IndyCar at Laguna Seca: Schedule, Predictions and How to Watch

IndyCar’s longest stretch of races comes to a close this weekend with the annual visit to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Here’s everything you need to know before the cars hit the track.

IndyCar Round 14: Laguna Seca Preview and Predictions

After the trip up to Toronto, IndyCar makes its way back down south to the iconic and challenging Laguna Seca road course for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey.

Pato O’Ward is coming in hot, winning two of the past three races, Race 1 in Iowa and last weekend on the streets of Toronto. In the process, O’Ward was able to bring the championship points gap to 99. Will O’Ward’s hot streak continue and bring him even closer to Alex Palou, or could Palou’s success here solidify his championship title?

Race Preview:

Laguna Seca always brings an entertaining and challenging race. This is truly a driver’s track. It requires precision, rhythm, and bravery, particularly through the Corkscrew and Turn 6. Mistakes are costly due to limited runoff areas and dusty surfaces. The natural sand and dirt around the track can make the surface slippery. Drivers often struggle for grip, especially offline, so overtaking requires risk.

Different strategies will also be on display. Based on projected fuel mileage and tire efficiency, this is expected to be a three-stop race with some teams possibly making four stops, given the short amount of time lost on pit road.

The Track- Laguna Seca:

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a tough 2.238-mile (3.602 km) road course with 11 turns, including the well-known “Corkscrew”.

A lap at Laguna Seca begins on the main straight, leading into a downhill kink that directs drivers into the Andretti Hairpin, a crucial overtaking point.

Next, drivers navigate a set of 90-degree right turns at Turns 3 and 4, followed by Turns 5 and 6, which are two 90-degree left turns. After exiting Turn 6, drivers accelerate onto the Rahal Straight, which takes them into the notorious Corkscrew, a chicane with a 59-foot (18 m) drop—the equivalent of a 5½ story building—in a matter of seconds that leads into turn 9

To complete the lap, drivers maneuver around the right kink of Turn 10, then take a left at Turn 11, bringing them back onto the main straight.

Drivers to Watch:

Alex Palou

Given Palou’s performance thus far, it’s easy to put him as a driver to watch every race this season because he’s just so good everywhere. He’s especially good at Laguna Seca, so I couldn’t help but put him on the list. Palou has finished on the podium in all four of his IndyCar starts at Laguna Seca: a second in 2021, a third in 2023, and wins in 2022 and 2024.

Palou can virtually clinch his third consecutive series title and fourth in five years by scoring the maximum number of points this weekend, coupled with a low finish by O’Ward. Based on history, it should be a shoo-in for the win, but as we learned last week with Pato winning on one of McLaren’s worst tracks, track record doesn’t matter all the time.

Read More: Chip Ganassi Gets a 1-2 Finish at Race 2 at Iowa Speedway

Colton Herta

Herta is still winless in 2025, and based on his performances last weekend in practice and qualifying, Toronto seemed like the place to do it, but ultimately it ended up slipping away from him. Coming into Laguna Seca, this is a track where he’s seen success, especially in the 2019 and 2021 Laguna Seca races, where he dominated from the pole, leading 83 of 90 laps in 2019 and 91 of 95 in 2021.

In recent years, the races have 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 at Thermal and Mid-Ohio, and a seventh at Barber.

How to Watch IndyCar at Laguna Seca:

Last Word On Motorsports will have all the updates from IndyCar’s weekend at Laguna Seca

Main Photo: James Black, Penske Entertainment

Recording Date: June 24, 2024