LONG BEACH, Calif. – Regardless of , Arrow McLaren – and the remainder of the IndyCar area at-large – couldn’t preserve Alex Palou from driving to Victory Lane from third on the grid, .
, Andretti International can have a go.
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For the second time in three years, Kyle Kirkwood will tempo the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside area from pole, following up on his maiden IndyCar pole and first IndyCar victory on the identical venue in 2023. This time, he’ll share that entrance row with Andretti International teammate Colton Herta, with two-time defending sequence champion and cozy 2025 points-leader Alex Palou beginning third.
“It’s nonetheless early within the championship, in fact, however clearly we need to beat the man who’s almost definitely to win (the 2025 championship). I feel with him popping out with two wins, it’s necessary to get forward of him (Sunday),” mentioned Kirkwood Saturday after securing his third-career IndyCar pole. “Hopefully we have now good racecars. We now have prior to now, so there’s no purpose why we shouldn’t, and we’ve received three alternatives to do it.”
IndyCar Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside:
Apr 12, 2025; Lengthy Seaside, California, USA; Andretti International driver Kyle Kirkwood (27) and crew pose for pictures after securing pole place throughout qualifying for the Lengthy Seaside Grand Prix at Lengthy Seaside avenue circuit. Obligatory Credit score: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Photos
Andretti International teammate Marcus Ericsson will begin fifth Sunday, with Felix Rosenqvist (4th) and Scott McLaughlin (sixth) rounding out Saturday’s Quick Six area.
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Lengthy thought-about the second most necessary race weekend on the IndyCar calendar – the – Lengthy Seaside holds a particular place in , with successful the third version in Formulation 1 in 1977 and three extra in CART. His son, , made Lengthy Seaside each his first main American open-wheel victory (1986) – sandwiching his father’s third and fourth wins on the monitor – and his final (2002). And throughout the final 14 years, 5 completely different Andretti International drivers – Ryan Hunter-Reay, Mike Conway, Alexander Rossi, Herta and Kirkwood – have mixed to win Lengthy Seaside six occasions, together with 4 of the final six.
“We have a tendency to come back right here with good racecars, and I’m glad nothing has modified,” mentioned Herta, who received Lengthy Seaside in 2021 and who secured pole in 2022.
From F1 beginnings to IndyCar mainstay:
A part of the battle Sunday for Kirkwood, Herta and Ericsson might be strolling the high quality line of racing every with the right combination of aggression and customary sense, because the group eyes its first win of 2025 after 4 top-8 finishes among the many trio, however up to now no podiums, although Kirkwood and Ericsson (fifth and sixth and St. Pete) and Herta and Kirkwood (4th and eighth at Thermal) racing a lot of each these races nose-to-tail.
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Final yr on the streets of Toronto, the roles in a front-row lockout had been reversed, with Herta on pole and main 81 of 85 laps en path to a snug victory, whereas Kirkwood equally cruised one spot behind in second, the latter by no means severely making a cost at overtaking his teammate for the lead on-track.
Andretti International with Curb-Agajanian driver Colton Herta (26) talks together with his father, Bryan Herta, and Andretti International driver Kyle Kirkwood (27) on Friday, Might 17, 2024, throughout Quick Friday forward of the 108th operating of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
‘It’s important to reprogram your complete thoughts’:
However each identified Saturday that circumstances had been a lot completely different heading into that race day, with Andretti International shouldering a 15-race absence from Victory Lane and having only a single win over the past 25 races – courting again to Kirkwood’s 2023 Lengthy Seaside breakthrough. The message from group management in Toronto that afternoon had been completely clear: Past all else, securing a win for the group after a front-row lockout was paramount.
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Although they’re but to have had severe group discussions about method Sunday’s race, each drivers mentioned they count on to have extra freedom to battle one another for the win – inside purpose, in fact.
“I feel right here, in fact you don’t take pointless dangers, however you race your teammates,” Kirkwood mentioned.
Herta added: “I’m glad Andretti lets us race. Me and Kyle have at all times been extraordinarily truthful in how we race one another, and I feel Toronto is an instance. I feel we perceive if there’s a chance to move one another, however we’re not going to take pointless dangers. I feel Andretti does job, like they did in Toronto, the place they set us as much as be in place to win a race, and I feel we’re actually good at making an attempt to handle that form of relationship as we go.”
