The 2026 Grand Prix of Monterey odds list Alex Palou at -150 for Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Palou already has the trophy. He clinched his fifth series championship at the Milwaukee Mile with a race to spare, and he heads to a road course where he has won three of the past four IndyCar events. Here is how the 2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey odds look from the chalk down to the long shots.
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey — Time & How to Watch
| Where | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA |
| When | Sunday, September 6 – 2:30 PM ET |
| TV | FOX |
2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey Betting Preview
Laguna Seca measures 2.238 miles across 11 turns, and Sunday’s finale covers 95 laps and 212.61 miles. It is a short, technical road course where qualifying position carries real weight, and the board reflects that. The market has clustered around proven road-course speed.
Palou won here in 2025 and has taken three of the past four IndyCar events at the circuit. INDYCAR’s own season finale preview calls Laguna Seca his best track. Scott Dixon interrupted that run in 2023. Every one of the last four Monterey winners has driven for Chip Ganassi Racing.
With the title settled, the race-week storylines are about second place. Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O’Ward and David Malukas are covered by 23 points, and the first three sit within four points of each other. O’Ward arrives off a Milwaukee sweep, winning both races on the same day for the first time by any IndyCar driver since Rick Mears in 1981. That is why he is priced level with Kirkwood at +850. Lundgaard’s +450 reflects two wins plus a runner-up finish here a year ago.
Palou will run a throwback lightning bolt livery honoring Alex Zanardi on the No. 10 Honda. He was the favorite in Washington, D.C. last month, a race Kirkwood won.
2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alex Palou | -150 |
| Christian Lundgaard | +450 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +850 |
| Pato O’Ward | +850 |
| David Malukas | +1200 |
| Will Power | +1200 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1800 |
| Scott Dixon | +2000 |
| Felix Rosenqvist | +2500 |
| Josef Newgarden | +2500 |
Odds accurate as of Wednesday, September 2, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest IndyCar Odds – Props
2026 Grand Prix of Monterey Odds: Alex Palou -150 Favorite
Palou at -150 is the shortest price on the board by a wide margin. That carries an implied probability near 60 percent, aggressive in a 25-car race, and the market is not hiding its reasoning. Palou won six of the first 17 rounds and finished the Milwaukee weekend on 607 points, 100 clear of Lundgaard. Form, equipment and venue record point the same way.
The case against the price is about margin, not ability. A -150 favorite has to be right three times in five just to break even. Palou has not won since Portland on August 9, and Milwaukee produced finishes of fifth and 10th rather than a statement. He also arrives with the title already banked, which removes the points pressure that shaped his summer.
There is also more depth behind him than the price suggests. Seven different drivers won races in 2026, and Arrow McLaren has two cars inside the championship top four. That does not make Palou a poor favorite. It does explain why a 60 percent implied number asks a great deal of one afternoon.
IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey Odds: Mid-Pack Contenders
Scott McLaughlin (+1800) holds the seventh-shortest price and sits sixth in the championship on 428 points, without a win in 2026. That is the tension the market is pricing. He was second in one of the two Milwaukee races, but a winless season keeps him a tier below the names above him.
Scott Dixon (+2000) is the most interesting mid-board price on the sheet. He is 12th in points on 318 and winless heading into what Chip Ganassi Racing has confirmed is his final start for the team after 25 seasons. He is also the only driver other than Palou to win at Laguna Seca since 2022, taking the 2023 finale here. The market is pricing his 2026 season, not his record at this circuit.
Josef Newgarden (+2500) has two wins in 2026, at Phoenix and Gateway. Both came on ovals. That is the cleanest explanation for a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner sitting 10th on a road-course board while holding seventh in points on 408.
2026 IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey Odds: Long Shots on the Board
Alexander Rossi (+6600) and Graham Rahal (+6600) sit 16th and 15th in the standings on 271 and 291 points. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner and the veteran alongside him carry identical prices, which is where the market stops separating drivers and simply prices the tier.
Dennis Hauger (+15000) leads the 2026 rookie standings into the finale while sitting 22nd overall on 223 points. Rossi and Rahal are prices that shorten if Saturday qualifying goes well, since a front-half grid slot changes the arithmetic here. Hauger at 150-to-1 is a different category — a price built on attrition, not pace.
2026 Grand Prix of Monterey Odds: What to Watch
The shape of this board is unusual for a finale. With the championship settled, the market is pricing a straight race rather than a points scenario. That is part of why Palou sits at a number more often seen on a dominant oval favorite.
Saturday’s qualifying session is the next real input. Prices in the +1800 to +2500 band are the ones most likely to move once the grid is set, and McLaughlin and Dixon are the two to watch.
The fight for second is the other thread. Lundgaard, Kirkwood, O’Ward and Malukas are covered by 23 points, and how those four race will shape the traffic around the leaders. Expect the top of this board to hold firm and the middle to do most of the moving.
IndyCar Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey FAQ: Sunday September 6, 2026
Who is the favorite to win the Grand Prix of Monterey?
Alex Palou is the favorite at -150. The newly crowned five-time IndyCar champion has won three of the past four races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, including the 2025 event, and closed the season on six wins and 607 points.
What are the odds to win the Grand Prix of Monterey?
Alex Palou leads at -150, followed by Christian Lundgaard at +450, Kyle Kirkwood at +850 and Pato O’Ward at +850. David Malukas and Will Power are both +1200, with Scott McLaughlin at +1800 and Scott Dixon at +2000 next on the board.
What time does the Grand Prix of Monterey start?
The green flag is scheduled for 2:30 PM ET on Sunday, September 6, 2026. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey is the 18th and final round of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, and qualifying runs the previous afternoon at Laguna Seca.
What channel is the Grand Prix of Monterey on?
The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey airs on FOX. Sunday’s green flag is set for 2:30 PM ET, and Saturday qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is scheduled for 4:30 PM ET on FS2.
How many laps is the Grand Prix of Monterey?
The race is scheduled for 95 laps of the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course, a total distance of 212.61 miles. The circuit has 11 turns, and the 2025 running covered the same distance.
Who won the Grand Prix of Monterey last year?
Alex Palou won the 2025 Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, with Christian Lundgaard second and Colton Herta third. It was his eighth victory of 2025 and his third career win at the circuit, following 2022 and 2024.