Scott McLaughlin hopes to close 2026 with a victory. (Photo: Chris Owens | Penske Entertainment)
MONTEREY, Calif. – Scott McLaughlin denied Alex Palou the final NTT P1 Award of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, as the Team Penske driver will lead the grid to the green flag at the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The New Zealander was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to overtake Palou’s provisional pole time, with a lap time of 1:09.136. This marks McLaughlin’s third pole position of the year and Chevrolet’s 250th pole position in IndyCar history.
McLaughlin's Pole-Winning Lap
McLaughlin hopes to end 2026 on a high note in Sunday’s race after the team’s recent performance on road courses. Team Penske has not won on a road course this season, with their last road-course win coming at Portland International Raceway in 2025 with Will Power.
However, McLaughlin noted in the post-race press conference how the No. 3 DEX Chevrolet put themselves in the position to potentially end the road-course drought.
“Yeah, I felt like from the jump this weekend, we’ve come with a philosophy we’ve been working on the last, I don’t know, four months or something like that, basically since our Mid-Ohio test,” McLaughlin said. “Been feeling better and better. Put it all together today.”
The 33-year-old complimented his engineer, Raul Prados, and the relationship they have been building this season. Prados joined the No. 3 team this season after Ben Bretzman’s promotion to Engineering Manager of Competition. After Prados moved into the role, he has been able to build up their relationship to fight for pole positions and wins.
“Really proud of Raul, my engineer,” McLaughlin said. “We’ve been clicking. I’ve been saying it. It just feels really good right now. Really proud for him and the team.”
A leg up for Team Penske
Overall, Scott McLaughlin was proud of the work that he, the No. 3 team and Team Penske have put in to start on pole at Laguna Seca. The 33-year-old hopes this achievement leads to consistent results for the rest of the weekend and the 2027 season.
“Proud for Chevrolet,” McLaughlin said. “That’s fantastic. To be the guy that’s won 249 and 250 as well. We’ve had some good times together, for sure. Here’s to many more.
“Really proud. Felt like a lot of hard work. It’s been hard the last couple years, especially on road courses, not only for me but the team. I feel like we’re really starting to just find a bit of direction. We’ve got a long way to go to be consistent week in, week out as well. We’re working hard. Really proud.”
Drivers will take on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the renamed Zanardi Corkscrew for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey in the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series finale. Coverage starts Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.