Àlex Palou Claims 2026 IndyCar Championship

Àlex Palou has officially secured the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series championship during an unexpected doubleheader weekend in Milwaukee, which evolved into a partial doubleheader on Sunday.

The 29-year-old from Spain performed well in qualifying for both races but faced an engine penalty in the first race, which began on Saturday.

Unfortunately, rain led to a red flag at the 90-lap mark, and the remainder of the race had to be postponed until Sunday morning.

When Sunday arrived, the track remained too wet, resulting in an unusual schedule for the day: Race 2 would start at noon local time, finish, and then Race 1 would resume later in the afternoon.

Palou, who started in pole position for Race 2—now effectively Race 1.5—finished in fifth place, while Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward clinched the victory.

However, Palou only needed to maintain a championship lead of more than 54 points when Race 1 concluded (again, after Race 2, which is a bit odd), to secure his title with one race still remaining on the schedule.

Playing it safe, Palou navigated the last 160 laps cautiously, ensuring his yellow No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda stayed intact.

He managed to finish tenth in a race won by O’Ward, which is pretty impressive as it meant he accomplished the rare feat of winning two races in one day.

The main takeaway here is Palou built up a substantial points lead, allowing him to earn his fifth career title in six years, marking his fourth consecutive championship.

This is certainly an extraordinary achievement for Palou, who now sits third on the all-time list for career championships, trailing only AJ Foyt with seven and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate for one more weekend, Scott Dixon, who has six.

Even with the championship secured, don’t expect Palou to relax in the season finale. That final race will take place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, one of his preferred tracks.

The race is scheduled to start on September 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET.