Kirkwood vaults to another Long Beach victory

The 50th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach saw polesitter Kyle Kirkwood lead the field of 27 drivers and 11 teams with ease to score his third career IndyCar Series victory and second at the home track for Honda Racing Corporation U.S.

Andretti Global’s driver put in an epic lap to take pole and was flawless throughout the race as he sustained constant pressure from championship leader Alex Palou. Kirkwood wheeled the No. 27 Honda home to a 2.686s triumph over Palou in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and was well clear of Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, who sealed up three of the top four for Honda and HRC.

“It’s really good,” Kirkwood said. “To win here at the 50th, with Acura as the sponsor, with Honda… It was a flawless weekend. When you have a flawless weekend, you tend to win. It might have made it a little bit boring.”

Palou got close on a few occasions but never appeared to have the outright pace to challenge Kirkwood.

“I’m super happy to be here,” said Palou whose season has opened with finishes of first, first, and second. “I think it’s been a great weekend. We really didn’t have that ultimate speed that the No. 27 car had. Kyle, they did an awesome job throughout the weekend, qualifying and the race. He was managing. Every time I was having like a small chance, he just had a little bit more pace. So yeah, shame that we couldn’t really make it more interesting for the fans, but I’m super happy to be here.”

The overcast-turned-blue-skies and relatively cool event set in 68-degree weather was absolutely packed with fans throughout the 1.9-mile, 11-turn road course situated in Southern California.

Biggest mover among the lead group was Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard who went against the strategy grain by starting on primary Firestone tires—one of only six drivers to do so—and was rewarded by vaulting from 12th to third. Team Penske’s Will Power was fifth, with teammate Scott McLaughlin in sixth, the same spot he started, to give Chevrolet some of the spoils at Long Beach. In seventh, Kirkwood’s front-row teammate Colton Herta persevered at his home race, but wasn’t delighted to go rearwards by five positions.

“I would have liked to be able to fight with Alex and Kyle at some point,” Lundgaard said. “We started a little far too back. Obviously we were on a completely different strategy than both of them were on. We made the most of our strategy and ended on the podium from 12.”

The greatest forward motion was delivered by AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci who went from last to 11th. Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel, who awoke with suspected food poisoning, received fluids prior to the race and fought while ill to take the finish in 20th.

Among the other highlights, Sting Ray Robb—running on the same strategy as Lundgaard—led 12 laps and impressed on the way to match a career-best ninth-place finish for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

It was the second consecutive race to go caution-free.

Key moment

Other than seeing the lead change hands between Kirkwood, who started on alternates and shed them quickly at the first stop, and Lundgaard who started on primaries and went long on the first stop, it wasn’t the most action-filled race among the leaders. If a key moment stands out, it was qualifying on Saturday where Kirkwood set the stage to lead 46 of the 90 laps with relative ease.

Race notes:

Kyle Kirkwood streaked away to lead the field into Turn 1 as Scott McLaughlin and Felix Rosenqvist demoted Alex Palou from third to fifth. Alexander Rossi leapt from eighth to sixth.

Lap 3 and Josef Newgarden is in to get off the alternates. Twenty-one out of the 27 drivers started on alternates.

Lap 6 and Herta and McLaughlin and Palou pit take primaries. Kirkwood has 3.7s over Rosenqvist. McLaughlin gets past Herta on their out lap.

Lap 8 and Kirkwood and Rossi pit.

Lap 10 and Lundgaard holds the lead by having stayed out. Kirkwood, in eighth, is the leader of those who’ve pitted and has Palou right behind him.

Lap 21 and nothing has changed up front.

Lap 25 and Lundgaard has 2.5s over Dixon. The gap to Kirkwood in seventh is 31.0s. Palou is 1.1s behind Kirkwood.

Lap 28 and Lundgaard pits at the end of the lap. He leaves on alternates.

Lap 29 and Dixon pits from second to do the same. He returns right behind Lundgaard and right in front of McLaughlin.

Lap 31 and Kirkwood’s in the lead with 1.2s over Palou and 4.2s over Rosenqvist.

Lap 32 and Lundgaard (fourth) and Dixon (fifth) on alternates are up many positions (eight and nine, respectively) and could use a caution to keep them.

Lap 34 and Rosenqvist and McLaughlin pit. Palou’s rear tires are either hot or degrading, or possibly both. He’s in at the end of the lap for more primaries. Slightly extended stop—maybe a second or two—with the left-front tire needing a second attempt to affix the wheel nut.

Lap 35 and Kirkwood’s in from the lead. Herta follows him.

Lap 38 and Dixon pits to get off the alternates. Slow right-rear tire change. Nine laps on new alternates.

Lap 39 and Lundgaard has 33.0s over fifth-place Kirkwood, which is impressive.

Lap 40 and Lundgaard’s in to replace the alternates with primaries.

Lap 42 and Robb and Shwartzman are first and second; Kirkwood in third set his fastest lap of the race.

Lap 53 and Robb pits for alternates, leaving Shwartzman in the lead with the same need to pit.

Lap 54 and Shwartzman pits.

Lap 54 and Kirkwood is back to the lead and has 1.5s over Palou and 3.6s on Rosenqvist.

Lap 60 and Palou’s taken the lead down to 1.3s. Rosenqvist is up to 3.9s.

Lap 62 and Newgarden is in. Appears to have a seatbelt problem.

Lap 63 and Newgarden is back in for more work on his belts.

Lap 64 and Rosenqvist pits from third.

Lap 65 and Palou and Herta pit.

Lap 65 and Kirkwood pits at the end of the lap. His final corners were filled with slower cars. Will Palou get by?

He does not. Excellent out lap by Kirkwood.

Lap 80 and Kirkwood’s 3.4s up on Palou. He’s got this under control.

Lap 90 and Kirkwood seals the victory.