Long Beach’s historic street race ran for the 50th time back in April, reaching a major milestone for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Kyle Kirkwood took the checkered flag, earning his second career win in Long Beach after taking the top spot in 2023.
He joined a group of 11 drivers who’ve won multiple times in the LBC, and added to the successful legacy for Andretti Autosport in this race.
“This is a good one, it’s been a long time,” Kirkwood said of his win. “This is a historic race, and I don’t think it’s set in yet for me. I know how special it is coming in to win the 50th anniversary, and to be a multi-time winner here is absolutely massive. It’s turning into a shorter and shorter list for me that my name’s on. And (Mario) Andretti has a huge history here, to add to that, is big for me.”
Kirkwood, 26, qualified in the pole position and drove a near perfect race. The Florida native led 45 of 90 laps while his average speed of 103.59 miles per hour clocked in as the second fastest average speed in the history of IndyCar in Long Beach.
While the race itself lacked much drama, the fanfare around it was as great as it’s ever been. Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach CEO/President Jim Michaelian reflected on the extra work that went into commemorating the 50th running–an achievement that attracted around 200,000 race fans to Long Beach.
“This year was by far the most complex event that we’ve run here as a company,” Michaelian said. “Not only did we run all of the normal activities that we have, the racing and the off-track stuff, but on top of that we threw in six different 50th anniversary-designated events. … Our people took on a pretty heroic task.”
