Kiwi Scott McLaughlin has ended a long winless streak in the 2026 Indycar Series, dominating the Grand Prix of Monterey for his first victory in more than two years.
Pole sitter McLaughlin drove the Team Penske Chevrolet to victory by 1.3739 seconds from Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. The win was the eighth of McLaughlin’s Indycar career and his first since Sept. 1, 2024, in the second race of a doubleheader weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, bringing the 2026 championship to a close.
“My little girl (Lucy, born in October 2024) hasn’t seen me win yet, and now she has. So, Dad’s coming home with a trophy, baby. Let’s go!” McLaughlin said.
“These guys and girls at Team Penske have stood behind me the whole time. Congrats to Alex (Palou) on his fifth (championship), but we’re working hard to beat them, and today was a big step in the right direction.”
Alexander Rossi finished third in the ECR Chevrolet for his first podium finish since placing third at this event for Arrow McLaren in June 2024.
McLaughlin was dominant from flag to flag on the 11-turn, 3.601km road course. He only trailed during pit stop sequences and led 87 of 95 laps.
There was only one caution period in the race, for a first-lap incident in which Sting Ray Robb’s Juncos Hollinger Racing – Goodheart Chevrolet hit the rear of Dennis Hauger’s Dale Coyne Racing Honda in turn six, sending Hauger spinning into the tire barrier.
McLaughlin had no problem pulling away from the field on the restart on lap four, and his precise driving and Team Penske’s clean, quick work during three pit stops took care of the rest.
“We had to be solid. That’s what it’s going to take to win a championship. What a great warmup we’ve had. Bring on 2027.”
Kirkwood, who started sixth, had climbed to second place by lap 20 after Palou pitted to switch to a different tyre strategy. Kirkwood then shadowed McLaughlin for the rest of the race, pitting at the same time as McLaughlin on all three stops. McLaughlin’s lead was nearly four seconds at the halfway point, but Kirkwood pulled as close as 1.2 seconds on lap 72 due to running his final stint on the faster but less-durable Firestone Firehawk alternate tire.
But McLaughlin eased away in the closing laps on the more durable Firestone primary tire, as Kirkwood took a safety-first approach to ensure he would finish a career-best second in the championship standings. Kirkwood ended up 86 points behind champion Palou.
“Second in the championship, and that’s my best road-course finish. We just played it super clean, super methodical. I wish I could have had a go at Scotty there at the end on the better tires, but we knew who we were fighting, and that was for the championship, mostly. So, we played it safe there. Second place is best of the rest,” Kirkwood said.
