The 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach delivered thrilling action on April 13, with New Zealand’s top IndyCar talents—Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, and Marcus Armstrong. Dixon went into the weekend as the top pick as the 2024 race winner at Long Beach.
Qualifying Highlights: McLaughlin Breaks into Fast Six:
Scott McLaughlin showcased his prowess by advancing to the Fast Six in qualifying, ultimately securing the sixth starting position with a time of 1:07.0393.
Marcus Armstrong, impressed by qualifying seventh.
Veteran Scott Dixon faced challenges, clipping the wall during his session, which hindered his fastest lap and left him 14th on the grid.
Strategy and Pit Lane Drama Define Action-Packed 90-Lap Thriller at Long Beach:
The streets of Long Beach delivered yet another chaotic and strategy-heavy showdown as the 90-lap race produced wheel-to-wheel action from front to back.
Championship leader Alex Palou got off to a rocky start, losing two positions within the opening laps, while the rest of the grid settled into a frenetic rhythm.
Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden was among the first to blink, diving into the pits after the minimum tyre threshold to swap out his softs for the more durable hard compound. The move paid early dividends—he immediately set the fastest lap of the race, some 1.5 seconds quicker than race leader Kyle Kirkwood.
Following Newgarden’s lead, David Malukas, Scott McLaughlin, and Colton Herta all pitted soon after. Herta and McLaughlin had a heart-stopping moment as they exited side by side.
The curved pit lane played into Herta’s hands, edging McLaughlin out—an incident the Kiwi didn’t take lightly. Just moments later, McLaughlin lunged into Turn 4 to reclaim the position he believed was rightfully his.
Up front, Kirkwood, Alexander Rossi, and Marcus Armstrong were locked in an early scrap for supremacy just six laps into the race, while the pit lane remained a hive of activity. Palou and Felix Rosenqvist joined the early stoppers, shifting strategy focus across the field.
On Lap 7, Armstrong briefly inherited the race lead before pitting. Meanwhile, Scott Dixon—running a long-game strategy from the start on the hard compound tyres—quietly climbed into the top three alongside fellow hard tyre starters Kyffin Simpson, Christian Lundgaard, and Santino Ferrucci.
By Lap 27, Kirkwood had clawed back to 5th after pitting on Lap 7, making key passes on McLaughlin, Rosenqvist, and Palou. At the same time, Lundgaard led the race, extracting a strong pace from his used hards and burning push-to-pass every lap to stay ahead.
One lap later, Lundgaard finally peeled off into the pits, handing the lead over to Dixon. With Long Beach often rewarding bold strategy calls, fans wondered—was Dixon on his way to another shock victory?
But the pit cycle quickly reshuffled the deck. Dixon and Simpson came in a lap later, promoting Kirkwood back to the front. Dixon rejoined on cold, soft compound tyres—right into the path of a hard-charging McLaughlin, who was up to speed and eager to pounce. The two Kiwis went wheel-to-wheel for 5th and 6th in an early preview of the late-race battles to come.
It took Dixon just five laps to climb back into third as Armstrong surged from the midfield into 9th, with McLaughlin now hovering outside the top 10 in 13th.
A pivotal moment came on Lap 34 when Kirkwood made a race-defining stop. Lundgaard briefly regained the lead, but Kirkwood’s rapid out-lap helped him rejoin in 9th, ahead of Palou and still very much in the hunt for victory.
Armstrong followed suit with a stop on Lap 36, while Kirkwood wasted no time—gaining two spots in two laps on fresh rubber. Soft tyre degradation started taking its toll across the field. Dixon, whose pace dropped dramatically, boxed on Lap 37. A sticky right rear wheel cost him dearly, the slow stop pushing him back into the thick of it.
McLaughlin took advantage almost instantly, blazing past Dixon on hot tyres just a corner later. With over half the race still to go, the field was primed for a thrilling second half.
Kirkwood assumed control during the mid-phase, setting the tempo with Palou and Rosenqvist in close pursuit. With 31 laps remaining, McLaughlin cracked the top five before making his final stop and dropping to 17th, while Dixon battled from 10th and Armstrong clawed forward from 16th.
Newgarden’s promising run was derailed by seatbelt issues, forcing back-to-back stops that put him a lap down and out of contention. Focus shifted to his Team Penske counterparts—McLaughlin and Will Power—to salvage points.
With 26 laps to go, Palou made his final stop, dropping from 2nd to 4th. He emerged hungry, with Dixon square in his crosshairs. Moments later, Kirkwood came in for his last service, sacrificing the lead as his worn tyres began to cost valuable lap time.
Another clinical stop kept his hopes alive—he rejoined 3rd, just ahead of Palou, while Dixon cycled into 2nd before his final stop dropped him to 9th.
Kirkwood’s advantage? He had a hefty 40 seconds of push-to-pass in his back pocket for the final 24 laps.
As the final stint began, McLaughlin was back up to 6th, while Armstrong ran 14th.
At the front, Kirkwood and Palou engaged in a high-stakes chase, with just four seconds separating the two in the closing laps. Behind them, the final podium position was under siege.
Rosenqvist and Lundgaard were locked in a tense Honda vs. Chevrolet fight, with only half a second between them. With five laps to go, Lundgaard made a decisive move to secure the third step of the podium, with McLaughlin not far behind in 5th.
The drama didn’t stop there. With two laps remaining, McLaughlin battled Power for 5th while Herta lurked, ready to capitalise. McLaughlin held firm to finish 6th, securing 28 championship points.
Dixon wrapped up the day in 8th after fending off Sting Ray Robb and Simpson, bagging 24 points in a gritty drive.
Armstrong crossed the line in 14th for Meyer Shank Racing, collecting 16 points for his efforts.
Ultimately, strategy, consistency, and perfect execution delivered Kyle Kirkwood a masterful win in one of the most unpredictable races Long Beach has seen in recent years.
Kirkwood is closing in on Palou in the championship standings in second place; only 34 points separate the two drivers. Dixon is fifth with 86 points, McLaughlin is eighth with 69, and Armstrong is 14th with 50.
The Kiwi drivers’ performance at Long Beach underscores their competitiveness and determination in the 2025 IndyCar season. As the series progresses, anticipation builds for their continued success on the track.
The NTT Indycar Series takes a three-week break before returning for the 2025 Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, which saw Scott McLaughlin win in 2024. Can he make it 2 for 2?
Header Image: Penske Entertainment – Chris Owens
