IndyCar – McLaughlin Wins Laguna Seca. 2027 Preview?

Posted on 7 September 2026 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on IndyCar - McLaughlin Wins Laguna Seca. 2027 Preview?

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Scott McLaughlin drove his No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet from the pole position to victory by 1.3739 seconds over the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. The win was the eighth of McLaughlin’s IndyCar Series career and his first since 1 September 2024, in the second race of a doubleheader weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, ending a 36-race slump.*

“My little girl [Lucy, born October 2024] hasn’t seen me win yet, and now she has,” McLaughlin said afterwards. “So, Dad’s coming home with a trophy, baby. Let’s go! These guys and girls at Team Penske have stood behind me the whole time. Congrats to Alex (Palou) on his fifth (championship), but we’re working hard to beat them, and today was a big step in the right direction,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin in this race [an 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course- AutoCrat] only trailed during pit stops. McLaughlin led 87 of 95 laps.

This cursory view, however, slights the 2026 Honda season [It 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, the first being Honda’s sweep of all four in 2025 – AutoCrat.]

Kyle Kirkwood led Honda drivers 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 on the journey 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 its 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.

The 2027 NTT IndyCar Series season opens Sunday 7 March on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. It promises another season of intrepid driver and engine maker battles.

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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