Kiwi pair in IndyCar top 10
Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong are in the top 10 of the IndyCar drivers’ standings after the opening two races of the 2026 season.
McLaughlin, pictured, is the leading New Zealander in the competition and sits third overall with 66 points.
The Team Penske driver started in pole before finishing second in the Grand Prix of St Petersburg at the start of March and then claimed eighth in the Good Ranchers 250 a week later.
Armstrong, driving for Meyer Shank Racing, has 50 points so far and is eighth on the ladder thanks to 11th in the season-opener and fifth spot in the latest contest at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona.
Their compatriot Scott Dixon, a six-time IndyCar Series champion, is in 13th place with 35 points.
He failed to finish at St Petersburg after a rear wheel came off his car following a pit crew mishap but had a better experience on March 8 when he started in 15th place but climbed up to seventh by the finish.
Josef Newgarden won the Good Ranchers 250 and leads the drivers’ standings with 78 points. Kyle Kirkwood is second on 73, while defending champion Alex Palou, Dixon’s Chip Ganassi teammate, is fifth with 59.
Drivers’ standings
1. Josef Newgarden, 78 points
2. Kyle Kirkwood, 73pts
3. Scott McLaughlin, 66pts
4. Pato O’Ward, 63pts
5. Alex Palou, 59pts
Also: 8. Marcus Armstrong, 50pts; 13. Scott Dixon, 35pts
