Honda secures IndyCar championship sweep, Kyle Kirkwood gets P2 in the drivers’ title fight

• P2 on track for Kyle Kirkwood gives Honda a 1-2 in the drivers' championship
• Dennis Hauger wins rookie of the year title for Honda
• Honda clinched the drivers' and manufacturers' championship the prior race weekend at Milwaukee

Kyle Kirkwood led Honda drivers home at the Mission Grand Prix of Monterey-scoring a second-place finish in the race and securing P2 in the drivers' championship in the final race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

The Andretti Global driver scored two victories on the year en route to his second-place championship finish-winning in two of the inaugural races this season, the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington DC. This is the Floridian's best-ever championship finishing position in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition.

This is the third time in four years Honda has claimed first and second in the drivers' championship.

Honda also completed their sweep of all three championships and the Indy 500 for 2026 by locking up the rookie of the year title with Dennis Hauger for Dale Coyne Racing. This is Honda's 12th rookie of the year title in the last 14 seasons.

Honda wrapped up two NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships going into the final race of the season-clinching both the manufacturers' and drivers' titles last weekend Milwaukee. The manufacturer's Indianapolis 500 triumph came at the hands of Felix Rosenqvist back in May.

This season was the second time since the return of multi-manufacturer competition in 2012 that any engine manufacturer has swept all three championships and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season-with the first being Honda's sweep of all four just last year.

The manufacturers' championship is Honda's 12th and comes 30 years after the company's first titles in 1996. The title is bolstered by 10 victories and 13 pole positions in 18 races-six of those wins coming from newly-minted five-time champion Alex Palou.

Palou clinched his fifth title and fourth consecutive IndyCar championship with one race left to run in the season. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver now sits third on the all-time championship list at just 29 years old.

Elsewhere in the top 10 for Honda today at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca; Rosenqvist came home P4, Marcus Armstrong seventh, Palou eighth, Marcus Ericsson ninth, and Kyffin Simpson P10.

Mission Grand Prix of Monterey Honda Race Results

R - Rookie

Quotes
Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) finished second, secured second in the championship: "It wasn't a Honda win today, but I'm happy to have gotten a solid second place finish for the men and women at Honda and for the crew of the #27 Andretti Global car. It was a good season overall-I'm very happy with how many wins and podiums we got this year. To finish one-two in the championship is great, it's been a big year for Honda. We have a lot of momentum going into the off-season and I'm already looking forward to 2027."

Dennis Hauger (#19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) 2026 IndyCar rookie of the year: "We got the Rookie of the Year title! You can only be crowned that once, so I'm super happy. Big thanks to the Dale Coyne Racing team, to Honda, and to everyone who has supported me along the way this year. It hasn't always been easy, but obviously it couldn't have been that bad since we got the title. I'm just grateful to be here in IndyCar. Cheers to the 2026 season!"

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 2026 IndyCar champion "The last race of the season is done! It wasn't the best race for the #10 car, but we came away with the Astor Cup. It's just incredible to win the championship yet again I cannot thank everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing enough, and thank you to Honda for the amazing power they give us. We had so much speed today, we just didn't really make the best decisions in the race. I cannot wait to celebrate with our partners and everybody at CGR. Let's get ready for next year!"

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, HRC US): "Laguna Seca capped off a remarkable season for Honda and HRC. Congratulations and thank you to all of our Honda-powered teams for their strong qualifying and race performances throughout the weekend.
"Honda presented the manufacturers' championship trophy live on FOX was a special moment and a reminder of how far our sport has come. The continued growth of INDYCAR has been on display this season, with incredible events such as the Indianapolis 500, Arlington, and Washington, D.C.

"Winning a championship takes the collective effort of hundreds of people. We want to thank every associate at HRC, Honda, and our racing partners for their dedication, commitment, and hard work throughout the season."

Next
The Mission Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca is the final race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. See you in St. Pete in March of 2027!

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