium of the year.
Palou finished eighth. The result did not matter for the title, because he had already clinched his fourth consecutive championship before the finale. It was the second year in a row he secured the title early.
Alex Palou’s 2026 numbers
Palou won the championship by 86 points. Across the 18 races he took six wins, 12 top-five finishes and 15 top-10 finishes. Those totals show how rarely he had a bad day. A driver who finishes in the top 10 in 15 of 18 races leaves little room for rivals, even when they win individual races.
IndyCar 2026 final standings: top five
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global |
| 3 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren |
| 4 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren |
| 5 | David Malukas | Team Penske |
Kirkwood overtook Lundgaard for second place in the finale. Lundgaard completed every lap of the season, a measure of how consistent the Arrow McLaren driver was.
The Laguna Seca finale
Laguna Seca is a road course with 11 turns and a lap length of 2.238 miles. The race ran 95 laps. Felix Rosenqvist finished fourth for Meyer Shank Racing, and David Malukas was fifth for Team Penske. The finale was also Scott Dixon’s last race with Chip Ganassi Racing. He finished 17th.
Why this title matters
IndyCar crowns its champion on points across a season that mixes road courses, street circuits and ovals. A driver has to be quick on all three. Four titles in a row shows how consistent Palou has been across those very different tracks. For a look at the oval side of the series, see our Indianapolis Motor Speedway guide, and for how oval racing differs from short tracks, read short tracks versus superspeedways.
Other 2026 IndyCar champions and awards
Chip Ganassi Racing was honored as the reigning championship team owner. Honda and Honda Racing Corporation USA won the manufacturers’ championship. Dennis Hauger of Dale Coyne Racing won Rookie of the Year. In the INDY NXT by Firestone ladder series, Nikita Johnson won the championship and became the series’ youngest champion, at 18. Palou received the Astor Challenge Cup at the Victory Lap celebration in Pebble Beach, California.
What to know if you are new to IndyCar
The series races on a wide range of tracks, from the 2.5 mile oval at Indianapolis to twisting road courses like Laguna Seca. Start with our IndyCar section for guides and race coverage as the offseason begins.
Alex Palou: frequently asked questions
How many IndyCar championships does Alex Palou have?
Five, including a record-tying fourth in a row in 2026.
Who won the 2026 IndyCar season finale?
Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske won the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca.
How many races did Palou win in 2026?
Six wins in 18 races, with 12 top-five finishes.
Who finished second in the 2026 IndyCar standings?
Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global.
The details in this article come from IndyCar’s victory lap report and IndyCar’s race recap.
