Kirkwood Wins IndyCar’s Inaugural Arlington GPPerry Nelson – Getty Images
Kyle Kirkwood rebounded from a mistake in qualifying that cost him a spot in the fast six qualifying and a chance at the pole and slow pit stops to win the Arlington GP on Sunday afternoon. Kirkwood chanced down Alex Palou with 16 laps remaining, passing in the final corners of IndyCar’s longest current Street Circuit. This is Kirkwood’s third straight win on street circuits, with him winning in Long Beach and Detroit last year.
Kirkwood waited for one of the last and hardest passing zones on the lap to pounce on Palou following the duo’s final set of pit stops, in which Palou was faster by more than two seconds.
Once Kirkwood secured the lead out of turn 14, he started to pull away and, with five laps to go, started to lap traffic on the 2.73-mile street course.
A lap later, the first caution of the race came out for Christian Rasmussen, who ended up in the wall right at the exit of the pit lane. His ECR car was quickly brought off track, and the race resumed with a lap remaining.
Kirkwood’s eight-second lead was deleted, setting the Andretti driver up to battle Palou one final time with a one-lap shootout.
Kirkwood wiggled on the start but pulled out to the lead, but a full 14-turn battle was unneeded with Nolan Siegel and Roman Grosjean getting together before they crossed the start/finish line.
With his win, Kirkwood becomes the third winner of the season through three races for three different teams.
Kirkwood’s teammates Will Power and pole sitter Marcus Ericsson finished third and fourth for the best Andretti race so far this season, despite mistakes and bad luck for all three on pit road.
Pato O’Ward finished fifth and is the only driver other than Kirkwood to finish the first three races in the top five.
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