Starting on pole has proven to be a good omen for Kyle Kirkwood on the streets of Long Beach.
Kirkwood led a race-high 46 laps and kept defending champion Alex Palou in his rearview mirror to win for the second time in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It’s the Floridian’s third-career victory and second from pole in the iconic street race.
The result ended a 23-race winless streak for Kirkwood, who won twice in the 2023 season with Andretti Global after debuting with AJ Foyt Racing in 2022, but failed to reach victory lane in 2024. It elevated the 26-year-old to second in the standings.
“What a great day,” Kirkwood said. “We controlled the race. Even from practice we felt we were in control. Really good qualifying. Amazing race. Amazing strategy.
“It was just execution all across the board. (That)’s what won us that race here today. Because if Palou was in front, he would have beat us for sure. This was a track position race here today, without any cautions.
How the Long Beach GP unfolded…
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Palou entered Sunday’s race undefeated on the year and did everything in his power to keep the streak alive. The Spaniard snuck by Colton Herta from third in the opening pit sequence and closed up to Kirkwood’s rear wing on lap 65 after pitting one lap earlier on an undercut strategy. But Kirkwood avoided any issues on cold tires and pulled away by 2.6859 seconds over the final stint, forcing Palou to settle for second at race’s end.
“He didn’t make it easy on us,” Kirkwood joked.
With passing a challenge and track position at a premium on the tight California street circuit, the bulk of Sunday’s running order came down to tire strategy and timing of pit stops. The majority of the field started on the softer alternate tire, hoping to pit quickly after passing the mandatory two laps for a stint on each compound. Only six drivers elected to start on primary tires, stopping for alternates in a short middle stint.
Key among those on the alternate strategy was Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard, who rallied from 12th after crashing in qualifying to snag the final spot on the podium. The Dane stayed out until the end of lap 27 on his opening stint, made it to the end of lap 39 on his softs and got on strategy with the other contenders with a final stop on lap 60. He chased down Felix Rosenqvist over the final stint and used a deep lunge to sneak past the Swede for the final podium place with five laps remaining.
Rosenqvist held on for fourth, with Will Power rising from 13th to salvage a top-five in fifth. Scott McLaughlin, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Sting Ray Robb and Kyffin Simpson capped off the top-10.
There were no cautions on the day and all cars reached the checkered flag. The only major issue came for Josef Newgarden, who suffered the same seat belt issue — three times — that ultimately relegated him to last in 27th.
Next up for the IndyCar field is a trip to Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park on May 4, with the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to follow.
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