Despite the false hope narrative that continued to be promoted week in, week out, simply because Alex Palou couldn't quite build a million-point lead in the NTT IndyCar Series championship standings, Palou was able to clinch his fifth title (and fourth in a row) during the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader this past weekend.
Whether he did it in the first or the second race (or whichever race was actually classified first or second, following the weather delays) is really immaterial; he owns a 100-point lead over Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard with 54 points left on the table and has now clinched three of his four straight titles before the season finale, after IndyCar had gone 17 straight seasons with the championship battle coming down to the wire.
But the 2026 season is still not over, with Sunday's Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (where Palou, of course, owns three wins, a runner-up finish, and a third place finish) officially set to wrap things up, completing the first 18-race IndyCar season since 2014.
And while the championship battle has been decided, exactly zero of the other 24 spots in the IndyCar standings (among full-time drivers) have been solidified. Here are the five we're watching closest, heading into Sunday's 95-lap race around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile (3.602-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Monterey, California.
2nd place
This one is obvious. Lundgaard is only two points ahead of Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, who is only two points ahead of Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward following his Milwaukee sweep. And O'Ward is only 19 points ahead of David Malukas, who is guaranteed to be Team Penske's top finisher in his first season with the team, regardless of where he finishes from second to fifth.
What a story it would be for Lundgaard to finish second, despite having already been fired by Zak Brown and Tony Kanaan for next year. He is the points leader on road courses this year, for what it's worth, and if that remains true, perhaps the famous saying "it's just business" should be replaced by "it's just craziness". Chip Ganassi has to be smiling from ear to ear.
Marcus Ericsson
Ericsson made it a habit of finishing sixth during his time with Chip Ganassi Racing, doing so each year from 2021 to 2023. After a struggle to begin his Andretti Global tenure in 2024 and 2025 led to rumors that he could be replaced for 2026, a resurgent season has already seen his contract extended through 2027. Unlike McLaren, Andretti actually like to make a habit of rewarding strong performance.
Ericsson finally ended his three-year win drought in Markham, and although he's currently eighth, he's just 21 points out of sixth (Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin). A sixth place finish would mean that he's finished sixth in all four of his winning seasons.
Chip Ganassi Racing
Perhaps nobody talks about Kyffin Simpson as much as they should simply because he's a pay driver who can't constantly be criticized for being a pay driver. As it stands, he's just 11 points behind six-time champion teammate Scott Dixon, and while Dixon hasn't had a season this lackluster since the 2002 CART campaign, you can't ignore Simpson's progress over the past three years.
It would certainly be a nice boost to finish ahead of Dixon as Simpson prepares to become the team's second-longest tenured driver behind Palou, while Dixon prepares to depart for McLaren.
Leaders Circle
The top 22 in the entrant championship are awarded $1.7 million apiece, and while Christian Rasmussen did himself and his No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing team a favor with back-to-back top eight finishes at Milwaukee, the battle for the 22nd spot is still not decided.
Rookie Dennis Hauger, who owns an 18-point lead over Mick Schumacher in the Rookie of the Year standings, is just 13 points behind Rasmussen, and his best finish of the year (eighth) came on a road course at Indianapolis back in May. Rasmussen's is technically higher (seventh at Portland), but that's his only top 18 road course finish all year, and Hauger's average finish is two spots higher (17.8 vs. 19.8).
Alex Palou vs. Christian Lundgaard
Let's get back to that road course points note. Yes, Palou has a 100-point lead over Lundgaard in the standings, and he actually has a 65-point lead in the road and street course standings as well, meaning he's clinched that title for the fourth year in a row also. But looking exclusively at the road courses, Lundgaard is actually six points ahead, and with a slightly better average finish (3.0 vs. 3.4). Both have won twice on natural terrain tracks this year.
Malukas, who recently claimed the oval championship despite not winning a single race, is 50 points behind Lundgaard on road courses, so he's eliminated from this battle as long as both of the other two show up.
Live coverage of the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey is set to be provided by Fox from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 6. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss the 2026 IndyCar season finale!
Add us as a preferred source on Google