Kirkwood parlays bump-and-run into top practice lap on Streets of Detroit
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Kyle Kirkwood rallied from a bump-and-run incident involving Will Power to top the speed sheet after Friday’s opening practice for INDYCAR’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Kyle Kirkwood – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Aaron Skillman
Kirkwood led the 80-minute session, separated into groups, with a lap of 1-minute, 1.7509-seconds/95.901 mph in the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda fielded by Andretti Global. That lap around the 1.645-mile/nine-turn circuit in Downtown Motown was recorded after Kirkwood spent considerable time in the pits for repairs to the rear of his car after being nudged from behind through a short section of the circuit amid slower traffic by Power’s No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
SEE: Practice Results
“Everyone goes slow around here,” said Kirkwood, a 26-year-old native of Jupiter, Fla. “The track’s not big enough to fit all the cars, and he (Power) got frustrated. Whatever, I guess. I’m not upset. I don’t care. We’re P1.”
Kirkwood is, in fact, the only driver not named Alex Palou to win an NTT IndyCar Series race after six events. Kirkwood’s victory on the Streets of Long Beach is the only blemish on Palou’s 2025 results sheet to-date, topped of course, by the 28-year-old Spaniard’s first oval-track victory in Sunday’s 109th Indianapolis 500.
Kyle Kirkwood – Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Power, a two-time series champion from Australia, offered an unapologetic explanation. “I came around, and he slowed up in the middle and made contact,” Power said. “So, I thought, ‘Well, I may as well get a gap now,’ so I just pushed him past the car in front, just moved him out of the way and got a really nice gap.”
Meanwhile, Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand began his recovery from a demoralizing pace lap crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday by placing second at 1:02.0301-seconds/95.470 mph in the No. 3 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet. Power was third at 1:02.3862-seconds/94.925 mph.
Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden was the third Team Penske driver in the top-four with his best lap of 1:02.4819-seconds/94.779 mph in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard of Denmark completed the top-five at 1:02.6047-seconds/94.594 mph in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Lundgaard said after logging 20 laps. “The car is fast enough, obviously; we’re in P3 for the first group in practice, and we’re in seventh in the first segment in install. The car feels good, and we have the No. 5 and No. 6 (Arrow McLaren) cars getting more information to get a better idea of what we can expect (on Saturday).
“Overall, I’m happy. We came off a good finish at Indy, and there are plenty of races to go. We need to be competitive at every one of them. We’ve had a good start to the season, and we’ll continue that momentum this weekend.”
Pato O’Ward was seventh at 1:02.6331-seconds/94.551 mph after 23 laps in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “Back in bumpy Detroit, and we need to make the car a little bit better in the window for qualifying,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “We’ll see what we can make better overnight.”
The top rookie was Louis Foster in eighth overall at 1:02.6481-seconds/94.528 mph in the No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “We were strong on the alternate (Firestone Firehawk) tires and struggled a bit on the primary tires, so we need to find some improvements there,” said Foster, a 21-year-old native of Great Britain. “And there is room for improvement in my driving, in the car and we’re fast. So, so far it’s been positive.
“We just need to try and figure out what was going on with the primary tires. It was a bit weird so maybe it’s an isolated situation. I’m not super-concerned about that, but I think we have a margin for improvement and we’re already quite fast. We just need to keep working at it.”
This will be Foster’s first INDYCAR start in the Motor City. He has competed in three INDY NXT races in Downtown Detroit, starting from pole in all three. In 2024, he won the race from P1.
Palou, the three-time/reigning series champion and runaway point leader, actually looked mortal in the session. Palou placed 15th out of 27 cars at 1:03.0381-seconds/93.943 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou locked-up his front tires entering a braking zone during the session and rolled past the corner but made no contact in the run-off area.
David Malukas _ who placed a career-tying best second in the revised Indy 500 standings in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet_ led the two-car effort of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in 11th at 1:02.8105-seconds/94.284 mph.
Malukas said his post-Indy schedule included a quick return to the gym to start building some strength on his left side.
“The right side is very strong going left, but the left side is a little bit weak,” said Malukas, a 23-year-old native of Chicago in his first season with the team fronted by INDYCAR icon A.J. Foyt Jr. of Houston. “So that’s obviously No. 1, but mentally, it’s kind of just a very different approach. With it being a road-course aero setup, we’re doing some sim work just to get ready for that transition, just getting back in the head space of preparing for braking zones and the technicality of it being a street-course. I just have to go through the checklist and get ready for it.”
Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci, who finished fifth at IMS in Foyt Racing’s No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, was 24th after a best lap of 1:03.7366-seconds/92.914 mph. “It definitely brings momentum,” Ferrucci, 26, said of his revised Indy 500 result, which bumped him from seventh to fifth. “So, it’s a very positive thing for us and I’m very excited about moving it forward and keeping up the top-fives and top-10s this year.” Ferrucci extended his record string of consecutive top-10 finishes in the Indy 500 to seven.
Reigning Detroit GP winner Scott Dixon, the six-time series champion from New Zealand, was 18th at 1:03.0985-seconds/93.853 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The weekend looms as a challenge for Dixon, one of two drivers handed six-position starting grid penalties by INDYCAR on Friday for unapproved engine changes prior to last Sunday’s Indy 500.
Specifically, CGR’s No. 9 entry was found in violation of Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
Similarly, the sanctioning body found Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda in violation of Rule 16.1.5.4. Once an Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Engine is fitted to the Car, removal prior to the Indianapolis 500 Race is an Unapproved Engine Change-Out, unless it is replaced for Repair.
Rahal was 10th in Friday’s practice at 1:02.8002-seconds/94.299 mph. “The car was much, much better than years past,” said Rahal, driver of the No. 15 JJ Curran Crane Honda. “I thought we were definitely in the hunt. I didn’t nail my lap on the alternates (tires) unfortunately; I lifted to (build a) gap from Newgarden on the lap that was trending towards the best and that wasn’t ideal but we’re closer than we have been in years past so it’s a positive sign (for Saturday.”)
Rahal’s father/team-owner, Bobby, won the inaugural race on Belle Isle in Detroit in 1992. Graham swept the doubleheader weekend on that circuit in 2017. In 2024, Graham qualified 14th _ served a six-grid engine penalty _ and started 20th en route to a 15th-place finish.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., each instance is subject to a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is Sunday’s street race in Detroit.
Practice 2 was booked for 9 a.m. (EDT) Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at noon (both sessions available on FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network). Colton Herta of Andretti Global set the track series qualifying record last June 1 at 1:00.2304-seconds/98.322 mph in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
The 100-lap/170-mile race will start at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Rookie Dennis Hauger re-introduced himself Friday afternoon to his INDY NXT by Firestone peers during the final moments of the opening practice for the Detroit Grand Prix.
Series point-leader Hauger turned the quickest lap of the session at 1-minute, 6.8158-seconds/88.632 mph in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global on his final trip around the 1.645-mile/nine-turn street circuit in Downtown Motown.
SEE: Practice Results
“Good run,” said Hauger, a 22-year-old native of Norway. “We were having some issue in the middle of practice, which wasn’t ideal, and we didn’t get to do as many laps as the others. But we still found good pace. Getting laps was the most important thing with a new track (for me), and a track like this, it’s not easy to get on with quickly. A good start. We have to keep improving (for Saturday.”)
That looms as an ominous warning for Hauger’s rivals. Hauger has won three of the first four races this season in the INDYCAR developmental series and is 15 points ahead of fellow-Andretti Global series rookie Lochie Hughes of Australia atop the standings.
An early-morning second practice Saturday will be followed by qualifying at 11:30 a.m. (EDT with both sessions FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network). The 45-lap/55-minute race will start at 10:30 a.m. (EDT) Sunday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Caio Collet, the 2024 series Rookie of the Year from Brazil, placed second at 1:07.1961-seconds/88.130 mph in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports machine, recording his quickest lap late in the 45-minute session.
Rookie Max Taylor, a 17-year-old resident of Hoboken, N.J., sat atop the time sheets with one minute to go but ended up a still impressive third at 1:07.2210-seconds/88.097 mph in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car. Series veteran Myles Rowe was fourth at 1:07.3022-seconds/87.991 mph in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy machine.
Veteran Salvador de Alba of Mexico completed the top-five at 1:07.3826-seconds/87.886 mph in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car of Andretti Global. That team put three drivers in the top six as Hughes’ best lap was 1:07.4375-seconds/87.815 mph in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car.
The unforgiving concrete walls around Detroit’s tight, bumpy street circuit collected their share of cars during the session. Andretti Global’s James Roe of Ireland brought out a red flag with heavy left-side contact in Turn 7 in his No. 29 Topcon machine, while Liam Sceats of New Zealand later made contact in Turn 4 in his No. 30 HMD Motorsports car shortly after the track opened following Roe’s incident.
Also making light contact without causing a red flag were rookie Tommy Smith of Australia in the No. 16 HMD Motorsports machine and veteran Niels Koolen of The Netherlands in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing car.
None of the drivers involved in the incidents was injured.
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 306; 2, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 191; 3, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 180; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 177; 5, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 163; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 150; 7, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 145; 8, Will Power, Team Penske, 140; 9, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 117; 10, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 115;
11, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 105; 12, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 105; 13, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 104; 14, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 103; 15, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 102; 16, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 100; 17, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 99; 18, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 91; 19, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 79; 20, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 79;
21, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 67; 22, Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, 65; 23, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 64; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 61; 25, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 61; 26, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, 58; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 33; 28, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 28; 29, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 17; 30, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 13;
31, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 9; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 7; 33, Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren with Henrick Motorsports, 5; 34 Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian, 5.
FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 8 p.m.)
Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 1 p.m.)
Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)
Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 1 p.m.)
Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, noon)
Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)
NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.
