While Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou has clinched his fourth straight NTT IndyCar Series championship and fifth overall since 2021, there is still plenty to fight for in Sunday afternoon's 2026 season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
This 95-lap Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile (3.602-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Monterey, California is set to make the 2026 season the first 18-race season since 2014.
With all 24 positions in the full-time driver standings other than P1 still up for grabs, the top battle this weekend ironically still might involve Palou, whom everyone will be aiming to beat at a track that has historically belonged to him. In five Laguna Seca starts, he owns three wins, including back-to-back wins from pole entering the year, along with a runner-up finish and a third place finish.
Palou is surprisingly six points behind Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard, who is set to take a six-position engine penalty, in the five road course races that have been contested so far this year. Both have won two of such races.
This race has been won from pole on four of six occasions since it was reintroduced to the schedule in 2019, but on the other two occasions, it was won from outside of the top 10, including by Palou in 2022 when he won by more than 30 seconds. How crucial will the final qualifying session of 2026 prove to be?
Follow along with our live qualifying updates from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Laguna Seca IndyCar qualifying: Round 1, Group 1 results
1 - David Malukas, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
2 - Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
3 - Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
4 - Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
5 - Louis Foster, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
6 - Kyffin Simpson, No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7 - Pato O'Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
8 - Mick Schumacher, No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
9 - Scott Dixon, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10 - Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
11 - Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
12 - Romain Grosjean, No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Laguna Seca IndyCar qualifying: Round 1, Group 2 results
1 - Alex Palou, No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
2 - Marcus Ericsson, No. 28 Andretti Global Honda
3 - Felix Rosenqvist, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4 - Marcus Armstrong, No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
5 - Caio Collet, No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
6 - Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
7 - Will Power, No. 26 Andretti Global Honda
8 - Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
9 - Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
10 - Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
11 - Graham Rahal, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
12 - Dennis Hauger, No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda
13 - Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Laguna Seca IndyCar qualifying: Round 2 results
1 - Alex Palou, No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
2 - Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
3 - David Malukas, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
4 - Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
5 - Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
6 - Felix Rosenqvist, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7 - Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
8 - Marcus Ericsson, No. 28 Andretti Global Honda
9 - Kyffin Simpson, No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10 - Marcus Armstrong, No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
11 - Louis Foster, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
12 - Caio Collet, No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
Laguna Seca IndyCar qualifying: Firestone Fast Six results
Full Laguna Seca IndyCar starting lineup
Tune in to Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 6 for the live broadcast of the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss any of the action from the 2026 IndyCar season finale!
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