IndyCar hit the streets of California this afternoon for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. They celebrated 50 years of racing at the street circuit, and by the end of the afternoon, the drivers had plenty more to celebrate.
Kyle Kirkwood Triumphs in California
Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood is no stranger to this circuit. The Florida native got his very first NTT IndyCar Series win at the 2023 running of Long Beach.
The odds were in his favor all weekend long after qualifying on pole. Palou challenged him throughout the race, but Kirkwood managed to keep him at bay.
This is Kirkwood’s third time winning an IndyCar race. Two of his three wins have been on street circuits.
Hook, line and sinker 🎣🏆@KKirkwoodRacing takes the checkered flag for his second WIN at Long Beach! pic.twitter.com/7sqDydQ6R1
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 13, 2025
Lundgaard Makes it onto the Podium
Christian Lundgaard put on quite the show in Long Beach. He spent the majority of the first half of the race fighting for the lead of the race against Scott Dixon.
Following a slew of pit stops and bouncing around through various positions on the grid, Lundgaard pulled off an overtake on Meyer Shank’s Felix Rosenqvist during the late stages of the race to take home P3.
Lundgaard went into the wall yesterday during qualifying, and the team over at Arrow McLaren worked to make sure the car was fully functional for today.
Lundgaard has had back-to-back podium finishes this season.
Santino Ferrucci Cruises Through Long Beach
Sunday was quite the drive for A.J. Foyt driver Santino Ferrucci. It comes as no surprise to anyone that Ferrucci should be expected to secure today’s biggest mover award. Ferrucci started from the back of the grid and managed to make his way through the grid to finish in P11. He moved up 18 places during the 90-lap race.
Alex Palou’s Championship Lead
For the first time in 2025, Alex Palou didn’t find himself standing on the top step of the podium. After putting up a good fight against race winner Kyle Kirkwood, Palou found himself finishing in P2.
He maintains his lead in the driver’s championship with a 36-point lead. Kirkwood is second in the championship standings, followed by Lundgaard and Rosenqvist in third and fourth, respectively.
Other Notable Race Moments
Long Beach has become IndyCar’s equivalent of the Monaco Grand Prix, and some found success while others struggled.
Kyffin Simpson is only in his second year of racing, but he’s already managed his best career finish. Simpson started from 17th on the grid and finished P10. This is his first time finishing in the top 10.
He also managed to grab the fastest lap of the race.
Josef Newgarden ended up falling into a bit of bad luck this afternoon. During his final pit stop of the race, his seatbelt needed adjusting after it came loose. A similar incident happened to his Team Penske teammate, Will Power, last year in Nashville.
Later on, around the 70th lap of the race, his car went wide, and he clipped the back of the car. No severe damage was sustained, but it didn’t help his chances as he was already down a lap, thanks to the seatbelt issue. The seatbelt issue persisted, with it becoming loose three times in the race.
IndyCar goes racing again on May 4. They’ll be headed to Alabama for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Featured Image Credit: Penske Entertainment: Travis Hinkle. 4/13/2025
