KIRKWOOD WINS FIRST ARLINGTON GRAND PRIX
Kyle Kirkwood claimed victory at the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington after a dramatic race that stayed uncertain until the final moments. The Andretti Global driver secured the sixth win of his IndyCar career, crossing the finish line under yellow flags after a late crash stopped the race.
The caution came when Nolan Siegel and Romain Grosjean collided during the final restart with only one lap remaining. The yellow flag froze the order, allowing Kirkwood to celebrate the win and take the championship lead.
Strategy and pace decide the race
Kirkwood’s victory did not come easily. During his first two pit stops, his crew struggled to change the right-rear tyre, costing him several seconds and dropping him behind some rivals.
The race turned in his favor during the second half thanks to strategy. Kirkwood and Alex Palou extended their stints longer than Will Power, who had been running near the front earlier in the race.
Once Kirkwood passed Power, he began closing the gap to leader Palou. With a strong pace he recovered around five seconds before making his move on lap 55 of 70. The American attacked at Turn 14 with a late but clean braking move to overtake Palou for the lead.
After the pass, Kirkwood pulled away and built a gap of about six seconds.
Late caution changes the ending
The race took another turn with four laps remaining when Christian Rasmussen stopped on track, bringing out the pace car. This eliminated Kirkwood’s lead and set up a final restart with only one lap left.
Kirkwood managed the restart well, but chaos broke out behind him when Siegel and Grosjean collided. The resulting yellow flag meant the race finished under caution, securing the victory for the Andretti driver.
Podium finishers
Alex Palou finished second and was satisfied with the result after retiring in the previous race at Phoenix. He was also the only driver able to split the strong Andretti cars at Arlington.
Will Power finished third, earning his first podium with Andretti and Honda after a difficult start to the season.
Marcus Ericsson, who started from pole position, ended the race in fourth after losing time during pit stops.
Pato O’Ward took fifth place, marking his third consecutive top-five finish. David Malukas finished sixth and was the best driver for Team Penske during a challenging weekend.
The race also included a few incidents. Josef Newgarden was involved in contact with Malukas and finished only 15th, losing the championship lead he gained in Phoenix.
Scott McLaughlin delivered an impressive recovery drive. After crashing in qualifying and starting from last place, the New Zealander climbed back to 11th place.
Felix Rosenqvist originally finished sixth but was later penalized for a false start and dropped to 20th.
Further back, Christian Lundgaard recovered well from early contact with Mick Schumacher to finish seventh. Schumacher received a drive-through penalty for the incident and ended the race in 22nd place.
Scott Dixon finished eighth after starting from 20th, with Alexander Rossi and Marcus Armstrong completing the top ten.
Share this content:
