LONG BEACH, Calif. — Kyle Kirkwood made it happen when it counted, saving a set of “sticker” Firestone tires for his final lap to win the first pole of his career in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Kirkwood’s fast lap of 1:06.2878 around the tight 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course on the streets of Long Beach in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda for Andretti Autosport proved to be enough to secure the point.
“I’m just ecstatic at the moment,” Kirkwood said. “Our car is on fire this weekend. We’re doing really good. The guys at Andretti Autosport are doing an amazing start this weekend.
“To get a pole in my third IndyCar Series race is awesome. It’s a good moment, no doubt.”
Click here for qualifying results.
Kirkwood edged Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing after last year’s Indianapolis 500 winner lapped the course at 1:06.3523 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda. Romain Grosjean of Andretti Autosport was third in the DHL Honda at 1:06.5347 followed by 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing at 1:06.5549 in the No. 10 Honda followed by teammate Scott Dixon’s 1:06.5730. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward was sixth at 1:06.6039 mph in the No. 6 Chevrolet.
Kirkwood also paced group one of segment one with a fast lap of 1:06.5593 in the No. 27 Honda. He was followed by Marcus Ericsson’s 1:06.6800 in the No. 8 Honda, Colton Herta’s 1:06.8246 in the No. 26 Honda, Felix Rosenqvist’s 1:07.0130 in the No. 6 Chevrolet, Alexander Rossi’s 1:07.0328 in the No. 7 Honda, and Josef Newgarden’s 1:07.2614 in the No. 2 Chevrolet.
Will Power missed advancing out of the first round by less than seven-thousandths of a second. Teammate Josef Newgarden’s time was 1:07.2614 to Power’s 1:07.2681.
Other drivers who missed advancing out of the first group of the first round were Jack Harvey, Christian Lundgaard, Rinus VeeKay, Sting Ray Robb, Benjamin Pedersen, and David Malukas, who crashed in turn nine after making initial contact in turn four.
Malukas believes he will compete in Sunday’s race but needs to be re-evaluated by the IndyCar Medical Team on Sunday morning.
Alex Palou was the fastest driver in group two at 1:06.3995 in the No. 10 Honda, followed by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon at 1:06.5305 in the No. 9 Honda, Pato O’Ward’s 1:06.5906 in the No. 5 Chevrolet, Marcus Armstrong’s 1:06.6488 in the No. 11 Honda, Romain Grosjean’s 1:06.6780 in the No. 28 Honda and Scott McLaughlin’s 1:06.6833 in the No. 3 Chevrolet.
Missing the cut were Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves, Santino Ferrucci, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Graham Rahal, Augustin Canapino and Conor Daly.
In the second round, rookie driver Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing stuffed the No. 11 Honda into the Turn 9 tire barrier with 53 seconds left in the session.
At that time, CGR teammates Ericsson and Scott Dixon were seventh and eighth and just out of the Fast Six. Others who were out at that time were Rossi, McLaughlin and Grosjean.
IndyCar allowed an extension of the session for each car to leave pit lane within 30 seconds and make one timed lap.
O’Ward decided to roll out at the back of the queue to allow the other cars to create a gap in front of him in case he needed to make a flying lap.
Rosenqvist was at the front of the field attempting to improve his position from sixth place and lock himself into the Firestone Fast Six.
Rosenqvist however, pulled off course after his one flying lap and dropped out of the Fast Six. Dixon was able to leap into fourth but was dropped to fifth after Grosjean took over the top position.
Ericsson raced up to fourth in the final seconds and Herta dropped out of the Fast Six.
“Because we only did one lap on the tires, we thought we could get another one in there and improve a little bit, but we overcooked the tires,” Herta said. “Seventh isn’t a bad spot and we get to keep an extra set of tires for Sunday.”
O’Ward, curiously, burned up a set of tires for no reason because he was already safely in the Fast Six.
Grosjean finished segment two as the leader at 1:06.3246 followed by O’Ward’s 1:06.3993, Kirkwood’s 1:06.4568, Ericsson’s 1:06.4760, Palou’s 1:06.5651 and Dixon’s 1:06.5787.
Missing the Fast Six were Herta, Newgarden, McLaughlin, Rosenqvist, Rossi and Armstrong.