Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
At the final practice session before the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale in Monterey, Scott McLaughlin posted the quickest lap while defending champion Álex Palou finished third and Pato O'Ward lost ground in his fight for second place in the championship.
During second free practice for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) set the session's best time of 1:10.3014 and bumped defending Friday pacesetter Álex Palou down to third. The session, delayed due to a serious incident in the Porsche Sprint Challenge at the famous Corkscrew, brought several significant shifts in the field order ahead of Saturday afternoon's qualifying.
Late Start Following Corkscrew Crash
Before INDYCAR drivers could even hit the track, a support series incident created complications. A Porsche Sprint Challenge car went off at the Corkscrew, the very section the track had just officially renamed in honor of Alex Zanardi on Friday, causing significant damage to the catch fencing and tire barriers in that area.
The repair work extended longer than expected, pushing back the start of Free Practice 2. For the teams, this meant less time on the stopwatch to fine-tune long-run data and qualifying setups before the Firestone Fast Six later that afternoon, an issue that added even more pressure to an already compact but intense session.
McLaughlin Leads, Palou Only Third
After Álex Palou had clearly dominated first practice with a 1:09.8994, the newly crowned five-time champion was over half a second slower in the second session, dropping to third with a 1:10.5575. Scott McLaughlin, meanwhile, found his rhythm and improved from fourth in the first session to the top of the timing sheet.
Felix Rosenqvist continued his strong form from Friday and held second place in second practice with a 1:10.5433, just 0.242 seconds behind McLaughlin. For the Swede, running in what amounts to his final outing for Meyer Shank Racing this weekend, that consistency across both sessions suggests the car has the pace on Monterey's road course, even though the outright best lap ultimately eluded him.
Big Moves in the Midfield
A notable development came courtesy of Will Power, who jumped from twentieth place in first practice all the way up to fifth, just 0.278 seconds behind McLaughlin. David Malukas also made a significant leap into fourth after sitting eighth on Friday. Mick Schumacher rounded out the top six and continued his upward trajectory, coming not long after news of his 2027 move to Meyer Shank Racing became official.
Josef Newgarden, who had to exit early from first practice following an incident, returned to solid form in the second session with twelfth place. Santino Ferrucci, who also ran off track on Friday, completed his laps on Saturday without further drama, though he ended up twenty-first on the time sheet.
O'Ward Loses Ground in Championship Fight for Second
With the championship already decided in Álex Palou's favor, Monterey's battle focuses on second place in the final standings between Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O'Ward, and David Malukas. In second practice, O'Ward, who carried momentum from his Milwaukee double-header, dropped from third in the first session to seventeenth, more than three tenths slower than rival Lundgaard, who posted the ninth-best time and settled into the midfield.
Kyle Kirkwood, on the other hand, reinforced his strong form with seventh place, running well clear of O'Ward in terms of direct comparison heading into qualifying. Complicating matters further, both Arrow McLaren and A.J. Foyt Enterprises face starting grid penalties due to unauthorized engine changes after the Milwaukee double-header, which adds another layer of complexity to the championship battle for second. How this practice form translates through the Firestone Fast Six and ultimately to Sunday's 95-lap race could well determine the season finale's outcome.
