Just when it seemed like reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and current points leader Alex Palou was untouchable on the streets of Long Beach, Andretti Global made a bold statement in Saturday’s qualifying for the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach—locking out the front row.
Kyle Kirkwood claimed his first NTT P1 Award of the season and the third of his career, posting a best lap of 1 minute, 6.1921 seconds in the No. 27 PreFab Honda during the Firestone Fast Six. Fittingly, Kirkwood’s first career pole also came at Long Beach last year, where he went on to win on the iconic 11-turn, 1.968-mile Southern California street circuit.
Southern California native Colton Herta secured the second starting spot with a lap of 1:06.4232 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, marking the first front-row sweep for Andretti Global since the Honda Indy Toronto last July. Back then, Herta took pole, Kirkwood qualified second, and Herta ultimately won the race.
Interview: with Mario Andretti
Palou, who won the season’s first two races, will start third after posting a 1:06.6254 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist qualified fourth at 1:06.6358 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, capitalizing on a late incident in the second round.
Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson added to the team’s strong showing by qualifying fifth with a 1:06.7061 in the No. 28 Bryant Honda. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin rounded out the Firestone Fast Six with a 1:07.0393 in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Chevrolet.
Sunday’s pre-race warmup begins at noon ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), with the 90-lap main event set for 4:30 p.m. (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
In the closing moments of qualifying, Palou briefly took the top spot before Kirkwood snatched it back with a blistering final lap. Herta followed with his best time but couldn’t match Kirkwood. Herta later noted that he didn’t get a proper tire warmup for his final run, which may have cost him the pole.
Christian Lundgaard, who sits fourth in points, was in position to make the Firestone Fast Six before sliding into the Turn 6 tire barrier in the final seconds of Round 2. The contact brought out a red flag after the checkered flag, and under INDYCAR rules, any driver who causes a red flag in qualifying loses their two fastest laps and cannot advance. As a result, Rosenqvist advanced in Lundgaard’s place.
Andretti #27 Kyle Kirkwood
“When you’re in an Andretti Global car at Long Beach, you know you’re going to be quick,” Kirkwood said. “A front-row lockout here is amazing. I’m shaking—it was a great lap, a great session. I didn’t put a wheel wrong, which is always the challenge on a street course. You’ve got to push the limit to earn that top spot.”
Andretti #26 Colton Herta
“The prep lap is critical for getting tire temps right, especially matching fronts and rears,” Herta said. “I didn’t have that, so the tires were a bit cold at the start. They came in after a few corners, but I probably lost time to Kyle early on. Still, you can’t be mad at a 1-2 for Andretti, and with Marcus in fifth, we’ve got a strong group heading into the race.”
