The Final Race Day- More than a Season Ends

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2 30 pm Eastern on FOX, Green flag at 3:06 pm Eastern

Welcome to the final race day of the 2026 IndyCar season. As usual the season ends much too early. In addition to the end of the season, two, possibly hree4 streaks may end today. Scott Dixon’s streak of 21 consecutive seasons with at least one victory will end, as Will Power’s 12 year win a season run. Scott McLaughlin starts on pole with a good chance to end his 35 race non winning stretch.

Today also marks the end of Scott6 Dixon’s 25 years at Chip Ganassi Racing. It was a generation of championships, wins, and excellent race craft. Alex Palou’s current run is amazing, and Palou is a generational talent, but I don’t see the finesse and craftsmanship that Dixdon has shown yet. He is getting there, though.

Race for First in Class– Who will take second place in the standings? If none of the drivers involved change starting positions, Kyle Kirkwood would take the runner-up spot. I’m sure Christian Lundgaard will move through the field, and Pato O’Ward wants to win three in a row. The spot will come dow3n to pit stops.

I’m always sad to see the season end, but I will enjoy today’s final race. The offseason should be quite busy with testing of the IR-28 which starts Wednesday. 2027 will seem like a long year.

I still look for Palou to win today’s race, putting an exclamation point on his fifth championship.

McLaughlin Edges Palou for Season’s Final Pole

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Scott McLaughlin had been hanging around near the front of the grid during the second half of the season, and today he finally broke through to capture the pole for the IndyCar season finale. He will lead the field to the green flag tomorrow hoping to break a 36 race winless streak.

“Since the thing left the hauler, this thing has been unreal,” McLaughlin said. “So stoked for Chevy to get the 250th pole, but I’ve got to try and transition this into a win. Really proud of everyone.

“We were a little bit lost there for a little bit, but to finally get back a little pace on road courses, which we’ve been a little bit lost, I’m really proud of Raul (Prados, race engineer) and the team.”

McLaughlin’s final lap was 0.0177 seconds better than the last circuit by five time series champion Alex Palou. who will start second.

Among the contenders for second place in the standings David Malukas- the longest shot for runner-up- starts fifth, Kyle Kirkwood line up sixth, Christian Lundgaard rolls off 11th after a penalty, and Pato O’Ward will try to advance from 12th.

Results

Signings: Schumacher to MSR; Daly to DRR

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Two teams announced additions to their 2027 lineups at the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca the past two days.

Neither was a huge surprise.

On Friday Meyer Shank Raving confirmed that Mick Schumacher will drive the number 66 car, teaming with Marcus Armstrong. Schumacxher drove for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2026. He struggled on road and street courses, but seemed to adapt to ovals very quickly. He has a best finish of 9th place.

This afternoon at the conclusion of practice 2, new team Dreyer and Reinbold officially named Conor Daly to drive their entry in 2027 and beyond. The team also announced that they will use Honda power, a departure from the Chevy that powered the cars in their Indianapolis 500 entries the past few years. No number was announced for the car.

Daly drove for DRR in the 11th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. He was in contention for the win until the last segment of the race.

Ironically, both announcements have ties to RLL. Schumacher drove the car that RLL essentially sold the charter for to DRR.

Practice 2 Results- Laguna Seca

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Practice was shortened to a 25 minute all car session due to fence repair in the Corkscrew. A horrific crash in the Porsche race early in the morning caused the accident. Several feet of fencing had to be replaced.

Late word about the Porsche driver:

Results:

Practice is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm Eastern time.

I will have a post about driver signings up in a few minutes.

 INDYCAR Officiating AnnouncesWeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Grid Penalties 

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From IndyCar Officiating:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 4, 2026) – INDYCAR Officiating has announced six-position starting grid penalties for the entries of No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises and No. 7 Arrow McLaren for unapproved engine changes following the two races at the Milwaukee Mile Sunday, Aug. 30.

The entries were in violation of:

Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Approved Engine Change-Out if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine Change-Out.

According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Sunday, Sept. 6.