Whirlwind, Exciting Season Takes Checkered Sunday at Laguna Seca

Time sure flies at these high speeds.

That’s the scenario the NTT INDYCAR SERIES finds itself heading into the 18th and final race weekend of the season.

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The 2026 campaign began in March with a bang, featuring three races in as many weekends to open the season and a record fourth to end the month. The second of those races was a return to one of the sport’s staples of the past -- Phoenix Raceway -- where the series had raced 64 times but not since 2018.

The season has showcased three new street races (in Arlington, Texas, Markham, Ontario, and Washington), each won by an Andretti Global driver (two by Kyle Kirkwood, one by Marcus Ericsson). The stretch run has been frenetic, with five races in four weekends, including two races on the same day last weekend in Milwaukee.

The scorecard shows Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (photo, top) has won six races and eight poles while clinching his fourth consecutive series championship and fifth in six years. Sebastien Bourdais is the only driver in the sport’s history to have won four titles in a row, and no driver has enjoyed a six-year title run like Palou.

Behind the six wins of Chip Ganassi’s team are the five of Arrow McLaren (three by Pato O’Ward, two by Christian Lundgaard) while Andretti Global has won the three aforementioned street races. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden has won twice (both on ovals), and Felix Rosenqvist earned his first victory in the Indianapolis 500.

So, one race to go. Who rides into the offseason on a high after the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca?

Palou, the Champion Again

Palou hasn’t been able to fully replicate last year’s remarkable success, but this championship is still another for the ages. For example, the Spaniard had a run of five consecutive NTT P1 Awards as the top qualifier, and he pushed his career win total to 25, which is tied with Gordon Johncock for 17th in the sport’s history.

Like last year, Palou clinched the championship ahead of the final race, something that hasn’t been done in more than 20 years.

Palou largely drove conservatively in last weekend’s doubleheader in Milwaukee in an effort to lock up the title, but he figures to be full gas in this 95-lap race (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). With three wins in the past four races, including the past two, at Laguna Seca, he considers this his best track.

Palou also wants to end the season on a high note as this unusual stat will bother him: His current run of four races without a podium finish is his longest since 2024.

Dixon’s Streak on the Line in CGR Finale

Together in this series, Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing have won 58 races and six season championships, and this will be their farewell after 25 years as Dixon moves to Arrow McLaren for the 2027 season.

They have won races as a pairing for 21 consecutive seasons, a mark that is five years longer than Will Power’s total that ranks second. But they need a win Sunday to keep that streak alive. They have 23 seasons with at least one race win, another series record.

Dixon’s point total ranks 12th, and if he finishes there it will stand as his lowest since 2005 when he finished 13th. He has finished outside the top 10 in 10 of the past 11 races and hasn’t had a top-five finish since finishing third in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19. The last time he went winless in a season was 2004.

Dixon (photo, above) has reason to be optimistic about this weekend as he finished fifth last year on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course and won the 2023 race. He and Palou are the only two drivers in this 25-car field to visit victory lane in this series at this track.

Four Aiming for No. 2 in Standings

Finishing second to Palou might only be important to the competitors involved, but here’s a reason to pay attention: Two of the challengers drive for Arrow McLaren, and one of those wasn’t re-signed for 2027.

Lundgaard is the driver who is leaving Arrow McLaren after Sunday’s race, and he holds a two-point advantage on Kirkwood and a four-point advantage on O’Ward, who has been retained by Arrow McLaren.

Lundgaard (photo, above) hasn’t made a spectacle of this competition but be sure he is driven to finish as the team’s top scorer. He also would like to have his third win of the season to match the number posted by O’Ward.

Team Penske’s David Malukas is fifth in the standings and could vault to No. 2, where he resided as recently as the days leading into the Washington race. But he trails Lundgaard by 23 points, and that might be too much to overcome given that Kirkwood and O’Ward also stand in his way.

O’Ward finished second to Palou last season in the standings.

Rookie Title Up for Grabs

Palou might have the overall championship secured, but the Rookie of the Year Award is still being contested.

All three drivers remain mathematically eligible for the crown, although Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger, who won last year’s INDY NXT by Firestone championship, is in an enviable position. He leads Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Mick Schumacher by 18 points and AJ Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet by 30 points.

Hauger (photo, above) and Collet finished 1-2 in last year’s INDY NXT by Firestone standings.

Who Needs a Win the Most?

Malukas likely tops this category as he remains winless despite six career runner-up finishes, including one of this season’s four in last weekend’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 at Milwaukee. He also finished second in this year’s “500.”

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin also earned a second-place finish in last weekend’s Milwaukee doubleheader, and he is looking for his first race win since the second Milwaukee race in 2024. Malukas, McLaughlin and Newgarden are fifth, sixth and seventh in the standings and might end up that way. McLaughlin holds a 20-point advantage on Newgarden, a two-time race winner this season. One of them is going to finish third among the team’s three drivers.

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay is all but assured of posting his highest standings finish, and he would like to hold onto his current position (10th). He leads Andretti Global’s Power by 13 points. VeeKay, who has twice finished 12th in the standings, could overtake Rosenqvist if he outscores him by 16 points at Laguna Seca. Regardless of where VeeKay finishes, it will be the highest finish for a JHR driver after Callum Ilott was 16th in 2023.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson has quietly delivered his best season and, believe it or not, could finish ahead of Dixon in the standings. Simpson (photo, above) enters the weekend trailing his legendary teammate by 11 points in a battle for 12th.

The action begins at 5 p.m. ET Friday with the first practice. The second practice is set for 1 p.m. ET Saturday, with qualifying for the NTT P1 Award following at 4:30 p.m. ET and a final practice at 8 p.m. ET. All those sessions will air live on FS2.