Kyle Kirkwood secures victory in IndyCar debut on the streets of Arlington.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Kyle Kirkwood continues to excel in IndyCar, securing a new victory that propels him to the top of the series standings.
Kirkwood executed a bold maneuver to overtake four-time series champion Álex Palou with 15 laps remaining, maintaining his lead for the remainder of the race and ultimately claiming the checkered flag for the Grand Prix of Arlington under caution on Sunday. This marks his sixth career victory, with five of those wins occurring on street circuits.
Despite facing some pit challenges, including an extended stop for Kirkwood, all three of Andretti Global’s Hondas finished within the top four, collectively leading 47 of the race’s 70 laps. Will Power secured third place for a podium finish, while Marcus Ericsson, who started from pole position for the first time in his 171 series starts, led for 15 laps and finished fourth.
The decisive move by Kirkwood, a 27-year-old from Jupiter, Florida, took place at the final of 14 turns on the temporary 2.73-mile circuit situated between the home stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Palou, who crossed the line in second place, characterized Kirkwood’s pass as impressive.
Although Palou matched Kirkwood and Power by leading a race-high 16 laps, he was unable to reclaim the series points lead. The three-time defending champion had held the top position in the IndyCar standings since June 2024 but did not finish in Phoenix last weekend due to early contact. Nevertheless, he advanced from fifth to second place behind the new leader, Kirkwood.
After overcoming a deficit of more than five seconds to seize the lead, Kirkwood maintained a margin of over five seconds until two late cautions brought the field closer together.
A final dash for the checkered flag did not occur due to a collision in the rear of the field during the restart as Kirkwood and Palou were starting the last lap. That incident in the tight 14th turn resulted in a full-course caution, and safety crews were still on the track when they completed the lap nearly two minutes later to cross the finish line.
Source: espn.com
