Why Kyle Kirkwood Is Primed For Another Grand Prix Of Long Beach Win

Maybe it’s because Kyle Kirkwood grew up adjacent to nan h2o successful Jupiter, Fla. Maybe it’s because nan title comes early successful nan season, erstwhile everything is still fresh.

Or possibly it’s because nan title is nan closest point his engineering squad astatine Honda Racing Corp. has to a location crippled connected nan IndyCar circuit. Any aliases each of those guesses are arsenic bully arsenic thing Kirkwood tin travel up to explicate his occurrence astatine nan seaside Grand Prix of Long Beach, wherever he’ll participate nan 177-mile title arsenic its defending champion.

“I don’t really cognize why, exactly, that spot suits maine amended than anyplace else,” he said. “For judge I’m conscionable much comfortable astir that circuit. Every twelvemonth we spell backmost to Long Beach it’s conscionable unthinkable nan capacity that we’re capable to put on.”

Two of Kirkwood’s six IndyCar wins, including his first, came astatine Long Beach. Only 4 men successful nan 50-year history of nan race, person won much often — and Kirkwood has started location conscionable 4 times.

Two of his 3 IndyCar rod positions came astatine Long Beach. And complete nan past 3 Long Beach races, he’s led 100 laps, much than doubly arsenic galore arsenic immoderate different driver.

That occurrence has helped him climb nan leaderboard successful nan title standings. He vanished a career-best 4th past twelvemonth and will travel to Long Beach atop nan array this year, holding a two-point lead complete Alex Palou aft 4 races.

“Long Beach is simply a typical 1 to us, right?” said Kirkwood, 27, who has a triumph and 3 different top-five finishes successful 2026, marking his best-ever commencement to a season. “Of people we’re not successful nan position correct now wherever we’re like, ‘oh, we request to triumph this title to triumph nan championship.’ But location successful nan backmost of our mind we cognize that this is 1 of our champion opportunities to win.”

Because nan 11-turn, 1.968-mile Long Beach people is truthful tight, passing is difficult. That makes Saturday’s qualifying and nan pit stops successful Sunday’s 90-lap title crucial.

“The sanction of nan crippled astir Long Beach [is] little than conscionable having a straightfoward title wherever you conscionable dogfight, conscionable spell retired location and effort to walk nan car successful beforehand of you. It’s much strategy and a spot of a chess match,” said Kirkwood, whose Andretti Global squad is known for its spot connected tight, bumpy “green” circuits specified arsenic Long Beach.

“Half of a 2nd successful nan pit lane is simply a batch of clip connected a title way astatine 180 miles per hour. You’ve sewage to make judge that you don’t springiness up that spread truthful it plays a large role. There’s apt astatine Long Beach only 2 aliases 3 pit stops. It makes a batch of unit connected those 2 aliases 3 stops.”

Kyle Kirkwood takes portion successful a believe convention astatine nan Grand Prix of St. Petersburg successful February.

(David Jensen / Getty Images)

Palou, whose Ganassi squad excelled successful nan pits past April, agreed.

“Last twelvemonth we were capable to move up beforehand because of nan pit stops,” said Palou, who has vanished successful nan apical 5 successful each of nan past 4 Long Beach races but has ne'er won there. “Obviously immoderate drivers mislaid position. When you person a awesome squad down you, that backs you erstwhile [you] are successful nan pits, it conscionable makes your title and your play a batch easier.”

While Kirkwood has been capable to support Palou successful his rear-view reflector astatine Long Beach, he has ne'er vanished up of nan Spaniard successful nan play points race, pinch Palou winning 4 of nan past 5 championships.

“He’ll spell down arsenic 1 of nan champion drivers successful IndyCar history,” Kirkwood said. “People look astatine it for illustration ‘man, he’s conscionable beating up connected everybody.’ It’s really beautiful cool to beryllium capable to compete against personification that’s going to beryllium considered 1 of nan champion successful nan world for galore years to come.

“We’re ever trying to support up pinch him.”

The 2 drivers will beryllium sharing a cheering conception this play since some usage engines built by Honda Racing Corporation USA, which is headquartered successful Santa Clarita. Eleven different IndyCar drivers besides person Honda powerfulness plants and it has go customary for nan drivers to sojourn nan Honda installation successful either Santa Clarita aliases Torrance nan week earlier nan Long Beach race, which marked its aureate day pinch Kirkwood’s triumph a twelvemonth ago.

“That’s evidently a location title for them, which is moreover much unit for america to execute,” said Kirkwood, who is based successful Indianapolis. “Last twelvemonth was a large twelvemonth for them, right? Winning it successful nan 50th year, it was beautiful special.”

For Kirkwood, however, it was conscionable different time astatine nan beach.