LONG BEACH — Kyle Kirkwood said he will never forget his first career win in the NTT Indy Car Series, which happened on the streets of downtown Long Beach Sunday.
“It feels like I’ve done something special,” Kirkwood said. “That’s something that’s going to stick with me for sure.”
In particular, the calming words of his race strategist Bryan Herta, who previously guided two separate drivers to Indianapolis 500 wins in 2011 and 2016, continue to resonate with the second-year driver, who finished tenth in last year’s race during his rookie season.
“Bryan (Herta) on the radio telling me to soak it in was something that was really cool. He’s got an amazing resume,” Kirkwood shared. “He was really proud of me and that’s so cool coming from some amazing people that I have around me.”
Kyle Kirkwood shares what he will never forget about winning his first IndyCar Series race at the 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @presstelegram @GPLongBeach @InsideSoCalSpts #LongBeachGrandPrix #200mphBeachParty pic.twitter.com/wvR5ExzYNV
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023
The 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach ended under a green flag, with Kirkwood earning the convincing win, which impressed two-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Michael Andretti, who owns Kirkwood’s #27 car.
“He knows how to win,” Andretti said, who noted that his first and last career wins came in Long Beach.
The 24-year-old Kirkwood, the race’s pole sitter, led 53 of the 85 laps, with his fastest circuit of the 1.97-mile, 11-turn temporary street track, coming in just under one minute and eight seconds on lap 53.
This is how long it takes Kyle Kirwood to complete one lap at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. @presstelegram @InsideSoCalSpts #AcuraGPLB #LongBeachGP #200mphBeachParty pic.twitter.com/hhpFyWHLJb
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2023
Kirkwood’s Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean finished second for the second…
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