LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sunday, April 13, 2025) – Kyle Kirkwood used a superhuman drive Sunday on the streets of Long Beach to prove that Alex Palou is human, after all.

Kirkwood mastered an intriguing contest of tire strategy and speed to win the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach under sunny Southern California skies, ending Palou’s two-race win streak to start the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

SEE: Race Results

Florida native Kirkwood earned his second Long Beach win from the pole in the last three years, driving the No. 27 PreFab Honda of Andretti Global to a 2.6859-second victory over runner-up Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kirkwood also won this race in 2023, his first NTT P1 Award and series victory.

“We controlled the race, even from practice,” Kirkwood said. “Really good qualifying, amazing race, amazing strategy. It was just execution all across the board that won us that race today because if Palou was in front, he would have beat us, for sure. This was a track-position race here today, without any yellows.”

Kirkwood led 46 of 90 laps in the second consecutive caution-free race this season, the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race without a yellow flag on the iconic 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit and its formidable and close concrete walls since 2016.

Christian Lundgaard finished third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet after passing Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing in Turn 1 for the final podium position with five laps remaining. Rosenqvist placed fourth, as the top four finishers in the race also hold the same spots in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings.

Two-time Long Beach winner Will Power rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Reigning series champion Palou, who started third, fell short of becoming the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver to win the first three races of the season since fellow series title winner and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon in 2020. But Palou’s metronomic, fast consistency helped him keep the championship lead, by 34 points over Kirkwood in second.

“You never feel amazing when you finish second, but honestly, the 27 car and Kyle, they were amazing all weekend,” Palou said. “Super fast.

“I tried my chances, but we couldn’t really make it work. I had a really bad start on my side, and that kind of put us on the back foot. But we did the best we could. Amazing to be here second, but hopefully next year we can just improve one step.”

The race quickly became a contest of dueling strategies between the Firestone Firehawk primary and alternate tires. INDYCAR rules require teams to use both tire compounds for at least two laps per race, and many drivers who started on the grippier but less durable alternate tires shed them within the first 10 laps for the more durable primary compound.

Kirkwood and Palou were on the dominant strategy of the race, as Palou pitted after Lap 6 and Kirkwood Lap 7 to get on the black-sidewall tires. It became clear through the next fuel and tire cycles that Kirkwood and Palou were the two fastest drivers on track, as the strategists from each team kept close tabs on each other, ensuring no missed chances to pounce due to changing tactics.

The true flashpoint of the race came on Lap 66. Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 64, taking a final set of Firestone Firehawk primary tires. Kirkwood did the same at the end of Lap 65, and Palou was right on his gearbox on hotter, grippier tires when Kirkwood exited the pits at the start of Lap 66.

But Kirkwood stared down intense pressure on his out lap from Palou, who never got close enough to make a move for the lead.

Kirkwood then took the lead for good on Lap 69 when Kyffin Simpson, one of only six drivers to start the race on primary tires, pitted from the lead in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as he was off-sequence on pit strategy from the drivers who started on the alternate tire. That was the last of nine lead changes today, the most for the INDYCAR SERIES at Long Beach since 2012.

Lundgaard led 26 laps – second to only Kirkwood – despite starting 12th and using the less-popular strategy of starting on primary tires. His strong result came after Arrow McLaren mechanics worked overtime to rebuild his car after Lundgaard crashed Saturday in qualifying.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4 on the natural-terrain road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Results Sunday of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.968-mile streets of Long Beach circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (1) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 90, Running
2. (3) Alex Palou, Honda, 90, Running
3. (12) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 90, Running
4. (4) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 90, Running
5. (13) Will Power, Chevrolet, 90, Running
6. (6) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 90, Running
7. (2) Colton Herta, Honda, 90, Running
8. (14) Scott Dixon, Honda, 90, Running
9. (19) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 90, Running
10. (17) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 90, Running
11. (27) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 90, Running
12. (5) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 90, Running
13. (9) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 90, Running
14. (7) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 90, Running
15. (8) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 90, Running
16. (20) Louis Foster, Honda, 90, Running
17. (10) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 90, Running
18. (24) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 90, Running
19. (25) Rinus VeeKay, Honda, 90, Running
20. (11) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 90, Running
21. (22) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 89, Running
22. (16) Graham Rahal, Honda, 89, Running
23. (18) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 89, Running
24. (23) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 89, Running
25. (21) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 88, Running
26. (26) Jacob Abel, Honda, 88, Running
27. (15) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 88, Running

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 100.395 mph
Time of Race: 01:45:51.2058
Margin of victory: 2.6859 seconds
Cautions: None
Lead changes: 9 among 7 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Kirkwood, Kyle 1 - 6
Armstrong, Marcus 7
Lundgaard, Christian 8 - 27
Dixon, Scott 28 - 29
Kirkwood, Kyle 30 - 34
Lundgaard, Christian 35 - 40
Robb, Sting Ray 41 - 52
Kirkwood, Kyle 53 - 65
Simpson, Kyffin 66 - 68
Kirkwood, Kyle 69 - 90

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Palou 142, Kirkwood 108, Lundgaard 96, Rosenqvist 88, Dixon 86, O'Ward 80, Herta 73, McLaughlin 69, Power 63, Newgarden 58, Rossi 58, Ericsson 55, Ferrucci 51, Armstrong 50, Simpson 48, Veekay 46, Rahal 45, Malukas 42, Rasmussen 40, Robb 39, Daly 32, Shwartzman 30, Siegel 26, Ilott 25, Foster 25, DeFrancesco 24, Abel 17

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Friday, April 11, 2025) – Will Power is back on track after the opening practice for the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, taking the top spot Friday afternoon under sunny Southern California skies.

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Power, also a two-time winner on the streets of Long Beach, led with a top time of 1 minute, 7.3227 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. His top lap came on his final lap of the session when his car carried Firestone’s grippier, faster alternate Firehawk tires.

SEE: Practice Results

"It was pretty good,” Power said. “Definitely determined to get qualifying right. Haven't for the last couple races. Got to work on that. It's going to be really tight.”

Up next on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit is another practice session at 11:30 a.m. ET Saturday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 90-lap race is at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson ended up second overall at 1:07.3503 in the No. 28 Bryant Honda of Andretti Global. 2023 Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood was third at 1:07.3523 in the No. 27 PreFab Honda as Andretti Global put two cars in the top three.

Meyer Shank Racing also enjoyed a strong session, with its two drivers rounding out the top five. Marcus Armstrong was fourth at 1:07.3602 in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda, with 2024 Long Beach pole winner Felix Rosenqvist fifth at 1:07.3875.

As Power said, the race for the pole in the Firestone Fast Six during qualifying tomorrow should be taut and tense. Just .0648 of a second separated the top five drivers today in practice.

Three-time and two-time reigning series champion Alex Palou, who won the first two races of the season, was seventh at 1:07.5306 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The strong outing for Power came after a tough weekend for Team Penske at the last event, The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on March 21-23. Power was the top team finisher, salvaging sixth in a strong drive after qualifying a dismal 21st. Josef Newgarden finished 13th after qualifying 17th, and Scott McLaughlin qualified 25th and finished 27th and last in one of the most challenging events of his career.

Power also had trouble today early in the 80-minute session, divided into three groups, when his rear brakes locked and caused him to spin into a runoff area. He continued without contact.

“I had a bit of an issue with rear brakes,” Power said. “Something weird. I almost crashed twice, but the car is in a reasonable window.”

Power wasn’t the only driver dancing on the limit during the session. A handful of other drivers also went into runoff areas without contact, including Colton Herta in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global and rookie Louis Foster in the No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Pato O’Ward did make left-side contact with the concrete barriers lining the front straightaway after he exited the famous hairpin corner at the end of the lap in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The contact, which came on O’Ward’s sixth lap, bent a left-rear toe link and forced extended repairs in the pits. O’Ward was able to make one shakedown lap at speed after the fix and before the session ended.