Kyle Kirkwood led 53 of 85 laps and cruised to his first IndyCar Series victory, taking the checkered flag at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday in Long Beach, Calif.
Kirkwood, 24, started from the pole and won by .9907 seconds over Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean of France.
It’s Kirkwood’s second season on the circuit and his first driving the No. 27 AutoNation Honda for Andretti.
“I just had a moment of relaxation (after crossing the finish line), to be honest,” Kirkwood said. “I felt like I needed this win, and we got it today. A moment of relief, no doubt.”
Marcus Ericsson of Sweden, Colton Herta and Spain’s Alex Palou rounded out the top five.
Kirkwood pitted on Lap 54 and moved ahead of Grosjean and defending champion Josef Newgarden when he exited. After Palou took a pit stop, Kirkwood moved ahead on Lap 56 and wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the afternoon.
“We knew he was something special,” team owner Michael Andretti said of Kirkwood, who won the Indy NXT series title for the team in 2021. “He’s really doing us proud. I’m just proud of the whole team, really.”
Ericsson maintained his spot atop the IndyCar series standings, 15 points ahead of Mexico’s Pato O’Ward in second. Palou is third, Newgarden is fourth and Kirkwood leapt from 20th place to fifth thanks to his victory.
“What a day. The calmest day I’ve had in two years, and it was a win,” Kirkwood said.
“I was so happy with just the pole yesterday, but I’m over the moon right now. This is incredible for the whole team. We had a stellar day for the whole team with Andretti Autosport.”
–Field Level Media
