LIVE: IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca lap-by-lap updates and commentary

Nick DeGroot here -- Thank you for following along at Motorsport.com...more post-race coverage to come from Joey Barnes!

Alex Palou ended his fifth IndyCar title campaign with 86-point advantage over Kyle Kirkwood. 

That was pure domination from Scott McLaughlin. 

Palou and McLaughlin out there doing burnouts on the frontstretch together. 

Dennis Hauger hangs on to the ROTY title over Mick Schumacher and Caio Collet

Kirkwood's runner-up finish was enough to secure him second in the championship standings

And with that, the 2026 IndyCar season is complete!

Laguna Seca Indy Car Results:

1. Scott McLaughlin
2. Kyle Kirkwood
3. Alexander Rossi
4. Felix Rosenqvist
5. David Malukas
6. Christian Lundgaard
7. Marcus Armstrong
8. Alex Palou
9. Marcus Ericsson
10. Kyffin Simpson

Malukas and Rosenqvist battling back-and-forth for P4, and it's Rosenqvist who prevails. Rossi is way up the road, though.

McLaughlin is reporting a vibration, no big change in the gaps at this point

Rossi has also shaken Malukas off in the battle for P3.

10 laps remain. McLaughlin leads comfortably, and Kirkwood is dropping behind to about two seconds.

Dixon and VeeKay with a dramatic moment in the corkscrew, and it's Veekay ahead

20 to go! 1.5s between Mclaughlin and Kirkwood

McLaughlin and Rossi on hards, Kirkwood and Malukas on softs

Rossi trying to hang on for what would be his only podium finish this year, but Malukas is breathing down his neck.

McLaughlin has two runner-up finishes this year but no wins. He leads Kirkwood by just over a second at this point

Malukas having a go at Rossi for the final podium spot

No drama there, things still looking good for the Penske No. 3

Suddenly, Kirkwood is eating into that lead, it's down to 1.8s

30 to go: McLaughlin leads by 2.5s over Kirkwood

Final round of stops are closing in. This race has been caution-free since the Lap 1 incident with Robb/Hauger

40 laps to go and Kirkwood is about 2.8s adrift of McLaughlin in the lead

Rossi update:

Hauger looks fairly safe in the ROTY battle, as Schumacher is running outside the top 20. He needs P8 or higher to make a difference.

Palou is back on the leader's strategy, but that extra stop put him down to P11. A very unlike-Palou day for the champion

Messy stop for O'Ward, that'll be costly.

McLaughlin looking great, but there's still another round of stops to go and all it takes is an ill-timed caution to completely change things.

Things are pretty calm out there at the moment as we near another round of pit stops

Rossi is having a great showing today, currently on a podium and closing in on Kirkwood.