From IndyCar:
| Race weekend: Friday, Sept. 4-Sunday, Sept. 6 Track: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, an 11-turn, 2.238-mile permanent road course in Monterey, California Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey: 95 laps / 212.61 miles | INDY NXT by Firestone: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1: 35 laps / 78.33 miles / 55 minutes; INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 2: 30 laps / 67.14 miles / 50 minutes (each race) Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 150 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 65 seconds of total time. Hybrid energy deployment parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 350 kilojoules (kJ) per lap. Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, five sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver. | INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the Portland event may be used during Friday’s practice sessions. X: @WeatherTechRcwy, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR Instagram: @weathertechraceway, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT Facebook: @WeatherTechRaceway, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR TikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR YouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.weathertechraceway.com INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com 2025 race winners:NTT INDYCAR SERIESAlex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) INDY NXT by Firestone Race 1: Caio Collet (No. 76 HMD Motorsports) Race 2: Caio Collet (No. 76 HMD Motorsports) 2025 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), 1:08.3413, 117.891 mph 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winners:Race 1: Caio Collet (No. 76 HMD Motorsports), 1:13.2566, 109.981 mph Race 2: Caio Collet (No. 76 HMD Motorsports), 1:13.3283, 109.873 mph Qualifying records: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Christian Lundgaard, 1:06.4610, 121.226 mph, Sept. 9, 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone Christian Rasmussen, 1:11.7225, 112.333 mph, Sept. 9, 2023 FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Practice 1, 5 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, 1 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Final Practice, 8 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Pre-Race Show, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, FOX (live); Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. A Spanish-language telecast will be available on FOX Deportes. | INDY NXT by Firestone: Practice 1, 4 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, 6:30 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Race 1, 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Race 2, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone alongside analyst Jack Harvey. Georgia Henneberry is the pit reporter. INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman is the turn announcer. Michael Young, Alex Wollf and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey race (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday) can be heard live on network affiliates nationwide. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, NTT P1 Award Qualifying (4:30 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices also air live on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 190, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All INDY NXT by Firestone practices, qualifying sessions and races are available on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 190, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times local): Friday, Sept. 4 1-1:25 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, FS2 (Live) 2-3:20 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (40 minutes for all cars, followed by two groups for 12 minutes each), FS2 (Live)3:35-4 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, FS2 (Live) Saturday, Sept. 5 10:05-11:25 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (40 minutes for all cars, followed by two groups for 12 minutes each), FS2 (Live) Noon-12:30 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 10 minutes each / Fastest lap determines the lineup for Race 1, second fastest lap determines the lineup for Race 2), FS2 (Live) 1:35 p.m. – Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS2 (Live) 3:31 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 “Drivers, Start Your Engines” 3:38 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 (35 laps / 78.33 miles / 55 minutes), FS2 (Live)5: 10-5:40 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, FS2 (Live) Sunday, Sept. 6 9:31 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 2 “Drivers, Start Your Engines” 9:38 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 2 (30 laps / 67.14 miles / 50 minutes), FS1 (Live) 11:30 a.m. – FOX on air 11:58 a.m. – Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey “Drivers, Start Your Engines” 12:05 p.m. – Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey (95 laps/212.61 miles), FOX (Live) Race Notes:Alex Palou became the second driver to win four consecutive INDYCAR SERIES championships when he clinched his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES crown on Aug. 30 at the Milwaukee Mile.The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will be the 29th INDYCAR SERIES race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca but just the sixth since 2004. Teo Fabi won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in 1983. Alex Palou has won the last two races at the track in 2024 and 2025.Scott Dixon and Alex Palou are the only former winners entered in this year’s race. Team Penske has won six times at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Penske’s winning drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988, 1990), Rick Mears (1989), Paul Tracy (1993, 1994) and Helio Castroneves (2000). Chip Ganassi Racing also has six wins with Alex Palou (2022, 2024, 2025), Scott Dixon (2023), Alex Zanardi (1996) and Jimmy Vasser (1997). Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has three wins with Bryan Herta (1998, 1999) and Max Papis (2001). Twenty-two drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Scott Dixon has eight starts, most among the entered drivers. Nine entered drivers have led laps at the track: Alex Palou 250, Kyle Kirkwood 24, Will Power 23, Dixon 22, Pato O’Ward 15, Felix Rosenqvist 11, Nolan Siegel 11, Alexander Rossi 10 and Josef Newgarden 10. Rookies Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Mick Schumacher will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time this weekend. Collet swept the INDY NXT by Firestone doubleheader last season at Laguna Seca.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 375th consecutive start, extending his record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 275th consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 236th consecutive start and the 250th start of his career…Dixon can also extend his series record to 437 career starts with a start on Sunday INDY NXT by Firestone notes: The INDY NXT by Firestone title fight heads west for a doubleheader championship finale as the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey hits the track on Saturday and Sunday. There are six drivers mathematically eligible for the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone championship: Nikita Johnson, Enzo Fittipaldi, Tymek Kucharczyk, Max Taylor, Lochie Hughes and Alessandro de Tullio. Johnson, a rookie from St. Petersburg, Florida, leads Fittipaldi, a rookie from Brazil and grandson of former INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, by three points entering the weekend. Poland’s Kucharczyk is 29 points behind the lead with Taylor 77 points back. The ultra-competitive 2026 season has seen nine winners in 15 races and 12 different drivers finish on the podium.The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader will be the series’ 33rd and 34th races at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. Previous INDY NXT by Firestone winners at Laguna Seca include Bryan Herta, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Tony Kanaan, Cristiano da Matta, Scott Dixon, Townsend Bell, Spencer Pigot, Rinus VeeKay, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Rasmussen and Louis Foster. Current NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Caio Collet swept the Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader in 2025. |
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 