Kyle Kirkwood beat Alex Palou to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, but the wider story was the unanimous reaction from drivers, fans and ticket buyers — a Texas debut that raised the bar for what an IndyCar street race can be.
Felix Rosenqvist led 51 of 85 laps and ran the crowd-pleasing Green Day livery at Long Beach, but a late yellow and Chip Ganassi's perfect undercut handed Alex Palou the 2026 IndyCar win.
Alex Palou converted a decisive pit stop into a commanding Long Beach IndyCar victory, beating pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist by 3.97 seconds to extend his championship lead. The Chip Ganassi Racing star now has three wins in five races as he chases a fifth title and fourth consecutive crown.
Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist edged Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward by 0.044 seconds to take Long Beach IndyCar pole with a 1:07.4635 lap, with Palou third after a near-miss into the final hairpin and Kirkwood fourth.
Romain Grosjean was sent head-on into the Long Beach turn one wall during Practice 2 at the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Friday, triggering a session-ending red flag and underlining how unforgiving the famous street circuit remains for IndyCar drivers.
Kyle Kirkwood heads into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach as defending champion and IndyCar's early-season pace-setter, with Andretti Global team-mate Will Power adding historic firepower.
Arrow McLaren's Pato OWard has cooled significantly on his long-held Formula 1 ambitions, branding the 2026-spec category 'artificial' and saying he has 'zero desire' to chase a seat under the new regulations.
Kyle Kirkwood bounced back from a disappointing Friday to lead Saturday's pre-qualifying practice at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Honda-powered drivers swept the top five positions on the challenging temporary street circuit.
Alexander Rossi enters the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington sitting 10th in points after a solid Phoenix finish. The ECR Chevrolet driver has extra motivation with primary sponsor Java House on his car for the highly anticipated Texas street race.
Indiana native Conor Daly will pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the 110th Indianapolis 500, backed by new sponsor Kingspan. The veteran driver finished 10th with the team in 2024 after gaining 19 positions from his 29th starting spot.
Conor Daly will make his 13th attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The Noblesville native joins Jack Harvey at the part-time IndyCar team, with Irish building materials company Kingspan providing sponsorship for the May event.
Josef Newgarden's victory at Phoenix Raceway propelled him to the top of FOX Sports' IndyCar power rankings, surpassing defending champion Alex Palou. The Team Penske driver's resurgence continues after ending a winless 2025 season with a victory in the finale.
