Kyle Kirkwood snags second IndyCar Long Beach pole to claim an Andretti 1-2
Motorsport photo
For the second time in his young NTT IndyCar Series career, Florida's Kyle Kirkwood is set to lead the field to green in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Andretti Global star laid down a top time of 1:06.1921 to score his third-career pole and second in Long Beach.
Advertisement
'I'm shaking,' an excited Kirkwood told FOX Sports afterward. 'That was great. Such a good lap, such a good qualifying. Fortunately, I didn't put any wheel wrong and hit anything. That's always a question here at street courses. You've got to send it to get that top spot.'
Kirkwood's effort was one of a trio of solid results for Andretti Global. Teammate Colton Herta followed in second, with Marcus Ericsson just three spots behind in fifth.
'When you're in an Andretti Global car at Long Beach, you know you're going to be quick,' Kirkwood said. 'I'm so happy to capitalize on that here today. Front row lockout with Colton. I thought it was going to be him or I after that first quali run. He was super quick, I was super quick. I knew it was going to be a dogfight between him and I.'
Herta settled for second after a busy session, slapping the wall at the exit of the final corner after advancing to the Fast 12 and having to run without a prep lap in the final round. The 2022 polesitter felt the circumstances kept him from a potential pole run.
Advertisement
'That was a difficult one,' Herta said. 'The prep lap is what we do to try to get the temperatures in the right window, try to get the front and rear as equal as we can. I didn't have that, so the tires started off a little bit cold. But they got there in the end, after three or four corners.
'I'm guessing the time loss to Kyle is probably in those first few corners. It sucks. This is a pole that I feel like I should have gotten without getting that penalty and going off in the first run. But I still can't be mad at a front row and an Andretti 1-2.'
Championship leader and undefeated driver to this point, Alex Palou, slotted in third for Chip Ganassi Racing. Defending pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist took fourth for Meyer Shank Racing, with Ericsson and Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin rounding out the Fast 6.
As the Fast 12 unfolded…
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Advertisement
Kirkwood led the way in a Fast 12 impacted by a late red flag when Christian Lundgaard, who was sitting fifth at the time, slid wide and collided with the tire barrier.
Lundgaard's exit brought an unexpected end to the Fast 12, stopping the proceedings when drivers were on their final laps. It brought an end to the session for all three Arrow McLaren entries, who were on the wrong side of the cutline at the time of stoppage.
'I'm glad that we have good pace,' Nolan Siegel said. 'It's just frustrating to not get to show that. I think that we probably could have transferred and had the pace to do that. It would have been nice to actually make it happen, but we've got another day tomorrow. That's when it counts.'
'I'm glad Christian's alright, but (it's) a bummer for me, bummer for Nolan as well,' Pato O'Ward said. 'He didn't get his lap in, too. I think we all had the pace to be in there. Sad to see there's only one Chevy in there, but we can fight from ninth.'
Rosenqvist was seventh as the red flag flew, but snuck through to the Fast 6 after Lundgaard lost his top two lap times for causing the stoppage. Marcus Armstrong and Alexander Rossi sat seventh and eighth, with O'Ward, David Malukas, Siegel and Lundgaard completing the Fast 12.
Advertisement
Before his second round shunt, Lundgaard topped the opening group session, sneaking through to the Fast 12 with his final lap. Herta, Rosenqvist, O'Ward, Armstrong and Malukas followed. Kirkwood led the second group over Palou, McLaughlin, Siegel, Ericsson and Rossi.
Former champs suffer difficult qualifying days
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Defending Long Beach winner Scott Dixon will have to rally from the midfield if he hopes to repeat last year's heroics in the iconic street race. The Kiwi and his No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing team endured a difficult Saturday, starting early with an unusual hit into the wall in second practice.
Advertisement
Dixon's crew spent the hours between practice and qualifying repairing his stricken No. 9. But when qualifying finally came, another atypical mistake from the typically-consistent 'Ice Man' kept him from advancing into the Fast 12.
'The lap I was on was good for, I think, almost quick time, but I clipped the wall on the exit of (turn) 6 and it bent the toe link, so I had to abort,' Dixon said. 'Just kind of frustrating. I should have done it a lap earlier, but with car spacing. I think the car aborted in front of me on the first lap so I had to do the same thing. So the second lap wasn't as quick as it should have been.
'I think we were up on our teammate by about a tenth-and-a-half at that point, so (I would have been) easily through on that session.'
It was another difficult qualifying day for Team Penske, who saw star drivers Will Power and Josef Newgarden fail to advance out of group qualifying for the second-straight race. Power's qualifying effort was impacted by a hit in the turn 6 wall. Newgarden felt his run was impeded by a slow Rosenqvist in the hairpin, but no penalty came of the lodged complaint.
Advertisement
'It was kind of difficult to get a clear lap with people backing up a lot. … Almost needed to go on the first lap, I guess,' Power told FOX Sports afterward. 'It's hard to have a good out lap. Then you've got to (create a) gap and let people go. Then people stop at the hairpin.
'No excuses, man. I mean, we're quick in practice. Every single practice this year we've been fast. Every single one. And we haven't gotten (into) the top 12 yet. You can make as many excuses as you want. We've just got to get it done when it counts on the soft tires.'
Power's three-straight races without a Fast 12 appearance are the most for the Australian since a run of four races from Belle Isle through Toronto in 2022. It would have been a second-straight race without a Fast 12 qualifier for series owner Roger Penske's squad had McLaughlin not made it through the second group.
Advertisement
It was a difficult qualifying session for several drivers, with many suffering damage after contact with the wall. Lundgaard was the only one to crash out of a run, but Herta, Power, Dixon and Santino Ferrucci all went wide at different corners along the treacherous street circuit.
Ferrucci's incident at the end of group qualifying forced him to stop in the runoff area. The Fast 12 was briefly delayed so his vehicle could be retrieved.
Sunday's race will go live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Photos from Long Beach - Practice & Qualifying
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Will Power, Team Penske
Will Power, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Patricio O'ward, Arrow McLaren
Patricio O'ward, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing
Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Will Power, Team Penske
Will Power, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing
Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
General view
General view
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing
Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Callum Ilott, Prema Racing
Callum Ilott, Prema Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
David Malukas, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
David Malukas, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing
Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
Penske Entertainment
Penske Entertainment
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
14 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Driver Gifts Cameraman Bottle Of Bourbon After Fall That Went Viral
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Devlin DeFrancesco wanted to heal any pain from an unintended spill that happened a week ago in St. Louis. As DeFrancesco ran back to his car after exiting the infield medical center at World Wide Technology Raceway (known as Gateway), he stopped. Then Jimmy Kevin Henslee, the cameraman who was following him, tried to stop short and fell. No person was injured. The camera, however, might be a different story. And DeFrancesco wanted to give something to Henslee — who's known throughout the garage as "Bama" because of the Alabama flag on his camera. "A bottle of bourbon, most men enjoy that," DeFrancesco said. "It was unfortunate what happened at Gateway. And sad to see him fall or break his camera. I just thought it was something good to do." DeFrancesco wasn't knocked over and was not injured. "I was fine," DeFrancesco said. "He kind of just missed me and fell over and took the brunt of it." What made DeFrancesco stop so suddenly? "They jumped off the stand and told me to stop and turn around and he was following me and I guess didn't see me and fell over," DeFrancesco said. "I felt bad over the incident and felt it would be good to do something nice." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox Sports
15 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Qualifying Notes: Kyle Moyer Lands New Job with Arrow McLaren
INDYCAR Kyle Moyer's time as a free agent didn't last long. The veteran team manager who was one of three executives released last month by Team Penske has been hand-picked by Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan to join the Indianapolis-based NTT INDYCAR SERIES program. Moyer will be the organization's director of competition beginning with next week's test at Iowa Speedway. Kanaan and Moyer worked together for years at Andretti Global when Kanaan was a driver. Moyer was the team manager when Kanaan won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2004. Moyer left Michael Andretti's team in 2015 to join Roger Penske's organization. Moyer, along with Team President Tim Cindric and Managing Director Ron Ruzewski, were released by Team Penske in advance of the recent Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge after the cars of defending champion Josef Newgarden and Will Power were found with unapproved modifications ahead of qualifying. At Arrow McLaren, Moyer will replace Kanaan as the race strategist for Nolan Siegel, allowing Kanaan to work with all three Arrow McLaren drivers on race weekends. Kanaan told the Associated Press that almost every team in the paddock tried to hire Moyer, but the relationship the two of them have gave McLaren the edge. 'Kyle is one of the best strategists in the paddock, so talking about his qualities, not just about him as a human being, he knows a lot about racing,' Kanaan told the AP. 'Kyle probably is one of the top guys of knowledge of INDYCAR. He's been around it his entire life.' Moyer grew up in Monrovia, Indiana, and was brought into the sport by the Bettenhausen family. Kirkwood Credits Decision Making to Surge Series points leader Alex Palou had the spotlight for most of the first half of the season. A dominant start featured five wins in six races, including an Indy 500 victory, and made him the undisputed championship favorite. But lately, Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood has turning heads – and is turning the title tide. Kirkwood has surged to third in the standings, 75 points behind Palou, thanks to wins in the only three races Palou hasn't claimed. Kirkwood had just two wins in his first 53 series races. He now has three wins in the past six races. 'I think he's always been there,' Colton Herta said of his teammate heading into Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). 'Maybe he's gotten a little bit better at how to race and when to go fast in races, and that just comes (with experience). But I think he's driving pretty similar to last year. He just had bad luck with penalties last year.' Kirkwood agrees the difference isn't raw speed but decision making. He cited last year's fifth-place finish at Road America as an example of when pushed too hard early in the race trying to stave off eventual third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin. The effort backfired and opened the door for McLaughlin and Palou to pass. 'I realized later it was inevitable,' Kirkwood said. 'I pushed too hard too early.' We'll see what he learned from last year. Dixon Penalized for Impeding DeFrancesco Six-time series champion Scott Dixon said he was trying to create a gap to maximize his chances of advancing in qualifying, but race officials said Dixon impeded the hot lap of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Devlin DeFrancesco during the first round of qualifying. The penalty proved costly to the Chip Ganassi Racing veteran. Rather than advancing to the Fast 12 and perhaps earning a top-10 starting position, Dixon lost his two fastest laps and was reduced to the 25th starting position. Only three times in his career has he started farther back, including 26th earlier this year in the Children's of Alabama INDYCAR Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. He finished 12th in that race. 'It is what it is, man,' he said in ending an interview with FOX's Kevin Lee on pit road. recommended
Fox Sports
16 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Rookie Louis Foster Earns First Career Pole at Road America
INDYCAR First, it was Robert Shwartzman at Indianapolis. Now it's Louis Foster's turn. Foster became the second rookie to earn an NTT P1 Award this season, grabbing his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for the XPEL Grand Prix of Road America Presented by AMR with a stunning lap of 1 minute, 44.5141 seconds Saturday in the No. 45 Droplight/Desnuda Tequila Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster's best previous start this season was third at the Sonsio Grand Prix in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. SEE: Qualifying Results 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Foster became the first rookie to claim an NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for a road course or street circuit race since Linus Lundqvist won the top spot for this race last year. Shwartzman shocked the racing world in May by becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole. Foster's pole marked the first INDYCAR SERIES season with two rookie pole winners since 2019, when Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta achieved the feat. 'I said to the guys as we got into the Fast 12 to not put reds (Firestone Firehawk alternate tires) on because I wasn't confident we would make it through to the Fast Six,' Foster said. 'Boy, was I wrong. Absolutely awesome. The 45 crew has been amazing all weekend. 'Couldn't ask for a better start to the weekend. I still can't believe it. We went fast on old and new (tires). I'm going to celebrate well tonight.' The 55-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 25-minute warmup session will precede the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Championship leader Alex Palou rebounded from two consecutive races off the top three finishers' podium by qualifying second at 1:44.6300 in the No. 10 SOLO Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kyle Kirkwood, who has won the last two races, qualified third at 1:44.8523 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda of Andretti Global. Scott McLaughlin will join him in Row 2 of the starting grid after qualifying fourth at 1:45.0137 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard, quickest in pre-qualifying practice Saturday morning, will start fifth after his best lap of 1:45.0828 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Graham Rahal qualified sixth at 1:45.4877 in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the only team to place two drivers into the Firestone Fast Six in the three-segment qualifying format. Pato O'Ward, second in points, qualified 11th at 1:45.3704 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O'Ward trails Palou by 73 points, while Kirkwood is third, 75 back of the leader. The six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six final segment used an interesting mix of tire strategies to try and cope with air temperatures tickling the 90s and track temperatures in the triple digits on the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Foster got the pole job done on lightly used Firestone Firehawk alternate tires and was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the harder, more durable primary tires during any of the three segments. Palou opted for scuffed alternates before using new alternates on his final laps. Rahal was the only one of the six drivers to use primary tires in the last segment as he did not run the harder, more durable tire in either of the first two segments. recommended
