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Alex Palou won the Long Beach Grand Prix after a strategic pit stop on lap 58, overtaking Felix Rosenqvist. This victory marks Palou's third win in five IndyCar Series races this season.
Alex Palou holds his first place trophy after winning the Long Beach Grand Prix. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
For two thirds of Sundayâs Acura Long Beach Grand Prix, Alex Palou bided his time⊠waiting for the one break he needed.
It came in the form of a caution on the 58th lap, allowing him to overtake frontrunner Felix Rosenqvist exiting pit lane and hold the lead the rest of the way, taking the checkered flag by 3.96 seconds for his third triumph in five 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 quick work on the last pit stop proved to be the difference.
âEveryone was coming in on that yellow and they did an incredible job,â he said. âWe were either going to win it or not win right there.â
Rosenqvist settled for second and Scott Dixon, Palouâs Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, was third.
It was the 11th win over the last 22 races dating back to 2024 for the Barcelona native and the 22nd win of his career, tying him with Tony Bettenhausen and Emerson Fittipaldi. It also vaulted him to the top of the Series standings as he chases his fourth Series championship in a row and fifth overall. Palou won the opener March 1 in St. Petersburg (also a street course) and the fourth race March 29 in Alabama.
Palou led for only 32 of the 90 laps Sunday and acknowledged it would have been difficult to catch Enqvist if not for the stoppage.
âI wasnât giving up but it wouldâve been tough to get him today,â Palou admitted. âHe was already three seconds ahead. I was happy with my car but I was struggling more on the soft tires than the hards so Iâd 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 wasnât working.â
Alex Palou won by taking advantage of a caution on lap 58, allowing him to overtake Felix Rosenqvist during a pit stop.
Alex Palou won the race by a margin of 3.96 seconds.
Alex Palou has won three races in the 2026 IndyCar Series season.
Palou credited his crew's quick work on the last pit stop as a key factor in securing his victory.

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Alex Palou speeds through a curve of the track. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
In six starts at Long Beach, Palou has never finished lower than fifth.
There is little room to maneuver on the 1.968-mile course with 11 tight turns, but after starting in the third position next to defending champion Kyle Kirkwood, Palou managed to sneak past Pato OâWard into second place heading into the first turn on Lap 2.
âMaking that move on the straightaway was big because I knew it was one of our only chances to get a pass on Pato,â Palou said. âI got that good run on that last corner and he didnât expect it.â
This year marked the 51st edition of the longest-running major street race in North America, which started in 1975 as part of the Formula 5000 Series, switched to the CART/Champ Car World Series in 1984 and joined the IndyCar Series in 2009.
The top four qualifiers started on softer, high-grip âalternateâ tires to establish position while the rest of the grid started on harder, more durable âprimariesâ to manage degradation on the 110-degree track surface. Of the 25 starters, 24 completed the 177.12 miles.
âWe were going to make the two-stop strategy work but didnât know if it would be doable or not,â Palou added. âAs soon as I saw I couldnât 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 wouldnât be sitting here now. It only takes one mistake to go from second to seventh but theyâre great under pressure.â
Cars make their way down a straightaway during Long Beach Grand Prix. (Ronaldo Bolanos / 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 were caution-free as Rosenqvist, Palou, Kirkwood, Malukas and OâWard held the top five spots. Newgardenâs chances declined upon discovering a flat spot on his left front tire and he dropped back to 14th.
Rosenqvistâs three-second lead was erased when debris on the track exiting the Aquarium Fountain drew the only yellow flag all afternoon and narrowed the gap. Capitalizing on favorable pit position, Palou emerged from the lane just ahead of Rosenqvist.
After earning the pole position with a lap time of 1:07.4635 in qualifying, the runner-up had mixed emotions after leading for 51 laps with no win to show for it.
âYou want to win when you have an opportunity but Iâm proud of today,â Rosenqvist said. âWe werenât 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.â
Kirkwood, who was vying for his third win in four years, finished right where he started in fourth.
âI had a good cushion and figured even with a bad stop Iâd probably stay ahead but I knew thereâd probably be a yellow at some point and there it came,â Rosenqvist lamented. âConsidering Alex had primary [tires] also I think we wouldâve been able to hold him off. Itâs definitely disappointing when you canât wrap it up.â
Dixon, who started in the position, earned his first podium this season and the 136th of his career.
Fans watch with two laps left in the race. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
âThe race itself was a bit blah â I sat in the same position for most of it,â Dixon said. âLuckily for us we had it easy out of that last stop.â
Al Unser Jr. holds the record for most wins at Long Beach, chalking up six in eight years, including an unmatched four in a row from 1988-91.
Tom Sargent is becoming a fan of street 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 finish in Race 1 of the Carrera Cup North America on Saturday. In Race 2 on Sunday morning he again started from the pole position and claimed a 0.965-second victory over Aaron Jeansonne to complete the double.
In his last bid at Long Beach three years ago he hit the wall on Lap 2 but still finished second.
âMomentum in sports is critical and the past few weeks have been really cool for me,â Sargent said. âI didnât do any street circuit racing before I came to the States. Maybe it fits my driving style.â
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.