LONG BEACH, Calif. — The pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup early in this NTT IndyCar Series season could mirror a top-flight Grand Slam tennis match.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou head to this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with nearly the same point totals atop the standings. Kirkwood holds a two-point advantage.
Sure, there are other contenders for the season championship as only four of the 18 events have been staged, but already there is a theme.
Kirkwood has established himself as a leading candidate to win any street race, and the organization that employs him has consistently been strong on such circuits.
He has six wins in his three-plus seasons with Andretti Global, and five of the wins have been on street circuits. Kirkwood has won two of the past three Long Beach races from the pole, including last year, and he finished seventh in the other. He also has won on such circuits in Nashville (2023), Detroit (2025) and Arlington (2026). This would be a good weekend to hold serve.
Palou is one who could break Kirkwood’s serve.
The reigning series champion has enjoyed a distinct advantage on the road courses. He has won 16 times on those circuits since joining Chip Ganassi’s organization for the 2021 season.
Yes, he has won three street races, including this year’s race in St. Petersburg, where he won for the second straight year.
He finished second to Kirkwood last year at Long Beach, and he has five consecutive top-five finishes on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile course. In succession, Palou has finished fourth, third, fifth, third and second in a Ganassi car at Long Beach.
• Except for Alexander Rossi’s wins in 2018-19 and Kyle Kirkwood’s wins from pole in 2023 and 2025, the pole position has not been the place to start at Long Beach.
Just six drivers have won Long Beach from the top spot. While pole winners have scored podium finishes in recent races, they’ve also finished 15th or worse just as often (Colton Herta – 23rd in 2022, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 20th in 2014, Dario Franchitti – 15th in 2012, and Justin Wilson – 19th in 2008).
• Kyle Kirkwood is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four of this season’s events. Kirkwood, who won at Arlington, is one of nine drivers to finish in the top 10 in three of the four races so far. The other drivers are Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou.
• This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 51st auto racing event and the 42nd IndyCar Series event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first IndyCar race in 1984. Kyle Kirkwood won the race in 2025, his second win in Long Beach in the last three seasons.
Two California natives are entered: 2018 and 2019 race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City, while Nolan Siegel, who made his IndyCar debut at Long Beach in 2024, hails from Palo Alto.
• Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are entered drivers with multiple wins.
Power won in 2008 and 2012, Dixon won in 2015 and 2024, Rossi won in 2018 and 2019 and Kirkwood won in 2023 and 2025. One other former race winner is scheduled to compete, Josef Newgarden (2022).
• Six drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07), Alexander Rossi (2018-19) and Kyle Kirkwood (2023 and 2025).
• Twenty-two of the 25 drivers entered have competed in IndyCar races at Long Beach. Will Power has 19 starts, the most among all entered drivers. Twelve entered drivers have led laps: Power 187, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 148, Kyle Kirkwood 100, Josef Newgarden 100, Christian Lundgaard 26, Alex Palou 24, Sting Ray Robb 12, Graham Rahal 4, Kyffin Simpson 3, Marcus Armstrong 1 and Felix Rosenqvist 1.
