Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, dominated the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday (April 13). The Floridian started the race from pole and claimed his first win of the season and, in doing so, has moved into second in the championship. What’s more, this performance has stopped Alex Palou‘s mega start to the season.
Palou finished the race in second but has seen his lead in the championship shrink to 34 points over Kirkwood, who has moved into second.
“We controlled the race, even from practice,” Kirkwood told IndyCar after the race. “Really good qualifying, amazing race, amazing strategy. It was just execution across the board that won us that race today because if Palou were in front, he would have beat us, for sure. This was a track-position race here today, without any yellows.”
Cali's trio 🥇🥈🥉 pic.twitter.com/eT8uRrFzQj
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 14, 2025
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard has moved into third place in the championship after claiming his second third-place finish in a row following his podium result at The Thermal Club.
Felix Rosenqvist in the No.60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda finished in fourth place, which means that the top four in Sunday’s race are now the top four in the championship heading into May. Rosenqvist is currently riding a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes to open the season.
Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet was the highest-placed Penske driver. The Australian came home in fifth place after starting in 13th. This result has moved him from 14th to ninth in the championship, continuing his recovery from a first-lap DNF in St. Petersburg.
“Oh man, yeah, it’s a very good day,” Power told Frontstretch. “It was pretty straightforward. It wasn’t like any trick strategy. We just had to do a lot of passing on track and, you know, I just regret not starting up further again. It’s 3 weeks in a row, but that’s the way it is and it’s a very tight field. It’s very tough in qualifying, so we’ll keep digging.”
Scott McLaughlin started the race in Long Beach from sixth on the grid and came home in sixth. The New Zealander is leading the charge for Team Penske in eighth place in the championship with 69 points.
It is strange to see Team Penske’s McLaughlin, Power, and Josef Newgarden occupy 8th, 9th, and 10th place in the championship standings after three races, especially for McLaughlin, who has led 40 laps so far this season but is 73 points behind Palou; however, Team Penske is sure to play a role in this year’s championship; after all, we are only three races into the 2025 season.
While his teammate may have won the race, Colton Herta, who started from the front row, had a difficult event but has managed to gain a place in the championship following his seventh-place finish in Long Beach. The Californian is up to seventh in the standings. He will be a driver to watch as we head into May.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon endured a difficult weekend in the No .9 PNC Bank Honda. Starting the race from 14th, he came through the field to finish in eighth place, dropping from third in the championship to fifth in the standings. Still, it was still an excellent day for Dixon as he now boasts a total of 300 top-10 finishes throughout his IndyCar career.
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Sting Ray Robb, who came from 19th on the grid to finish ninth in the race, picked up the best street course result of his INDYCAR career.
“I am so happy,” Robb told Frontstretch. “It’s been a long 3 years at this point. I don’t think this is the floodgates opening. I don’t think this is our max potential yet, but my faith was challenged two of the last three years. To say the least, it’s been a roller coaster, and that’s kind of why we love IndyCar. We love it because of the challenge, the passion that goes into it. I can’t thank everyone here at Juncos [Hollinger] Racing enough.”
It was an excellent day for Kyffin Simpson in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as he came from 17th on the grid to round out the top 10, the best result of his young career.
A. J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet not only scored an award for biggest mover in the race, but he has also moved up four places in the championship from 17th to 13th, which shows the significant progress that the team continues to make.
+16 positions! 🤯⁰⁰@SantinoFerrucci claims the @Jostens’ Biggest Mover Award after a stellar #GPLongBeach. pic.twitter.com/rT1vIGRQwv
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 14, 2025
“A pretty impressive day, considering we started last and yesterday was the opposite,” Ferrucci commented to A. J. Foyt Racing after the race. “Our first stint was formidable, followed up by a really solid green [tire] stint, and yeah, that kind of sealed the race for us. Engineering did an excellent job on strategy. we chose the right tire for our car, and the mechanics did a phenomenal job getting the car in and out of pit lane quick and efficient. So, overall, the day could not have gotten much better than what it did for the Sexton Properties crew.”
Rookie Robert Shwartzman and his PREMA Racing team struggled in the season’s opening two races but showed significant progress in Long Beach. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing likewise struggled in the earlier races of the season. However, Jay Frye’s arrival will help the team move forward.
Honda Racing has had a fantastic start to the season, with three victories from the opening three races. This shows that the organization has found something over the off-season to help it move forward, giving the California-based company something to build on in May!
What’s next for the NTT IndyCar Series? Oh yeah, the Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
