Quick final pit stop helps Alex Palou win Long

For two-thirds of Sunday’s Long Beach Grand Prix, Alex Palou bided his time … ready for the one break he needed.

It got here in the shape of a warning on the 58th lap, permitting him to overtake front-runner Felix Rosenqvist exiting pit lane and maintain the lead the remaining of the way in which, taking the checkered flag by 3.96 seconds for his third triumph in 5 IndyCar Series races this season and his first at Long Beach.

Right after being showered with applause and confetti at victory lane, the 29-year-old Spaniard thanked his crew, whose fast work on the last pit stop proved to be the distinction.

“Everyone was coming in on that yellow and they did an incredible job,” he said. “We were either going to win it or not win right there.”

Rosenqvist settled for second and Scott Dixon, Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, was third.

It was the eleventh win over the last 22 races relationship to 2024 for the Barcelona native and the twenty second win of his profession, tying Tony Bettenhausen and Emerson Fittipaldi. It also vaulted Palou to the top of the collection standings as he chases his fourth collection championship in a row and fifth general. Palou received the opener March 1 in St. Petersburg (also a avenue course) and the fourth race March 29 in Alabama.

Palou led for only 32 of the 90 laps Sunday and acknowledged it will have been troublesome to catch Rosenqvist if not for the stoppage.

“I wasn’t giving up but it would’ve been tough to get him today,” Palou acknowledged. “He was already three seconds ahead. I was happy with my car but I was struggling more on the soft tires than the hards so I’d say my chances were low. The feeling was great seeing all the open space coming out of pit lane because when you spend 60 laps behind a car it disturbs you. I tried to match him on soft tires but it wasn’t working.”

In six begins at Long Beach, Palou never has completed decrease than fifth.

There is little room to maneuver on the 1.968-mile course with 11 tight turns, but after beginning in the third place next to defending champion Kyle Kirkwood, Palou managed to sneak past Pato O’Ward into second place heading into the first flip on Lap 2.

“Making that move on the straightaway was big because I knew it was one of our only chances to get a pass on Pato,” Palou said. “I got that good run on that last corner and he didn’t expect it.”

This 12 months marked the 51st version of the longest-running major avenue race in North America, which began in 1975 as half of the Formula 5000 Series, switched to the CART/Champ Car World Series in 1984 and joined the IndyCar Series in 2009.

The top 4 qualifiers began on softer, high-grip “alternate” tires to set up place while the remaining of the grid began on tougher, more sturdy “primaries” to handle degradation on the 110-degree observe floor. Of the 25 starters, 24 accomplished the 177.12 miles.

“We were going to make the two-stop strategy work but didn’t know if it would be doable or not,” Palou added. “As soon as I saw I couldn’t get Felix it was all about patience, fuel and waiting for the right time. I owe this win to my team. Without that pit stop I probably wouldn’t be sitting here now. It only takes one mistake to go from second to seventh, but they’re great under pressure.”

Cars make their means down a straightaway during Long Beach Grand Prix.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Past winners Will Power and Josef Newgarden moved into the top two positions after Rosenqvist pitted, but the Swede regained the lead when Newgarden pitted for the first time on Lap 37 and dropped back to 14th.

The first 45 laps have been caution-free as Rosenqvist, Palou, Kirkwood, David Malukas and O’Ward held the top 5 spots. Newgarden’s probabilities declined upon discovering a flat spot on his left entrance tire, and he dropped back to 14th.

Rosenqvist’s three-second lead was erased when particles on the observe exiting the Aquarium Fountain drew the only yellow flag all afternoon and narrowed the hole. Capitalizing on favorable pit place, Palou emerged from the lane just forward of Rosenqvist.

Rosenqvist. who received the pole place with a lap time of 1 minute 7.4625 seconds in qualifying, had blended feelings as the runner-up after main for 51 laps with no win to show for it.

“You want to win when you have an opportunity, but I’m proud of today,” Rosenqvist said.

“We weren’t as good as Alex on the blacks … the last pit cycle was the defining moment. We had to come around 14, he had more of an opening, and his crew nailed it. That happens.”

Kirkwood, who was vying for his third win in 4 years, completed proper where he began in fourth.

“I had a good cushion and figured even with a bad stop I’d probably stay ahead but I knew there’d probably be a yellow at some point and there it came,” Rosenqvist lamented. “Considering Alex had primary [tires], also I think we would’ve been able to hold him off. It’s definitely disappointing when you can’t wrap it up.”

Dixon, who began in the sixth place, was third and earned his first podium this season and the 136th of his profession.

Fans watch with two laps left in the race.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

“The race itself was a bit blah — I sat in the same position for most of it,” Dixon said. “Luckily for us we had it easy out of that last stop.”

Al Unser Jr. holds the file for most wins at Long Beach, chalking up six in eight years, including an unmatched 4 in a row from 1988 to 1991.

Tom Sargent is turning into a fan of avenue circuits after two wins this weekend. Driving the Porsche 911 Cup for GMG Racing in the Mobil Pro Class, the 22-year-old Australian led from start to end in Race 1 of the Carrera Cup North America on Saturday. In Race 2 on Sunday morning, he again began from the pole and claimed a 0.965-second victory over Aaron Jeansonne to full the double.

In his last bid at Long Beach three years in the past, he hit the wall on Lap 2 but still completed second.

“Momentum in sports is critical and the past few weeks have been really cool for me,” Sargent said. “I didn’t do any street circuit racing before I came to the States. Maybe it fits my driving style.”