Kirkwood Charges to P4 at Long Beach, Stays in Title Hunt

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Kyle Kirkwood started fourth and fought off challengers to finish fourth in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda for Andretti Global at the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19, 2026. The 90-lap race on the 1.968-mile street course saw only one caution for four laps, with an average winner speed of 97.356 mph and a total time of 1:49:09.5058.[1][6][9] Alex Palou dominated to win in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, beating pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist by 3.9663 seconds for his third victory in five races, 22nd career win, and first at Long Beach. Scott Dixon held off Kirkwood for third, while Pato O'Ward rounded out the top five in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kirkwood's finish marked his third top-five at Long Beach and the team's 20th in the event's history.[1][6][7] Kirkwood entered as points leader but lost the top spot to Palou, now trailing by 17 points with 156 total, the closest challenger in a tight title fight. Pre-race buzz highlighted Kirkwood and Palou's agreement on a season-long duel, and Kirkwood topped the hectic second practice with a 1:07.5417 lap.[2][4][5][8] The race featured four lead changes among four drivers: Rosenqvist led laps 1-30 and 38-58, Will Power 31-32, Josef Newgarden 33-37, and Palou 59 to the end. Kirkwood limited damage in a clean, high-stakes affair, staying within one race's points of Palou as the series heads to Indianapolis.[1][6][9] Rookies shone too, with Dennis Hauger 11th for Dale Coyne Racing and Mick Schumacher 17th in his best IndyCar result. David Malukas sits third in points, 63 back of Palou, underscoring the Ganassi driver's early dominance in pursuit of a fourth straight title.[2][6]