At 29 years old, Alex Palou has already reached a place in IndyCar history that very few drivers ever will
.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver closed out the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as a five-time champion, adding another title to a remarkable run that has now produced four consecutive championships and five titles in six years.
Palou secured the championship before the season finale, but the final stop at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca provided the perfect stage for the celebration
.
A Season of Consistency
Palou’s 2026 campaign was defined not only by victories, but by consistency.
He finished the season with six wins, eight poles, 12 top-five finishes and 15 top-10s, leading 673 laps across 18 races. He ultimately finished 86 points clear of Kyle Kirkwood in the championship standings.
Those numbers tell only part of the story.
Palou has now joined an elite group of drivers with five or more IndyCar championships. Only A.J. Foyt, with seven, and Scott Dixon, with six, have more.
He is also the second driver in series history to win four consecutive championships, matching the achievement of Sébastien Bourdais from 2004 through 2007.
Laguna Seca
The season ended at one of Palou’s favorite circuits: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course has become closely associated with Palou’s recent dominance. He entered the 2026 finale having won the previous two races there and three of the previous four. (IndyCar (https://www.indycar.com/news/2026/08/08-30-palou-clincher-feature?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
This time, however, it was Scott McLaughlin who took the checkered flag.
Palou finished eighth, but the result mattered little to the championship story. The title had already been secured, and the weekend became a celebration of another extraordinary season.
After the race, Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing celebrated the championship with donuts on the front straight before the presentation of the Astor Challenge Cup
.
Five Titles. And Counting.
Palou’s rise has been remarkably fast.
His five championships came in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, making him the youngest five-time champion in INDYCAR SERIES history.
At Laguna Seca, the championship celebration felt less like the conclusion of a story and more like another chapter in one still being written.
For a driver who has already climbed to third on the all-time championship list, the question is no longer whether Palou belongs among IndyCar’s greats.
It’s how much further he can climb.
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Photography & Story: Anouar M.
The Production Nomad — Independent Sports & Visual Media
San Francisco, California
All photographs © The Production Nomad.