Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist second and third in IndyCar season finale qualifying at Laguna Seca

• Newly-minted five-time champion Alex Palou scores front-row start for the final race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season
• Felix Rosenqvist goes P3 in his #60 Nickelback-branded Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Alex Palou scored another front-row start today, as the freshly-crowned, five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion qualified second for the season-ending Mission Grand Prix of Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palou wrapped up his fifth IndyCar title last time out at the Milwaukee Mile, his fourth championship in a row, and now sits third on the all-time champions list for the series. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has three prior wins at Laguna Seca and an impressive average finishing position of 1.6 at the facility. He will be looking to end his season with a seventh win, and fourth victory at Laguna Seca.

Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist will line up third for tomorrow's race. The 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner is looking for his second win of the year.

Currently third in the championship, Kyle Kirkwood is hoping to retake second place in the point standings at season's end. He sits two points behind that goal and qualified seventh for tomorrow's race, but will start sixth following an engine penalty for Christian Lundgaard, the driver Kirkwood is fighting for that second-place position.

Should Kirkwood make it to second place, it would be Honda's third 1-2 in the drivers' championship standings in the last four years.

Honda is also looking for their 12th rookie of the year title in 14 seasons. Currently Dennis Hauger leads his fellow Honda-powered rookie Mick Schumacher in those standings. The two of them qualified 24th and 15th respectively.

Honda already wrapped up the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufactures' championship, the brand's 12th such title.

Mission Grand Prix of Monterey Honda Qualifying Results

R - Rookie

Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified second: "Number two today, but honestly, I'm happy. We were trying to get the pole and we went aggressive with the tires like almost everybody in the Fast Six. It wasn't quite enough but we were really close. I think we have the car and the speed-I'm curious to see what the tires are going to do during the long runs. I'm looking forward to tomorrow to see if we can get another win for Honda. Laguna is a great place for us."

Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) qualified third: "Good qualifying for us. We were in the top three in every session, so I think we would have been disappointed if we didn't end up in the top three at the end of qualifying. It's always tough to get a clean lap here with all the sand and traffic, but we gave it a good try. I missed out a little bit in the Corkscrew-maybe that's where the difference was for pole-but P3 is a good starting point for our Honda."

Where to Watch the Mission Grand Prix of Monterey

• Television coverage of Sunday's Mission Grand Prix of Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will air at 11:30 AM PT / 2:30 PM ET on Fox. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

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