League One
When we last checked in, there was one race remaining in the regular season and it would set the playoff field, determine the fifth-place teams that would secure a League One spot for next year, set the relegation playoff and determine the final automatic relegation spot.
Washington, D.C. Results
#5 McLaren def. #10 CGR (16-20)
#27 Andretti def. #9 CGR (1-7)
#7 McLaren def. #60 MSR (2-19)
#26 Andretti def. #66 MSR (3-17)
#3 Penske def. #12 Penske (22-24)
#2 Penske def. #4 Foyt (8-9)
#18 Coyne def. #21 ECR (10-14)
#6 McLaren def. #14 Foyt (6-21)
Conference One Standings
#10 Ganassi 11-4
#27 Andretti 11-4
#12 Penske 10-5
#7 McLaren 9-6
#2 Penske 8-7
#26 Andretti 7-8
#6 McLaren 3-12
#21 ECR 2-13
The #10 CGR had clinched the #1 seed in conference thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. Kyle Kirkwood's victory in Washington, D.C. secured the #2 seed. The #12 Penske took third and the #7 McLaren was fourth. The #2 Penske will remain in League One for 2027. The #26 Andretti and #6 McLaren were sent to the relegation playoff. With the #6 McLaren winning in Washington, D.C. combined with the #21 ECR entry losing, the #21 ECR entry was relegated.
Conference Two Standings
#5 McLaren 13-2
#3 Penske 12-3
#60 Meyer Shank 9-6
#18 Coyne 7-8
#9 Ganassi 7-8#66 Meyer Shank 7-8
#14 Foyt 3-11
#4 Foyt 2-12
The #5 McLaren took the #1 seed over the #3 Penske. The #60 MSR entry was locked into the third seed. The nightmare scenario played out for the #66 MSR entry at Washington, D.C. The #66 MSR would miss the playoffs if it lost and the #18 Coyne entry and the #9 CGR entry won, forcing a three-way tie. That happened, and it put the #18 Coyne into the playoffs. The #9 CGR took fifth while the #66 MSR dropped to the relegation playoffs. We already knew the #4 Foyt entry was relegated and the #14 Foyt entry would be in the relegation playoff.
Playoffs
Here is where it gets complicated...
The first two round of the playoffs were slated to take place at the Milwaukee doubleheader. The first race began on Saturday, but it was not the first race to finish that weekend. Due to the rain on Saturday and storms on Sunday morning, the first race's conclusion was delayed until after the scheduled Sunday race, which is a problem.
The Saturday race was scheduled as the quarterfinals. How could the quarterfinals end after the semifinals? We could have taken the results of the Sunday afternoon race and then waited to see the results of the delayed Saturday race. Once the Saturday race was finished, those positions would decide which teams made the semifinals and then the results of the Sunday afternoon race would decide who made the final. It could have been done, but that didn't feel right.
The quarterfinal results would be decided based on the races finishing in chronological order. The fully scheduled race on Sunday afternoon would be the quarterfinals. The concluded race Sunday evening would be the semifinals. That doesn't feel right either because a partially completed race would be deciding a round and some cars were already off the lead lap. There was no correct option, only one that felt the least incorrect. How did that shake out?
Quarterfinals (Milwaukee):
#10 CGR def. #18 Coyne (5-24)
#3 Penske def. #12 Penske (2-4)
#27 Andretti def. #60 MSR (6-20)
#5 McLaren def. #7 McLaren (1-3)
The closest matchups were the ones between teammates. Patricio O'Ward late push to the front decided his matchup against Christian Lundgaard. Scott McLaughlin was able to keep distance between him and David Malukas. Romain Grosjean's early spin put Álex Palou in firm control of their matchup. Grosjean's second spin sealed the deal for Palou. Kyle Kirkwood went forward in the race. Felix Rosenqvist kept slipping backward.
Semifinals (Milwaukee):
#3 Penske def. #10 CGR (4-10)
#5 McLaren def. #27 Andretti (1-15)
The semifinals turned out to be a little less exciting. McLaughlin put distance between himself and Palou while Palou did not have the pace. Clinching the actual championship may have meant Palou was not too concerned with only finishing tenth. Kirkwood did not have the same pace in the resumption of the Saturday race while O'Ward restarted in the lead and spent the entire time in first or second before taking first for good on a late restart.
Final (Laguna Seca):
#3 Penske defeated #5 McLaren (1-11)
McLaughlin started on pole position, he led the most laps, and he won the race. O'Ward was never close to him. The final was a walkover. The title goes to McLaughlin for the first time in his career. I should probably list who has won the past championships.
The first three years of this exercise saw Josef Newgarden and the #2 Penske entry take the title. In 2022, Will Power won it with the #12 Penske entry. Scott Dixon and the #9 CGR team won it in 2023. Kyle Kirkwood and the #27 Andretti entry defeated Dixon and the #9 CGR team the following year. Last season, Álex Palou won the league with the #10 CGR over Dixon and the #9 team. McLaughlin makes its the sixth consecutive different champion.
Relegation Playoff
The same decision was made for the relegation playoff. The first completed Milwaukee race was the relegation playoff semifinals with the second complete Milwaukee race being the final. I considered disregarding the delayed Milwaukee race because there was Laguna Seca and we could have two uninterrupted races decide the relegation playoff instead of having a race that had another race completed in the middle of it.
However, that provision had not been set prior. This is make-believe. I can do whatever I want, but I need to draw a line somewhere. Again, there is no correct option, only a least incorrect option.
Semifinals (Milwaukee)
#14 Foyt def. #26 Andretti (12-14)
#66 MSR def. #6 McLaren (16-17)
Will Power speeding entering the pit lane on his final pit stop not only cost Power a potential race victory, it cost him his head-to-head matchup. Power was looking at being at least on the podium. Santino Ferrucci was not factoring in this race. One mistake secured Ferrucci and the Foyt team into League One. Power and Andretti Global would need to compete one more time.
Neither Marcus Armstrong nor Nolan Siegel had a great Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. Armstrong was only slightly better and it kept the #66 MSR entry in League One.
Final (Milwaukee):
#6 McLaren def. #26 Andretti (13-25)
The funny thing is this might be the most head-to-head matchup we have ever seen in the eight years of this exercise. Power was in control and looking at another top ten, possibly top five finish. Then Power and the leaders made pit stops and were on fresher tires. They caught a slower Siegel, who was on the lead lap but was running long on a stint and on worn tires. Siegel was laps away from a pit stop and falling a lap down.
However, in turns three and four, Siegel was in the way and Power was forced into the marbles attempting to overtake Siegel. Power got into the barrier and his race was over. Siegel continued and that caution meant Siegel got to make his pit stop while on the lead lap. Either way, Siegel clinched the head-to-head matchup and the #6 McLaren remains in League One. Will Power and the #26 Andretti entry are relegated.
League Two
For League Two, the format is a double round robin. The Milwaukee delay did not hurt much, but we followed the same logic as with the playoffs and relegation playoffs. The Milwaukee results were based on chronological order. A month ago, eight of nine teams in League Two could still earn promotion. How did it shake out?
Week #15 (Washington, D.C.) | #20 ECR def. #15 RLLR (12-13) |
#8 Ganassi def. #19 Coyne (5-15) | |
#28 Andretti def. #77 JHR (4-25) | |
#47 RLLR def. #45 RLLR (11-19) | |
Week #16 (Milwaukee) | #76 JHR def. #20 ECR (7-11) |
#8 Ganassi def. #15 RLLR (19-22) | |
#28 Andretti def. #45 RLLR (9-10) | |
#47 RLLR def. #19 Coyne (13-21) | |
Week #17 (Milwaukee) | #20 ECR def. #8 Ganassi (14-16) |
#76 JHR def. #45 RLLR (3-11) | |
#28 Andretti def. #15 RLLR (8-23) | |
#19 Coyne def. #77 JHR (21-22) | |
Week #18 (Laguna Seca) | #8 Ganassi def. #76 JHR (10-16) |
#15 RLLR def. #77 JHR (19-23) | |
#28 Andretti def. #47 RLLR (9-22) | |
#45 RLLR def. #19 Coyne (14-25) |
League Two Standings
#8 Ganassi 11-5
#28 Andretti 11-5
#76 JHR 10-6
#45 RLLR 9-7
#20 ECR 8-8
#15 RLLR 7-9
#77 JHR 6-10
#47 RLLR 5-11
#19 Coyne 5-11
The championship came down to the final day of the season. Three teams were tied at 10-5, and the #8 Ganassi taking on the #76 JHR was effectively the title-decider. A head-to-head win for Kyffin Simpson would clinch the title as the #8 CGR entry owned the head-to-head tiebreaker over the #28 Andretti and Marcus Ericsson. If Rinus VeeKay won in the #76 JHR entry and the #28 Andretti lost, VeeKay and JHR would win League Two. If VeeKay won and Ericsson won his head-to-head matchup, Ericsson would be League Two champion as the #28 Andretti entry held the tiebreaker over the #76 JHR entry.
Simpson defeated VeeKay making Ericsson's result irrelevant though Ericsson did clinch second as he won head-to-head. Those are the three promoted entries as it was clinched after the Milwaukee weekend.
Louis Foster and the #45 RLLR entry fell out of the top three after going 1-3 in the final four weeks. It was a mixture of a poor Washington, D.C. race, partially due to his injuries from his Markham accident a week earlier. Foster drove well at Milwaukee, but he lost to Ericsson in the Sunday afternoon race with Ericsson finishing ninth and Foster in tenth. In the completed race on Sunday eventing, Foster was 11th but drawn against VeeKay, who was third. Sometimes the matchups do not line up for you even on your best days.
What does the league structure tentatively look like for 2027?
2026 League One - Conference One
#10 Ganassi
#5 McLaren
#12 Penske
#2 Penske
#60 Meyer Shank
#8 Ganassi
#66 Meyer Shank
#6 McLaren
2026 League One - Conference Two
#27 Andretti
#7 McLaren
#3 Penske
#28 Andretti
#76 JHR
#9 Ganassi
#14 Foyt
#18 Coyne
2026 League Two
#26 Andretti
#20 ECR
#15 RLLR
#45 RLLR
#21 ECR
#19 Coyne
#24 Dreyer & Reinbold
#4 Foyt
#77 JHR
May I draw your eye to Conference Two because come the fourth race of 2027 we should see a head-to-head matchup nearly a year in the making. The #9 Ganassi entry will see some tough matchups early. Felix Rosenqvist could take on his old team. We would get Palou vs. O'Ward, and one of those matchups would be at the Indianapolis 500. David Malukas would face Josef Newgarden at the Indianapolis 500.
Will Power didn't have the greatest 2026 season, but it looks like League Two could be a walkover for him. That sounds premature for a driver that was relegated, but not when the top three are promoted. Do we think three teams are going to finish better than Power in head-to-head matchups over 16 weeks of competition? League Two was a complete tossup this year. It could be just as a tossup in 2027, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is back to full-time competition, a new wrinkle to this and a new team to root for.
Should there be any shakeups during the offseason, we will cover those come February when we finalize the 2027 league format.
