Not even adversity on pit road or a late-race caution could slow down Kyle Kirkwood in Sunday’s (March 15) inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.
“Oh my gosh. That was so incredible,” Kirkwood said. “We had some pace, right? It’s because of this racecar that we won (Sunday) and because of teamwork. We’re just so stoked.”
Arguably the most consistent driver in the NTT IndyCar Series so far this season, Kirkwood made a tight pass in turn 14 alongside Alex Palou stick with 16 laps to go to take the lead. He then survived a late-race restart due to an incident involving Christian Rasmussen and went on to claim the win ahead of Palou.
“He did an awesome pass, hats off to him,” Palou said. “It was super-clean, it was pretty impressive.”
Will Power finished third to give Andretti Global two podium finishers, by far the best finish for Power so far in his new ride for 2026. Marcus Ericsson took fourth, giving Andretti three of the race’s top four positions. Pato O’Ward was fifth.
Power’s podium was his first for an organization other than Team Penske since 2008, taking advantage of a two-stop strategy to get the result.
“It was good, a very good car. Great fuel mileage from Honda,” Power said. “Congrats to Kyle, he was going to be hard to beat no matter what. He was so fast, man. Great for Andretti, to be one, three, and four, it’s a big deal.”
Kirkwood, who entering Sunday had four of his five previous career wins on street courses, set a similar standard early after starting seventh, moving to the lead.
But when the race leaders made their way in for their first round of pit stops, pit road gremlins for Andretti that also included Ericsson put Palou ahead as that group of drivers found itself mid pack during the round of green-flag pit stops. Palou cycled back to the lead 22 laps into the race, approximately two seconds in front of Ericsson.
But Kirkwood’s steady day near the front was a chance of which he cashed in on, first getting by Christian Lundgaard for third place just past the 50th lap of the 70-lap event. Kirkwood closed within two seconds with 22 laps to go, just before Palou gained more than two seconds on the pit road. His Chip Ganassi Racing crew was on point, with a 7.7-second stop compared to Kirkwood’s being slower at 9.5 seconds.
But with the combo of Kirkwood’s street-course prowess and performance in the racecar, it didn’t end up mattering. Kirkwood needed less than five laps to make the race-winning pass, an edge that he held onto in the final sprint to the finish.
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Results
Up next for IndyCar, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will kick off at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 29, with coverage on FOX.
