INDYCAR RACE REPORT: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race Results
| Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach |
| Will Power | P19 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | P4 |
| Marcus Ericsson | P25 |
Race Notes
- The Andretti Global INDYCAR team took on the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this afternoon, with Kyle Kirkwood leading the team to green from the second row and ending the day as the team’s highest finisher in fourth place. Kirkwood’s result today secured the Andretti INDYCAR team’s 20th top-five finish on the Streets of Long Beach.
- Today’s race saw only one caution period lasting a total of four laps.
- The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take a short break before they kick off the Month of May at the Indianapolis Speedway Road Course on May 8-9, with live coverage airing on FOX.
Will Power
No. 26 TWG AI Honda
P19
| Started | P7 |
| Standings | P14 (89 points) |
- Taking the green from seventh this afternoon, Will Power made his 20th race start on the Streets of Long Beach.
- The two-time Long Beach Grand Prix winner held position for the majority of the race. He took the lead for two laps ahead of his first pit stop of Lap 32.
- During the sole full course yellow flag of the race, all cars in the field came to pit lane for new tires on Lap 59. On his release from the pit box, the No. 26 made contact with a tire changer on the No. 4 car. He was issued a drive-through penalty for the incident, which he served on Lap 65.
- While he still finished the race on the lead lap, the penalty sent Power toward the back of the field, where he ultimately took the checkered.
“I feel bad because I clipped the No. 4 crew guy and hurt their race. It’s tough to go three-wide here, and I don’t think I could have gone any further left. I was at the limit and it just closed up. I didn’t see him at all. You’re focused on the outside lane and what’s ahead, and I must have just caught him. As soon as I heard the yellow, I knew it was going to be a tough race. Track position is everything here, so to have that happen on the only caution of the day and get sent to the back is really frustrating. We’ll now just focus on the Month of May.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Honda
P4
| Started | P4 |
| Standings | P2 (188 points) |
- Kyle Kirkwood took the green flag for his fifth INDYCAR career start on the Streets of Long Beach.
- The defending Long Beach winner took advantage of the No. 27 crew’s quick pit stop to pass the No. 5 car in pit lane, breaking into the top three by Lap 32.
- During his exit of pit lane during the full-course pit stop on Lap 59 during the caution period, Kirkwood lost one position to the No. 9, returning him to fourth place for the Lap 61 restart.
- Despite closing the gap between himself and third through the remainder of the race, Kirkwood ended the day where he started, collecting his third top-five finish in Long Beach and shifting to second place in the Championship standings.
“It was just so hard to pass on this track today. I’m not sure why it was like that this year. You just get close, and then you don’t have enough traction to make a move. I mean, nonetheless, I can’t be too upset with the top four. Of course, we came here with a target on our back, and I wanted to win this thing once again, but the JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda was still super fast and we got good points. It also marks my second-best finish here, so I can’t complain too much. We just have to keep working hard on the things that are within our control and maximize our day, just like we’ve done all season long.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Allegra Honda
P25
| Started | P15 |
| Standings | P12 (104 points) |
- Marcus Ericsson made his seventh INDYCAR start in Long Beach today from the inside of the eighth row on the grid.
- Despite falling back in the field on the opening laps of the race, Ericsson bounced back quickly, running as high as 12th by Lap 30.
- Unfortunately, just after Lap 30, Ericsson encountered an issue with the car that forced the No. 28 to lose pace and fall back through the field.
- Ericsson came to pit lane immediately to address the issue, but by Lap 39, he was ultimately forced to retire from the race due to the unforeseen problems with the car, finishing 52 laps down.
“We ran into an issue with the car and lost pace, and eventually had to call it a day. Obviously, it’s not what we wanted to do out there. The No. 28 Allegra Honda had more in it to show. We’ll just look ahead to May.”
Ron Ruzewski
INDYCAR Team Principal
“Overall, it was a bit of a disappointing day for the Andretti Global group. The bright side is that Kyle came home with a top-five finish and scored some good points. We had some issues with the other two cars that put us on the back foot a little bit. So we’ll rebound and look forward to the Month of May starting up soon in Indianapolis.”
