Kyle Kirkwood Wins IndyCars in DC.
Kyle Kirkwood achieved a historic victory on Sunday by winning the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., marking the inaugural motor race around the National Mall and the iconic landmarks of the nation's capital.
Following a challenging day for NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou, the question arises: Can Kirkwood further cement his place in history by overtaking Palou in the final three races of the season to claim the championship?
Florida native Kirkwood piloted his No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda to a victory by 3.0906 seconds over Christian Lundgaard's No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with three Andretti Global drivers finishing in the top four. The victory margin was misleading due to a late caution that grouped the field for a restart on the seven-turn, 1.7-mile temporary street circuit, as Kirkwood had led by more than 16 seconds at times during the 250-mile race.
"You can't even put it into words – this is incredible," Kirkwood expressed. "I'm almost in tears here. This is a significant moment for us, a big moment for America here with the 250."
Lundgaard commented: "I feel that it's fitting that an American won, right? We gave it our best shot."
Kirkwood secured his second win of the season in dominant style, leading 128 of 147 laps after starting in second position. He also claimed victory at the inaugural street race in March in Arlington, Texas, as six of his seven career wins have been on temporary circuits.
"It felt good to dominate out there; I'm not going to lie," Kirkwood remarked. "That was a really good moment. What an incredible place to do it. If you can't win the (Indianapolis) 500, this is definitely the place to win. I don't know if we'll ever get a chance to do it again – I hope we do. This was awesome. What a dream come true."
Andretti Global took the next two spots, with Will Power finishing third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda and Marcus Ericsson fourth in the No. 28 Acura Honda in this race that was the capping event of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Kyffin Simpson rounded out the top five in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Kirkwood trailed Palou by 133 points entering this historic event, but the gap is down to 91 with three races remaining after Palou finished 20th in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
While Kirkwood was dreaming at the checkered flag, Palou endured a nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Palou, aiming for his record-tying fourth consecutive title and fifth overall, suffered through an uncommon string of mistakes ranging from hitting a rival’s tire during a pit stop and incurring a drive-through penalty, a slow pit stop due to a loose wheel and then a crash in Turn 4 on Lap 123 due to a broken toe link from earlier wall contact.
“It hurts, man,” Palou said. “I wanted to get that win. It kind of hurts a lot that we had this bad of a day. It’s OK; things happen.”
History still is very much on Palou’s side. Since the sport reunified in 2008, the largest gap any driver has overcome with four races left to win a title is 59 points by Dario Franchitti in 2010. Palou still could clinch his fifth Astor Challenge Cup in the doubleheader Aug. 29-30 at the Milwaukee Mile.
Kirkwood made his intentions and the power of his car clear from the start, as President Donald J. Trump waved the green flag. He battled with Palou through Turn 1 before seizing the lead in Turn 2 on the first lap of the second-longest temporary street race in INDYCAR SERIES history.
From then on, Kirkwood only fell behind during pit stop sequences. No alternative tire or fuel strategies from competitors could match him on his standout day.
Kirkwood eliminated perhaps his only early challenger in front of a massive crowd—the two-day weekend attendance was 215,000—when Palou hit the wheel in the pit box of Mick Schumacher's No. 47 Vanda Honda on Lap 39 during his first pit stop. This infraction led to a drive-through penalty that Palou served on Lap 43, dropping him to 21st place.
After that, only caution periods slowed Kirkwood's historic charge. He led by 16 seconds when he made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 112.
Two restarts occurred between Laps 128 and 134, bunching the field and giving Kirkwood’s competitors some hope.
Scott McLaughlin briefly took the lead by diving under Kirkwood in Turn 1 on Lap 129 after a restart, but he entered the corner too quickly and was out of the race when the right side of his No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet hit a tire barrier.
Kirkwood left no uncertainty on the final restart of the race on Lap 134, pulling away from the pack. He coasted to the checkered flag waved by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and then celebrated in front of numerous government dignitaries in a suite above Turn 1, including President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
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