Alex Palou wins 2026 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach, takes championship lead

Alex Palou (#10) wins at Long Beach.

(Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)

Alex Palou, whether based on luck or skill, won the 2026 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday. In a race that drivers struggled to pass for all 90 laps, Palou crucially won the race off of pit road on lap 60 after the caution, and the race was in his hands from there to the end.

Long Beach started weird, as Felix Rosenqvist led the pack to the line, the top six were all in a bunch, but there was a large gap to Will Power and the rest of the field. Coming out of Turn 11 is awkward since you’re only going 30 MPH, but with the group falling behind that far, IndyCar should’ve delayed the start a lap to bring them all back together. Even with the gap, though, Power flew back up and filed in behind Scott Dixon after a couple of corners. Unfortunately for Power, he fell from seventh and finished the race at the end of the pack.

On lap two of the Grand Prix, Palou got by Pato O’Ward for second place. Rosenqvist led the race and controlled the pace while having Palou buried in second, consistently setting 1:09.9 lap times leading up to his first pit stop. After the first round of stops, he continued to lead, and things were looking up for Rosenqvist.

Lap 57 is where things got interesting, as a caution came out due to debris on the track. On lap 60, every single car came into the pit lane. Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing’s luck and skill struck once again, as he stole first away from Rosenqvist in the race off of pit road due to the rear right not cooperating for Rosenqvist’s pit crew. Palou’s stop was a whole one second faster. After that, Palou, on the hard tires, took advantage of the clean air and won the race by 4.5 seconds.

Rosenqvist has nothing to be ashamed of. The Swede, 34 years old, doesn’t have a contract for next year, but this definitely turned some heads in his direction, and he might be fielding some offers soon after this race.

It’s amazing how Palou always pulls it off at the end. With this win, he now leads the championship as well by 17 points over Kyle Kirkwood. Rosenqvist finished P2, and Dixon held off the road course wizard Kirkwood for the last podium spot.

The next race is on May 9th in Indianapolis.