Scott McLaughlin captured the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Sea, lashing a 35‑race win drought after tracking the field through 95 laps in a Team Penske Chevrolet.
The New Zealander started from pole and never faltered, beating Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood by 1.3739 seconds at the finish. Rossi followed in third, posting his first podium since that same track in 2024, while Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist slipped to fourth and Penske’s David Malukas finished fifth.
Race‑Day Incidents Shake the Field
Early on the first lap, rookie Dennis Hauger collided with Robb from Juncos Hollinger; the latter received a ten‑second stop‑and‑hold for avoidable contact. McLaughlin led until the restart on lap 4, where a brief slide left him a foot behind Palou.
Strategic Pit Stops Shape the Lead
On lap 10 McLaughlin was 1.6479 seconds ahead of Palou; both the championship leaders, Dixon and Rasmussen, made their first pit stops changing from hard to softer tires. Rossi, initially on hard tires, assumed the lead by lap 21 but yielded it back to McLaughlin after his own pit on lap 25.
By lap 30 the top five were McLaughlin, Palou, Kirkwood, Rossi, and Malukas. Kirkwood took second on lap 31, and Rossi moved into third. Palou’s switch to softer compound after a pit at the end of that lap kept him within striking distance.
Pit Cycles and Time Management
All top three pitted on lap 44, temporarily handing the lead to Rosenqvist. He retired it the next lap, allowing McLaughlin to re‑claim first by lap 47. From lap 50 onwards McLaughlin’s gap capped at 3.4637 seconds; it never narrowed below three seconds against Kirkwood until the final phases.
With 30 laps remaining, the standings were unchanged. Kirkwood narrowed the gap to 1.6 seconds with 27 laps left, prompting another mass pit on lap 70 that saw McLaughlin retain the front position. The final ten laps saw the second place battle tighten but the winner held a comfortable margin.
Final Leg: No Laps of Fluctuation
Only a single pass occurred in the last six laps, Rosenqvist overtaking Malukas for fourth on lap 85. McLaughlin’s pace never faltered, and he closed the race with a lead of 1.8993 seconds over Kirkwood, who finished second, while Rossi stayed firmly in third.
With the victory, McLaughlin not only broke his two-year win drought but also secured the most victories in a single season for a New Zealander, highlighting the sharpness of Penske’s strategy and the driver’s resilience as the season concluded on the home turf of the California road course.
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