Dale Coyne Racing wins IndyCar’s final Leaders Circle contract

The race for the 22nd and final IndyCar Series Leaders Circle contract worth $1.7 million was won by Dale Coyne Racing in the strangest of circumstances.

With the Leaders Circle program provisioning $1.7 million payouts to the top 22 in the entrants’ standings for next season, the 25-car field started Sunday’s 95-lap Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey with Coyne’s No. 19 Honda driven by Dennis Hauger holding 22nd ahead of the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda of Mick Schumacher in 23rd, AJ Foyt Racing’s No. 4 Chevy driven by Caio Collet in 24th, and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s No. 77 driven by Sting Ray Robb deep in 25th.

Robb made life miserable for Coyne and Hauger after spearing the back of the No. 19 car on the opening lap, which fired Hauger into the wall and out of the race in 25th place. The ensuing penalty – a stop and 10-second hold – ensured Robb was out of contention. He finished 23rd in the race and his Juncos Hollinger team claimed last in the Leaders Circle race. Foyt’s Collet also struggled to capitalize on Hauger’s misfortune and finished 20th at Monterey, which left the No. 4 car out of the $1.7 million race as well.

And RLL’s Schumacher, who ran well to start the day, had an issue that relegated RLL’s No. 47 to 22nd in the race and one spot on the wrong side of the Leaders Circle cutoff line. It meant that Hauger, who failed to complete a single lap, had done enough in the 17 races leading up to Laguna Seca to deliver a big payday for Coyne after his entry missed out on receiving a contract in 2025.