In his third race in the number 27 machine, taking over for McLaren’s Alexander Rossi, Kyle Kirkwood proved his team owner Michael Andretti had made the correct choice in the young Floridian as he dominated in his pink AutoNation Honda to win his first race in the NTT IndyCar Series and Andretti’s first victory since Alexander Rossi’s win at the Indianapolis Road Course in 2022.
Kirkwood, a former IMSA driver for the Vasser-Sullivan Lexus squad, started from pole Sunday morning ahead of current championship leader Marcus Ericsson (who would finish 3rd) and teammate (and eventual 2nd place finisher) Romain Grosjean and led a race high 53 of 85 laps around the streets of Long Beach. After two rough races in St. Pete and Texas, Kirkwood commanded control from qualifying and remained on pace all weekend. The 1-2 finish for Andretti was the teams first since 2020 when the team swept the top three spots at Barber Motorsports Park.
Watch all of the action and highlights in Long Beach below as teams head to Alabama in two weeks time for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Baber Motorsports Park.