Alex Palou claimed his fifth IndyCar championship by 86 points after 18 starts, while just 31 points separated Kyle Kirkwood in second from David Malukas in fifth.
Alex Palou closed the 2026 IndyCar season with 631 points, six victories and his fifth series championship, setting a firm statistical benchmark for the field ahead of the next title fight.
The final standings were confirmed after the September 6 finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Kyle Kirkwood took second with 545 points, followed by Christian Lundgaard on 535, Pato O'Ward in fourth on 522 and David Malukas in fifth on 514.
After 18 starts, Palou's advantage over Kirkwood stood at 86 points.
Palou builds the decisive margin
Palou combined six wins with eight poles, 12 top-five results and 15 top-10 finishes. He led 673 laps, the highest total among the championship's leading contenders.
Those victories came on several track types. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver began the season with a win at St. Petersburg on March 1, then followed it with Barber Motorsports Park on March 29 and Long Beach on April 19.
Palou added wins in Detroit on May 31, at Nashville Superspeedway on July 20 and Portland International Raceway on August 9.
Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing have held the Astor Challenge Cup continuously since 2023. Barry Wanser has been the strategist for all five of Palou's championships.
Kirkwood takes the runner-up spot
Kirkwood earned a career-best championship finish by placing second at Laguna Seca. His final record featured two victories, one pole, 10 top-five finishes and 15 top-10 results.
The 2026 runner-up led 220 laps and beat Lundgaard by 10 points. Kirkwood won the Grand Prix of Arlington on March 15 and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D. C., on August 23.
Lundgaard scored 535 points after victories on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 9 and at Road America on June 21. He posted eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10 results.
Second through fifth were separated by just 31 points.
O'Ward tops the pursuers' victory count
O'Ward collected three wins, the best total among the five drivers directly behind Palou. He won at Mid-Ohio on July 5, then swept both Milwaukee Mile races on August 30.
His 522 points left him 13 behind Lundgaard and eight ahead of Malukas. O'Ward finished the year with 10 top-five results, 11 top-10s and 238 laps led, despite taking no poles.
Malukas rounded out the top five without winning a race. He registered nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 results, while leading 282 laps, a higher total than Kirkwood, Lundgaard and O'Ward.
Scott McLaughlin placed sixth with 482 points. Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist and Rinus VeeKay filled the remaining top-10 positions.
McLaughlin ends season with Laguna Seca win
McLaughlin finished the season with a dominant September 6 victory, leading 87 of 95 laps at Laguna Seca. It was his first win since the Milwaukee Mile in September 2024 and ended a 36-race gap between victories.
The Team Penske driver had secured his third pole of the season on September 5, beating Palou by 0.0177 seconds. That result gave Chevrolet its 250th IndyCar pole.
Kirkwood took second in the race, with Alexander Rossi third. McLaughlin received 54 points, Kirkwood 40 and Rossi 36.
Seven drivers split the victories
Seven different drivers won during the 18-race schedule. Palou led the way with six victories, followed by O'Ward with three, while Kirkwood, Lundgaard and Newgarden each collected two.
Ericsson won at Markham on August 16. Rosenqvist took the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, and McLaughlin won the finale.
Dennis Hauger placed 22nd in the standings with 228 points, earning Rookie of the Year honors after winning the 2025 INDY NXT championship.
The next title chase awaits
The final standings set the benchmark for IndyCar's challengers entering the next campaign. Palou won six races, led 673 laps and placed in the top 10 in 15 of 18 starts.
The next championship begins with Kirkwood defending a career-best second place, while Lundgaard, O'Ward and Malukas are separated by only 21 points and Palou starts his pursuit of a sixth Astor Challenge Cup.
