It has been a long time since a rival driver made Alex Palou blink, but Kyle Kirkwood achieved that rare feat to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix at Arlington on Sunday. Kirkwood took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead and earned his first victory of the season despite a sluggish final pit stop by his Andretti Global crew. Driving his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda, he secured the win under caution over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time series champion Palou, who has won the title for the last three consecutive seasons.
The victory was a testament to the sheer pace of the Andretti Global camp, which placed three drivers in the top four at the finish of the 70-lap street-circuit race. The course, a 2.73-mile layout featuring 14 turns, wound around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, providing a high-stakes backdrop for the battle. Will Power placed third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda, marking his first podium finish with his new team after 16 seasons at Team Penske. Marcus Ericsson, the polesitter, finished fourth, while Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five as the highest-placing Chevrolet driver.
The defining moment of the race occurred after the final round of pit stops on Lap 49. While the Chip Ganassi crew serviced Palou in a crisp 7.7 seconds, Kirkwood’s stop was delayed by a slow right-rear wheel change, clocking in at 9.5 seconds. Palou emerged with a 2.2-second lead, but Kirkwood utilized the superior speed he had shown all weekend to hunt down the champion. By Lap 55, Kirkwood had closed the gap to less than half a second and executed a daring, clean pass under Palou in Turn 13 to reclaim the lead.
Kirkwood eventually built a comfortable five-second cushion, but the margin was erased when Christian Rasmussen hit the tire barrier on Lap 68, triggering a full-course yellow. Although the field bunched up for a potential one-lap dash, a second caution involving Romain Grosjean and Nolan Siegel forced the race to end under yellow. Kirkwood cruised to the checkered flag to the cheers of a capacity crowd, moving 26 points ahead of Palou in the standings as the series heads to Barber Motorsports Park in late March.
Grand Prix of Arlington Results
March 15, 2026
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
PTS
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
K. Kirkwood #27
|
7
|
16
|
Winner
|
53
|
|
|
2 |
A. Palou #10
|
2
|
16
|
0.314
|
41
|
|
|
3 |
W. Power #26
|
4
|
16
|
3.586
|
36
|
|
|
4 |
M. Ericsson #28
|
1
|
15
|
4.913
|
34
|
|
|
5 |
P. O’Ward #5
|
3
|
–
|
5.934
|
30
|
|
|
6 |
D. Malukas #12
|
9
|
–
|
7.448
|
28
|
|
|
7 |
C. Lundgaard #7
|
18
|
–
|
8.750
|
26
|
|
|
8 |
S. Dixon #9
|
20
|
–
|
9.832
|
24
|
|
|
9 |
A. Rossi #20
|
10
|
–
|
10.708
|
22
|
|
|
10 |
M. Armstrong #66
|
6
|
–
|
12.489
|
20
|
|
|
11 |
S. McLaughlin #3
|
25
|
–
|
13.889
|
19
|
|
|
12 |
C. Collet #4
|
16
|
–
|
14.743
|
18
|
|
|
13 |
L. Foster #45
|
13
|
–
|
16.203
|
17
|
|
|
14 |
R. Veekay #76
|
21
|
–
|
16.868
|
16
|
|
|
15 |
J. Newgarden #2
|
11
|
–
|
18.754
|
15
|
|
|
16 |
D. Hauger #19
|
19
|
–
|
21.293
|
14
|
|
|
17 |
S. Ferrucci #14
|
12
|
–
|
22.289
|
13
|
|
|
18 |
G. Rahal #15
|
24
|
–
|
24.734
|
12
|
|
|
19 |
K. Simpson #8
|
14
|
–
|
27.629
|
11
|
|
|
20 |
F. Rosenqvist #60
|
5
|
7
|
33.605
|
11
|
|
|
21 |
S. Robb #77
|
23
|
–
|
–
|
9
|
|
|
22 |
M. Schumacher #47
|
17
|
–
|
–
|
8
|
|
|
23 |
R. Grosjean #18
|
15
|
–
|
–
|
7
|
|
|
24 |
N. Siegel #6
|
22
|
–
|
–
|
6
|
|
|
25 |
C. Rasmussen #21
|
8
|
–
|
–
|
5
|
|
