IndyCar News: Kirkwood Wins the Inaugural Java House GP of Arlington
In a dramatic showdown on Lap 55, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (pictured) executed a bold pass on Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou to seize the lead of the Java House GP of Arlington IndyCar race. The race had run caution-free through 68 laps, but there was no stopping Kirkwood who held the lead to the finish.
In front of a big crowd for the inaugural event, the first full-course caution of the event came on Lap 68, triggered by Christian Rasmussen, which bunched up the field and set the stage for a tense restart. The green flag waved on Lap 69, but the action was short-lived as Nolan Siegel and Romain Grosjean made contact, bringing out the second caution. This allowed Kirkwood in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda to cruise to victory under yellow-flag conditions.
No. 10 defending champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing settled for second place after leading 16 laps in a strong but ultimately runner-up performance.
Kirkwood’s teammate, Will Power, rounded out the podium in third, also having led 16 laps during the race.
Polesitter Marcus Ericsson finished fourth despite a pair of sluggish pit stops that hampered his charge.
Pato O’Ward claimed fifth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, standing out as the lone Chevrolet-powered car in the top five.
Pit strategies added layers of intrigue this weekend, thanks to the new requirement of using two sets of alternate tires. Many teams favored the more durable primary black tires, leading to unconventional stops—some as early as Lap 4—to optimize their runs.
More to follow….
2026 Java House GP of Arlington Race Results
| Pos | Start | No. | Driver | Team | Behind | Gap | Engine | Laps |
| 1 | 7 | 27 | K. Kirkwood | Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | Honda | 70 |
| 2 | 2 | 10 | A. Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | 0.3140 | 0.3140 | Honda | 70 |
| 3 | 4 | 26 | W. Power | Andretti Global | 3.5855 | 3.2715 | Honda | 70 |
| 4 | 1 | 28 | M. Ericsson | Andretti Global | 4.9128 | 1.3273 | Honda | 70 |
| 5 | 3 | 5 | P. O’ward | Arrow McLaren | 5.9336 | 1.0208 | Chevy | 70 |
| 6 | 5 | 60 | F. Rosenqvist | 6.6046 | 0.6710 | Honda | 70 | |
| 7 | 9 | 12 | D. Malukas | Team Penske | 7.4478 | 0.8432 | Chevy | 70 |
| 8 | 18 | 7 | C. Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren | 8.7501 | 1.3023 | Chevy | 70 |
| 9 | 20 | 9 | S. Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 9.8315 | 1.0814 | Honda | 70 |
| 10 | 10 | 20 | A. Rossi | ECR | 10.7076 | 0.8761 | Chevy | 70 |
| 11 | 6 | 66 | M. Armstrong | Meyer Shank | 12.4888 | 1.7812 | Honda | 70 |
| 12 | 25 | 3 | S. McLaughlin | Team Penske | 13.8893 | 1.4005 | Chevy | 70 |
| 13 | 16 | 4 | C. Collet | Aj Foyt | 14.7435 | 0.8542 | Chevy | 70 |
| 14 | 13 | 45 | L. Foster | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 16.2034 | 1.4599 | Honda | 70 |
| 15 | 21 | 76 | R. Veekay | Juncos Hollinger Racing | 16.8679 | 0.6645 | Chevy | 70 |
| 16 | 11 | 2 | J. Newgarden | Team Penske | 18.7540 | 1.8861 | Chevy | 70 |
| 17 | 19 | 19 | D. Hauger | Dale Coyne Racing | 21.2934 | 2.5394 | Honda | 70 |
| 18 | 12 | 14 | S. Ferrucci | AJ Foyt | 22.2893 | 0.9959 | Chevy | 70 |
| 19 | 24 | 15 | G. Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 24.7337 | 2.4444 | Honda | 70 |
| 20 | 14 | 8 | K. Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | 27.6294 | 2.8957 | Honda | 70 |
| 21 | 23 | 77 | S. Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing | 1 LAP | 1 LAP | Chevy | 69 |
| 22 | 17 | 47 | M. Schumacher | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 3.1241 | 3.1241 | Honda | 69 |
| 23 | 15 | 18 | R. Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing | 1 LAP | 1 LAP | Honda | 68 |
| 24 | 22 | 6 | N. Siegel | Arrow McLaren | 1 LAP | 0 LAP | Chevy | 68 |
| 25 | 8 | 21 | C. Rasmussen | ECR | 3 LAPS | 2 LAPS | Chevy | 66 |