By DALE BOSOWSKI

& BRAD FOLETTA

Bulletin correspondents

LONG BEACH — Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the No. 27 PreFab Honda for Andretti Global, parlayed the pole position he earned as the fastest qualifier on Saturday with a sound tire strategy to capture the victory over reigning series champion Alex Palou in Sunday’s 50th Anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Along with his triumph in 2023, it was Kirkwood’s second win on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary Long Beach street circuit, and third overall in the NTT IndyCar Series for the 26-year-old Jupiter, Fla. native.

“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 got in front, he would have beat us, for sure. This was a track-position race here today.”

IndyCar rules dictate that each driver must run at least one set each of the harder primary tires and the much softer red-trimmed tires, which offer more grip initially but wear out much more quickly, drastically reducing their performance after only a few laps.

As a result, teams were divided on tire strategy to start the race. Both Kirkwood and Palou, driving the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Honda, opted to start the race of the softer “reds,” while several others of the 27-car field opted initially for the harder primary compound.

Palou pitted just six laps into the 90-lap race, while Kirkwood followed suit one lap later. Kirkwood reemerged back onto the track just ahead of Palou in 10th spot. As the remaining drivers eventually peeled off for their pit stops, Kirkwood gradually moved back up through the field, taking back the lead on lap 29, while Palou remained in close pursuit.

Kirkwood would pit again on lap 35 and for the third and final time on lap 65, again slotting in just ahead of Palou on both occasions. Palou stayed glued to Kirkwood’s tail for several laps after the last stop before gradually falling back to finish 2.686 seconds behind Kirkwood.

You never feel amazing when you finish second, but honestly, the 27 car and Kyle, they were amazing all weekend. He was super fast,” admitted Palou following the race. “I had my chances, but we couldn’t really make it work. I had a really bad start and that kind of put us on the back foot, but we did the best we could.”

Starting the race in the 12th spot on the primary tires, Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, captured the final position on the podium by passing Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing with just five laps remaining in the race.

“This one is dedicated to the crew,” said Lundgaard after crashing the car in Saturday’s qualifying. “I am glad I get this one for the team after all the work they put in yesterday. I told them I would buy them a couple of beers when we get back home, but this trophy is nice for them too.”

Rosenqvist would hold on to take fourth, while Australia’s Will Power, the two-time Long Beach winning driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet for Team Penske, rounded out the top five.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the event – although it was actually only the 49th race due to the 2020 race being canceled due to Covid – four-time Long Beach winner Mario Andretti and Al Unser, Jr., a six-time winner known as the “King of the Beach” returned as the 2025 Grand Marshalls and co-starters for the race.

“This is an historic race, and I don’t think it has set in yet for me. But I know how special it is to win the 50th anniversary,” Kirkwood said. “To be a multi-time winner here is absolutely massive. If I had not won here in 2023, I am not sure if I would still be driving in this series right now."

The caution-free race had nine overall lead changes, with Kirkwood holding the lead for a race-high 46 laps while Lundgaard held the lead for 26 laps. After winning the first two races of the season, Palou remains firmly in control of the IndyCar point standings by a 142 to 108 margin over Kirkwood in his quest for his fourth series championship. The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4, on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.