Long Beach always demands precision, but this year’s IndyCar Acura GP was especially punishing. Without a single full-course caution, drivers faced a pure test of pace, strategy, and nerve over 85 green-flag laps. With tyre degradation a major factor and limited passing opportunities on the tight street circuit, even minor misjudgements had outsized consequences.
Co-Author: James Phillips
Winner: Kyle Kirkwood delivers under pressure
Kyle Kirkwood arrived in Long Beach promising a turnaround — and he delivered it emphatically. Starting from pole, he controlled the race from the outset, managing his stints on both the alternate and primary tyres with precision.
Kirkwood’s Andretti crew nailed every pit stop, and even when Alex Palou closed to within striking distance after the final cycle, the Floridian maintained his composure. His clean execution in traffic during the final stint helped him pull away, eventually winning by just over a second. After a quiet start to the season, Kirkwood now sits second in the standings, primed for a serious title push entering IndyCar’s most crucial stretch.
Loser: Nolan Siegel’s weekend unravels
Nolan Siegel looked set for a breakout race after a strong qualifying effort, lining up alongside established names in 11th. However, the Arrow McLaren rookie’s weekend took a cruel turn when he fell ill with food poisoning on Saturday night.
Despite his best efforts to gut through the illness, Siegel’s race unravelled early. After reporting an issue with the left rear, he made an unscheduled stop — only to discover later that tyre debris, not damage, was the culprit. With the pack racing flat out, there was no way back, and Siegel eventually limped home in 20th. It was a harsh lesson in the physical demands of street racing at the top level.
Winner: Christian Lundgaard’s clever gamble
Strategy proved vital on Sunday, and Christian Lundgaard’s decision to start on the primary tyre set him apart. While much of the field rushed to shed the fragile alternates after the minimum two-lap requirement, Lundgaard was able to stay out longer, running consistent, fast laps as others struggled.
The Arrow McLaren driver climbed steadily through the field and executed clean overtakes when it mattered most. After the final pit sequence, he emerged ahead of several faster qualifiers to claim a brilliant podium in third. On a day when track position was king, Lundgaard played it perfectly.
Loser: Josef Newgarden’s championship hopes dented
Things went from bad to worse for Josef Newgarden at the IndyCar Long Beach GP. After qualifying a lowly 15th, the two-time champion and his Team Penske squad attempted an aggressive undercut, making up several places through early pit strategy.
But it all unravelled during his final scheduled stop, when the team discovered a loose seatbelt — an immediate safety concern. Forced into an extra pit stop to correct it, Newgarden lost a lap and any chance of recovery. In a race without cautions to bunch up the field, his day was effectively over. A late brush with the tyre barriers sealed his fate, leaving him classified 27th and facing an uphill battle in the title fight.
Winner: Alex Palou’s relentless charge continues
While he couldn’t topple Kirkwood, Alex Palou once again showcased why he’s the man to beat in IndyCar. The defending champion stayed glued to Kirkwood’s gearbox for much of the race, expertly managing tyre life to keep the pressure on.
After the final stops, Palou briefly threatened to snatch the win but ultimately had to settle for second — still another massive haul of points. With an average finish of 1.33 after three rounds and a nearly full-race advantage over most of the field, Palou has already built a foundation that could prove unbeatable if he maintains this form.
Loser: Jacob Abel’s brutal baptism
Jacob Abel’s first IndyCar Long Beach GP was an exercise in perseverance rather than triumph. After a crash with Colton Herta during morning warm-up heavily damaged his car, the Dale Coyne Racing team scrambled to get him to the grid.
The patched-up car, however, lacked pace. Abel trailed the leaders almost from the outset and finished two laps down, 26th overall. The Kentucky native’s learning curve continues to be steep, but every lap on a tricky street circuit like Long Beach provides valuable — if painful — experience.
Winner: Primary tyre starters make hay
With track position so crucial, those who gambled on starting the race on the primary tyre reaped major rewards. Christian Lundgaard’s podium was the most obvious example, but several others benefitted from the strategy.
Scott Dixon quietly climbed from 14th to eighth, despite a rare slow stop. Sting Ray Robb and Kyffin Simpson made massive gains too, finishing ninth and tenth respectively after starting deep in the pack. Even Robert Shwartzman (24th to 18th) and Santino Ferrucci (27th to 11th) turned what could have been miserable afternoons into solid points-scoring results. In a race where overtaking was at a premium, out-thinking the field proved decisive.
Loser: Devlin DeFrancesco fades into obscurity
“It was a tough day for us,” stated DeFrancesco, who ran as high as 13th until pitting on Lap 7, when he fell to 27th. “We lost a little time on the first stop.”
The Canadian driver explained, “We seem to be struggling for grip from the alternates, unable to turn the tyres on. We were missing a few tenths, pace-wise generally, so we will analyse the reason for that. I’m looking forward to getting back to Barber (Birmingham, AL) for the next race, where we had good pace in the test.”
Devlin DeFrancesco once again had a race to forget. The challenge for him is, everyone forgot he was racing in Long Beach. Starting 23rd and finishing 24th is a one-day ticket to obscurity on race day, and typical of his season with RLL.
A botched pit strategy did not help his situation, but DeFrancesco demonstrated as much fightback as someone waiting to get into a lifeboat as a ship sinks in case the damage miraculously disappears.
DeFrancesco is at risk of disappearing, but this will not be a miraculous or unexpected event unless he quickly gets a grip on his increasingly precarious season.
Loser: Colton Herta’s missed opportunity
Colton Herta’s IndyCar Long Beach GP promised so much — until it didn’t. After a fraught qualifying session where he kissed the wall and battled gremlins in the Fast 6, he still managed to start alongside Kirkwood on the front row.
But Herta’s day quickly unravelled. A clash with Jacob Abel during morning warm-up seemed to unsettle the No. 26 crew, and once the race started, they found themselves caught out on strategy. A lack of tyre longevity and inconsistent handling left Herta unable to match his teammate’s pace. He ultimately finished sixth, a solid result on paper, but a frustrating one given the potential for much more.
