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LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Kirkwood showed that Alex Palou can be beat this IndyCar season and returned Andretti Global to the top of the podium with his second career victory at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Kirkwood has won the most prestigious street course race in the United States twice in the last three years and Sunday's win ended the early run of Palou dominance. Palou, a three-time IndyCar champion including the last two consecutive seasons, won the first two races this year.
Palou, the current points leader, instead finished second.
“You never feel amazing when you finish second,” Palou said. “I tried, I tried. I think we did the best we could.”
Palou's dominance has started to irritate other drivers in the field, but the Spaniard doesn't care. He was an unknown from a racing series in Japan when he arrived in IndyCar in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when competition was in a bubble and few got a chance to interact with Palou.
He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 and, in top-notch equipment, won three races and his first IndyCar championship. He was polite, always smiling, and used the descriptor “it's amazing” for nearly everything good that was happening to him.
Palou's demeanor was endearing and he presented himself as very eager to please. It wasn't an act, but as he collected three championship trophies, there's been a shift in Palou's approach — he's still smiling and nice, but he's calculated and unconcerned about the competition. When told this weekend he should give his rivals a chance to win a race, Palou used an expletive in declining and said to publish his words.
He said he planned to win the first six races of the season before he'd give another driver a chance — a run that would include Palou's first victory in next month's Indianapolis 500. Alas, his streak came to an end on the downtown streets of Long Beach, which hosted the caution-free race for the 50th year.
“I am not disappointed, 100% I am happy to be here,” Palou said. “It sucks we couldn't make it more interesting for the fans, but I am happy to be here.”
Palou joined his Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon as the only drivers in the last 14 seasons to win the first two races of the year — Dixon did it in 2020, when he won the first three races and eventually his sixth IndyCar title.
Will Power (2010), Sebastian Bourdais (2006), Paul Tracy (2003), Sam Hornish Jr. (2001), Rick Mears (1982) and Johnny Rutherford (1980) are the only drivers to also win the first two races of the season. All but Power went on to win the championship.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
