LONG BEACH — Kyle Kirkwood said he will never forget his first career win in the NTT Indy Car Series, which happened on the streets of downtown Long Beach Sunday.

“It feels like I’ve done something special,” Kirkwood said. “That’s something that’s going to stick with me for sure.”

In particular, the calming words of his race strategist Bryan Herta, who previously guided two separate drivers to Indianapolis 500 wins in 2011 and 2016, continue to resonate with the second-year driver, who finished tenth in last year’s race during his rookie season.

“Bryan (Herta) on the radio telling me to soak it in was something that was really cool. He’s got an amazing resume,” Kirkwood shared. “He was really proud of me and that’s so cool coming from some amazing people that I have around me.”

Kyle Kirkwood shares what he will never forget about winning his first IndyCar Series race at the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @presstelegram @GPLongBeach @InsideSoCalSpts #LongBeachGrandPrix #200mphBeachParty pic.twitter.com/wvR5ExzYNV

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

The 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach ended under a green flag, with Kirkwood earning the convincing win, which impressed two-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Michael Andretti, who owns Kirkwood’s #27 car.

“He knows how to win,” Andretti said, who noted that his first and last career wins came in Long Beach.

The 24-year-old Kirkwood, the race’s pole sitter, led 53 of the 85 laps, with his fastest circuit of the 1.97-mile, 11-turn temporary street track, coming in just under one minute and eight seconds on lap 53.

This is how long it takes Kyle Kirwood to complete one lap at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts #AcuraGPLB #LongBeachGP #200mphBeachParty pic.twitter.com/hhpFyWHLJb

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

Kirkwood’s Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean finished second for the second straight year.

“It’s better than finishing third two years in a row,” Grosjean said with a laugh. “I did not even want to try to go for the win today. It would have been taking too much risk. Kyle drove a brilliant weekend. He had the best strategy out there. He was on pole. He was fast. He didn’t make any mistakes. He drove well. He deserved the race.”

“It’s better than finishing 3rd two years in a row.” Romain Grosjean on finishing 2nd two years in a row at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. @RGrosjean @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts #200mphBeachParty #LongBeachGP pic.twitter.com/6lvqA2Nfb2

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

Marcus Ericson finished third and is currently first overall in the NTT Indy Car Series championship race.

Overall, the top five drivers were all powered by Honda.

Josef Newgarden, the defending champion finished ninth overall. Newgarden, who led a total of 27 laps, was in first midway through the race before being overtaken by Kirkwood’s pit strategy.

“In the racing sense as a racer, we’re competitors, I’m also going to take some information I got from Newgarden today. He’s sneaky and I need to figure out a way to get by him in situations like that,” Kirkwood added.

10 laps to go at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts #LongBeachGP #200mphBeachParty pic.twitter.com/WZU4fZKFNE

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

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Meanwhile, it was a “frustrating day” for six-time Indy Car Series champion Scott Dixon, who started fourth but was out of the race by lap 38 with car trouble. Dixon won the 2015 Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Another highlight was popular driver Pato O’Ward’s risky move by going three-wide into a turn early in the race. O’Ward’s move didn’t pay off as he slammed into a tire barrier but still avoided a race-ending accident. However, his car was never the same and he eventually fell off the pace and finished 17th out of 27 drivers. O’Ward currently sits second in the overall championship race.

It’s time to preview the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Expect to see pre-race, race and post-race coverage today. @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts @GPLongBeach #LongBeachGP #200mphBeachParty #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/csd3aUJHtR

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

Making our way to pit row before the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @GPLongBeach @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts #LongBeachGP #200mphBeachParty #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/vV40UKzePr

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023

Checking out pit row from the fan perspective before the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @GPLongBeach #LongBeachGP @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts pic.twitter.com/VLtQ03EKkl

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023