IndyCar pole sitter Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads the field as he takes the green flag to start the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar winner Kyle Kirkwood sprays champagne on his crew in victory lane following the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver and second place finisher Romain Grosjean sprays race fans with champagne in victory lane following the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won the race. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads teammate Romain Grosjean through turn 10 during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads teammate Romain Grosjean into the hairpin during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads teammate Romain Grosjean through the hairpin onto Shoreline Drive during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, takes the checkered flag to win the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar winner Kyle Kirkwood, center right, celebrates with second place finisher Romain Grosjean, left center, and thrid place finisher Marcus Ericsson, right center in victory lane following the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar winner Kyle Kirkwood celebrates in victory lane following the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads the field during the early laps of the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Stadium Super Trucks Robby Gordon acknowledges the fans following their race along Shoreline Drive duriing the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar pole sitter Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads the field as he takes the green flag to start the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Stadium Super Trucks Robby Gordon acknowledges the fans with a burnout following their race along Shoreline Drive duriing the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads teammate Romain Grosjean through turn 10 during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads teammate Romain Grosjean through the hairpin during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
IndyCar winner Kyle Kirkwood, center right, celebrates with second place finisher Romain Grosjean, left, and thrid place finisher Marcus Ericsson, center left, in victory lane following the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Callum Ilott in the Juncos Hollinger Racing NTT IndyCar (77) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood, 27, leads the field during the early laps of the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday Apr. 16, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Marcus Armstrong in the Chip Ganassi Racing NTT IndyCar (8) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Marcus Armstrong in the Chip Ganassi Racing NTT IndyCar (11) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Marcus Armstrong in the Chip Ganassi Racing NTT IndyCar (8) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Romain Grosjean in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (28) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Colton Herta in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (26) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Santino Ferrucci, in the A.J. Foyt Enterprises NTT IndyCar (14), leads a train into turn one during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Kyle Kirkwood in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (27) leads the pack on the opening lap of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won his first Indy Car race Sunday taking first place in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. 2nd place finisher Romain Grosjean and 1st place finisher Kyle Kirkwood celebrate with 3rd place finisher Marcus Ericsson. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Romain Grosjean took second place Sunday in the Indy Car race. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won his first Indy Car race Sunday taking first place in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won his first Indy Car race Sunday taking first place in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
Josef Newgarden, in the Team Penske NTT IndyCar (2), ahead of Kyle Kirkwood in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (27) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chris Locke in the Lotus 77 during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Patrick Long in the Williams FW 08C car races through a hairpin during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Sean Allen in the McLaren M30 car during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Danny Baker in the McLaren M23 leads a train through turn 10 during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chris Locke in the Lotus 77 (5), left, and Doug Mockett in the Penske PC4 (28) race through turn 10 during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Tim DeSilva in the Alfa Romeo 182 during the Historic F1 challenge race on day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Historic F1 cars race through turn 10 during day three of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won his first Indy Car race Sunday taking first place in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Kyle Kirkwood won his first Indy Car race Sunday taking first place in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Romain Grosjean took second place Sunday in the Indy Car race. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
Kyle Kirkwood celebrates his NTT IndyCar victory at the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday April 16, 2023. It was Kirkwood’s first IndyCar win. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Sundays pre-race festivities included the US Army parachute team. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
The 48th Annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 16, 2023. Sundays pre-race festivities included the US Army parachute team. (Photo by contributing photographer Chuck Bennett)
Drivers in the NTT IndyCar series make their way through the streets of Long Beach for the 49th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Marcus Ericsson, in the Chip Ganassi Racing NTT IndyCar (8), heads into turn eight during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Kyle Kirkwood in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (27) races through the streets of Long Beach during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Kirkwood went on to win the race, his first in the IndyCar Series. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Kyle Kirkwood in the Andretti Autosport NTT IndyCar (27) races through the streets of Long Beach during the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Kirkwood went on to win the race, his first in the IndyCar Series. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Will Power in the Team Penske NTT IndyCar (12) during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — Just think, a year ago the best Kyle Kirkwood could do in 17 races was a 10th-place finish over the course of his first NTT IndyCar season. He didn’t fare well in the first two races this season, either, with finishes of 15th and 27th.
But Kirkwood, 24, was in all his glory Sunday when he won the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach by just under a second over Romain Grosjean. Kirkwood was on the pole.
Marcus Ericsson made the podium with a third-place finish, Colton Herta was fourth, Alex Palou fifth and two-time race winner Will Power was sixth. Power started 13th.
It was Kirkwood’s first IndyCar victory. He led 53 of the 85 laps. Just after crossing the finish line, Kirkwood could be heard saying to his team over the radio, “Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much, guys.”
About an hour after the race, Kirkwood spoke to reporters in the post-race news conference. He was asked if he had been able to wrap his head around this victory — which comes at one of the series crown jewels — especially considering how the first year-plus of his IndyCar career had gone.
“I mean, I’ve been running non-stop since I got out of the car, so I haven’t really had a moment to think,” he said, with a big smile. “But, ultimately, I’ve just had a moment of calmness, you know?”
Kirkwood won the Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights) — IndyCar’s support series — in 2021 for Andretti Autosport. There was not an Andretti ride available in IndyCar in 2022, so Kirkwood raced for A.J. Foyt Enterprises and his best finish was 10th here in Long Beach.
Kirkwood re-signed with Andretti this year for IndyCar, but began the season with finishes of 15th and 27th at St. Petersburg and the Texas Motor Speedway, respectively.
“All of that was out of our control,” said Kirkwood, of Jupiter, Fla. “At St. Pete, we were extremely fast, running sixth, and then we got caught up in someone else’s incident. Then at Texas, we weren’t really that fast, but then we got the car ready to go and ultimately we weren’t able to finish the race because of mechanical (issues), which was super unfortunate, but we had the pace.
“And this weekend, we had the pace and we were able to execute it. … And, Hopefully, this has now just created some momentum that’s going to carry through the rest of the season.”
Kirkwood, of Andretti Autosport, talked about how calm race strategist Bryan Herta kept him during the race. Kirkwood also received praise for having a cool and collected way of going about his business. That can only help him as he moves forward, said Michael Andretti, team owner.
“Oh, for sure, he’s always been that way, even when he raced for us in the Indy NXT series,” Andretti said. “So, yeah, he knows how to win. That’s the thing. There’s a lot of guys that just don’t know how to win and you can tell when he was out front, he knew what he needed to do and he’s a very smart guy, very confident guy … And, yeah, he’s got all the ingredients to be a future champion many times over.”
The Andrettis have had a lot of success at Long Beach, that’s for sure. Michael Andretti won twice here, his father Mario four times.
“Oh, it’s huge. He’s going to remember this day for a long time, forever, I think,” Michael Andretti said of Kirkwood. “And It’s always extra special to go to places, like here in Long Beach. It’s just a great event, great history, great fans. The fans are so into it and I just love doing well here.
“And for us, the Andrettis, it’s been a very special place as well. I won my very first and my very last races of my IndyCar career here. My dad won four times. It was the only time an American had won a Formula One race on American soil, so there’s so many things that we’ve been able to do here in Long Beach to make it that special for us.”
Mario Andretti got his first win here in 1977 when Formula One was the main event.
Kirkwood held the lead early but defending race winner Josef Newgarden overtook him on Lap 22. Newgarden, however, got into a fuel-saving situation after his second pit stop and could not hold onto the lead, with Kirkwood eventually reclaiming it for good on Lap 56.
It was a lead Kirkwood would not relinquish.
The weekend started out very well for six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who found out Friday he is being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America next March in Daytona Beach, Fla. He qualified fifth, but completed only 37 of the 85 laps.
Dixon was behind the 8-ball when he got into some side-by-side contact with Pato O’Ward coming around Turn 8 on Lap 20 that sent Dixon, who was on the outside, into the tires, creating a yellow flag.
Dixon fell back into the pack and then went out after some mechanical issues.
O’Ward spoke about the incident during a post-race trackside interview.
“I mean, I’m sure I’ll circle back with him either this weekend of the next one, but I’m not going to apologize for that,” said O’Ward, who was asked if he felt he needed to speak to Dixon. “We’re racing, so a lot of the times when I’ve been in that situation, I kind of just let the guy go. You know, if you’re on the outside, you’re more vulnerable to these things happening.”
Ericsson referred to O’Ward’s attempt to pass on the inside as “a low-percentage move.”
O’Ward finished 17th. He did gain some goodwill by allowing the three leaders pass him near the end when he was a lap down.
Rounding out the top 10: Felix Rosenqvist finished seventh, Marcus Armstrong was eighth, Newgarden ninth and Scott McLaughlin 10th.
Other finishers of note: Graham Rahal was 12th, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was 21st and two-time Long Beach winner Alexander Rossi was 22nd.
There were a total of 253 passes, the most in Long Beach since IndyCar began tracking them in 2009.
