Favorites and Sleepers: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Alex Palou has powered Honda to a perfect 5-for-5 record at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the Northern California track in 2019.
This season, Palou has dominated on natural road courses, winning at The Thermal Club (March 23), Barber Motorsports Park (May 4), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (May 10), and Road America (June 22). He also finished second to teammate Scott Dixon at Mid-Ohio on July 6, giving Chip Ganassi Racing a clean sweep on these circuits so far in 2025.
Can anyone dethrone Chip Ganassi Racing in Sunday's Java House Grand Prix of Monterey airing at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network?
Favorites
Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
O'Ward enters the event as arguably the hottest driver in the field, with two wins in his last three starts and nine top-seven finishes in 10 races since May. He has been strong on natural road courses this season. O'Ward qualified on pole and led a race-high 51 of 65 laps in his runner-up finish at The Thermal Club. He also finished runner-up in the Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS, was sixth at Barber Motorsports Park and finished fifth at Mid-Ohio. At Laguna Seca, he has finished fifth, eighth, ninth and eighth, respectively.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
The six-time series champion won at Laguna Seca in 2023 and has two podiums in his last five starts at the track. Dixon has posted top-10 finishes in each of the last six races and is a consistent threat on road courses, with finishes of 10th, 12th, 5th, 9th and first this season.
Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Palou led 48 of 95 laps from the pole in his 2023 Laguna Seca win. He has never finished worse than third at this venue (second in 2021, first in 2022, third in 2023). With four road course wins this season and one runner-up finish, he remains the benchmark.
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
Power (photo) has three top-four finishes in his last five Laguna Seca starts, including seventh last year. On natural road courses in 2025, he has finished in the top six three times.
Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)
Herta dominated the 2019 and 2021 Laguna Seca races from the pole, leading 83 of 90 laps in 2019 and 91 of 95 in 2021. While recent years brought mixed results (11th, 23rd, second), he showed speed last year, leading eight laps from the fourth starting position. In 2025, he has been solid with finishes of fourth (Thermal, Mid-Ohio), seventh (Barber).
Sleepers
Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
Lundgaard has a pair of top-seven finishes in three Laguna Seca starts, and his current car finished third here last year with Alexander Rossi. He has earned three podiums in five natural road course events this season.
Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda)
Despite poor past results at Laguna Seca (best finish: 14th), VeeKay has four top-10 finishes on natural road courses in 2025 and was runner-up last week in Toronto. He has found form with four top-10s in his last six starts.
Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion Honda)
Kirkwood rebounded from early struggles at Laguna Seca to finish fifth last year after qualifying second. He also swept the INDY NXT weekend here in 2021. In 2025, he's been consistently competitive on road courses (eighth, 11th, eighth, fourth and eighth).
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda)
Rosenqvist took pole here in 2023 and owns two top-five finishes at the track. He was second at Road America this year and has four top-10s, two of which top-fives, in five natural road course starts.
Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda)
Armstrong finished eighth here as a rookie and has four top-seven finishes on natural road courses in 2025. He is riding a strong stretch with seven top-10s in his last nine races.
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