Here is the thing about racing momentum: when a machine finally hooks up, the relief is palpable. Scott McLaughlin ended a brutal 36-race winless drought dating back to September 2024 by taking victory Sunday in the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Piloting the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet, McLaughlin put together a stunning late-season charge that included fourth- and second-place finishes at Milwaukee Mile before his triumph in California, landing him second in the final Power Rankings compiled by IndyCar.com staff writer Eric Smith.
At the very peak of the standings, sitting immovable at number one, is Alex Palou. The driver of the No. 10 DHL Lightning Bolt Honda earned his fifth series championship at Milwaukee Mile, bagging his fourth in a row to tie Sebastien Bourdais for the all-time record for consecutive titles. Palou started second in Sunday's 95-lap season finale, but with the title already locked up, his team rolled the dice on strategy. It failed to pay off, leaving him eighth at the flag, though he still wrapped up his campaign with three consecutive top-10 finishes.
The rest of the top ten reads like a battlefield of late-season risers. Kyle Kirkwood climbed to third in the No. 27 Sam's Club Honda after finishing runner-up in the finale, securing his third top-six finish in the final four rounds—including an August 23 win on the streets of Washington—and a career-high second in the championship standings. Christian Lundgaard slotted in fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, closing out 2026 with six consecutive top-10 finishes, five of those in the top six. Lundgaard racked up 10 top-10s in the final 11 races to finish a career-best third in the championship.
Pato O'Ward dropped to fifth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet despite sweeping the Milwaukee weekend for his second and third victories of the year, ending his season with an 11th-place run at Laguna Seca. Right behind him at sixth is David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, who grabbed fifth Sunday for three straight top-fives following a rough patch of 12th, 17th, and 24th finishes. Marcus Ericsson claimed seventh in the No. 28 DKY Foundation Honda courtesy of 12 top-10 finishes this year, stringing together seven straight to close out the schedule for Andretti Global.
The bottom half of the final rankings is packed with sudden surges. Rinus VeeKay landed eighth in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet after starting the home stretch with seventh and third places at Milwaukee Mile, despite slipping to 16th in the Laguna Seca finale. Alexander Rossi bounced back into the top ten at ninth in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, starting fourth and finishing third for his first podium since 2024 at Laguna Seca. Finally, Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top ten at tenth in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, starting third and taking fourth at Laguna Seca for his fifth top-five finish of a season highlighted by his victory in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
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