Kirkwood finished 0.7633s ahead of Team Penske’s polewinner Scott McLaughlin and series dominator Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing). The race was red-flagged in the closing stages for a multi-car pileup, but Kirkwood kept his cool for his second win of the season.
Following an aborted start, McLaughlin led the field to green from Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) and Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport), as an aggressive David Malukas (Dale Coyne Racing) grabbed fourth from a tentative Palou. Romain Grosjean (Andretti) was the leading car that started on the harder primary tire in sixth.
Kirkwood, who started eighth, made a bold move on fellow primary starter Will Power (Penske) for seventh, while Penske’s Josef Newgarden – who also started on the primary – dropped back to 10th behind Toronto winner Christian Lundgaard (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing).
Palou repassed Malukas on lap seven, with Grosjean and Kirkwood doing likewise soon after.
McLaughlin pulled 2.7s clear of O’Ward, as Herta fell back into the clutches of Palou. Malukas pitted for primaries on lap 12 but caused the race’s first yellow a lap later when his rear wing collapsed on the run to Turn 4, following a sudden release of heat from underneath the engine cover.
Surprisingly, Palou was the only one of the leaders to pit under yellow, rejoining 22nd, but didn’t get as much fuel in the tank as the team had planned.
The race went green again on lap 16, with O’Ward getting into the back of McLaughlin in a messy restart in which Herta got shuffled wide into the wall. Herta tumbled to sixth, having been hit by Kirkwood and Power, and pitted for new primaries, reporting damage over the radio. He rejoined in 25th.
McLaughlin pulled clear at the front by 4s, as O’Ward fought a rearguard action with Grosjean and Kirkwood on his tail. Power ran fifth, ahead of early pitter Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing).
Now struggling hugely with his tires, O’Ward ran wide at Turn 9, allowing Grosjean and then Kirkwood past. Power and VeeKay also passed him before he pitted on lap 24.
McLaughlin pitted on lap 25, allowing Grosjean to lead from Kirkwood, Power, VeeKay and Newgarden. McLaughlin rejoined in 19th.
Grosjean pitted from the lap on lap 28, followed in by the majority of the leaders – although Kirkwood ran a lap later. Marcus Ericsson, the inaugural winner of this event, took a turn in the lead for CGR.
Palou was the net leader at this point, ahead of Kirkwood, Grosjean and McLaughlin. O’Ward was the big loser of the opening pit cycle, having stayed out too long on his first set of tires, losing further spots to Newgarden, Dixon, VeeKay and Power.
Palou hit the front for real on lap 33, 1.5s clear of Kirkwood. Series debutant Linus Lunqvist, who qualified an impressive 11th for Meyer Shank Racing, had followed Palou’s strategy route and jumped up to third. Grosjean and McLaughlin demoted him to fifth just before half distance, Lundqvist’s drive even more impressive given his mandatory cockpit airscoop had falled off.
Palou led Kirkwood (now running alternates) by just under a second at half distance, with Grosjean and McLaughlin right behind.
McLaughlin attacked Grosjean for third on lap 44, but the Frenchman – whom he put in the wall here last year and at St Petersburg earlier this season – got his elbows out and repelled his advances for now.
Palou stopped on lap 45, and almost caught a yellow when Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti) overshot a corner but managed to find reverse and rejoin. Palou dropped to 16th but – despite being loaded with a brimmed fuel tank and primary tires – it was always going to be a stretch to get to the finish from here.
Grosjean ran wide at Turn 9 on lap 49, gifting the runner-up spot to McLaughlin. Alexander Rossi (McLaren) and VeeKay got together on the approach to Turn 4, sending VeeKay flying down the escape road but, again, there was no caution.
Kirkwood pitted on lap 51, handing the lead to McLaughlin, but crucially rejoining ahead of Palou. McLaughlin stopped a tour later, rejoining between Kirkwood and Palou. Grosjean then pitted from the lead, for a run to the finish in alternates, but the poor end to his stint put him behind Newgarden, Dixon, O’Ward and Power.
With 25 laps remaining, Kirkwood led McLaughlin by 2.5s from Palou, Newgarden, Dixon, Ericsson and O’Ward. Grosjean picked off Power and O’Ward, with Lundgaard doing likewise behind him.
Palou was just about to bail out of his ambitious fuel-saving strategy when the yellow he needed came out with 10 laps to go, as Lundqvist’s impressive debut ended in the Turn 11 wall. Jack Harvey, who was running 14th for Rahal, also hit the wall when the wheel was snatched out of his hands at Turn 8.
That led to restart with seven laps remaining, with Kirkwood leading McLaughlin, Palou, Newgarden, Dixon, Ericsson, Grosjean and Lundgaard. But the yellow came out again almost immediately when Felix Rosenqvist (McLaren), Agustin Canapino (Juncos Hollinger Racing) and Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Foyt Racing) piled up at Turn 11. Herta’s car also sustained fatal damage after he hit the wall, and IndyCar decided to throw the red flag to clean up the track.
Ahead of the final restart, Grosjean was given a free pass on Ericsson – who was called for a blocking penalty.
The green flew again with four laps to go, with Kirkwood leading McLaughlin, Palou, Newgarden, Dixon and Grosjean. Kirkwood pulled away by 1.3s, as Canapino went off at Turn 1 but the race stayed green. Further back, O’Ward passed Lundgaard for eighth.
Despite his fuel concerns, Palou put the pressure on McLaughlin but the order remained the same to the finish, with Kirkwood beating McLaughlin by 0.7633s. Palou beat title rival Newgarden to the bottom step of the podium, with Dixon claiming fifth from Grosjean, Ericsson, O’Ward, Lundgaard and Power.
