Kirkwood Triumphs in Strategic Showdown at 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Under the sunny skies of Southern California, Kyle Kirkwood emerged victorious in the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, showcasing a masterful blend of tire strategy and speed. This win marked the end of Alex Palou’s two-race winning streak at the start of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Kirkwood, who is of course a Florida native, secured his second Long Beach victory from the pole position in the last three years, driving the No. 27 PreFab Honda for Andretti Global. He crossed the finish line 2.6859 seconds ahead of runner-up Palou, who piloted the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. This race also marked Kirkwood’s first NTT P1 Award and series victory in 2023.
Reflecting on his performance, Kirkwood stated, “We controlled the race, even from practice. 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 the 90 laps in what was the second consecutive caution-free race of the season, marking the first time since 2016 that the iconic 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit saw no yellow flags.
Christian Lundgaard claimed third place in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, overtaking Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing in Turn 1 with five laps remaining. Rosenqvist finished fourth, while Will Power, a two-time Long Beach winner, rounded out the top five in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Despite falling short of a third consecutive win, reigning series champion Palou maintained his championship lead by 34 points over Kirkwood. Palou acknowledged Kirkwood’s strong performance, saying, “You never feel amazing when you finish second, but honestly, the 27 car and Kyle, they were amazing all weekend. 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 was a strategic battle between the Firestone Firehawk primary and alternate tires, with INDYCAR rules mandating the use of both compounds for at least two laps per race. Many drivers switched from the grippier alternate tires to the more durable primary compound within the first 10 laps.
Kirkwood and Palou executed the dominant strategy, pitting on Laps 6 and 7, respectively, to switch to the black-sidewall tires. As the race progressed, it became evident that they were the fastest drivers on track, with their teams closely monitoring each other’s strategies.
The race’s pivotal moment occurred on Lap 66 when Palou made his final pit stop, followed by Kirkwood. Palou emerged on hotter, grippier tires, but Kirkwood managed to maintain his lead despite the pressure. Kirkwood secured the lead for good on Lap 69 when Kyffin Simpson, who started on primary tires, pitted from the lead.
Lundgaard led 26 laps, second only to Kirkwood, despite starting 12th and employing a less-popular strategy. His strong performance was a testament to the hard work of Arrow McLaren mechanics, who rebuilt his car after a qualifying crash on Saturday.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will continue with the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.