Power, Andretti Dominate Opening Long Beach Practice

Will Power leads Andretti Global charge in first session for Acura Grand Prix

Apr. 18, 2026 at 2:24pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting an INDYCAR race at the Long Beach street circuit, with overlapping planes of vibrant red, blue, and green colors representing the competing teams and drivers.Andretti Global's INDYCAR team continues to excel on the streets of Long Beach, as seen in the opening practice session for the Acura Grand Prix.Long Beach Today

Will Power of Andretti Global set the pace in the opening practice session for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, leading a strong showing from the Andretti team on the iconic street circuit. Power's blistering lap time of 1:07.6053 was nearly two-tenths of a second quicker than his closest pursuer, former teammate Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske.

Why it matters

The Andretti team has been a force to be reckoned with on street courses, winning six of the past 14 such races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This early dominance at Long Beach, one of the series' crown jewel events, signals the team could be the one to beat this weekend as they continue to flex their street circuit muscle.

The details

Power, who joined Andretti Global after 16 seasons with Team Penske, said the car was 'very good' on the alternate 'red' tires. Teammate Kyle Kirkwood, the series points leader, was third quickest, while four-time and reigning champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing's Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top five. Andretti's Marcus Ericsson was sixth, giving the team three cars in the top six.

  • The second practice session is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
  • NTT P1 Award qualifying will take place at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
  • The 90-lap race is set for a 5:30 p.m. ET start on Sunday.

The players

Will Power

A two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner, Power joined Andretti Global after 16 seasons with Team Penske.

Scott McLaughlin

A former teammate of Power's at Team Penske, McLaughlin was second quickest in the opening practice but ended his session by sliding into the tire barrier.

Kyle Kirkwood

The current NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader, Kirkwood is a five-time street course winner for Andretti Global.

Alex Palou

The four-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, Palou was fourth quickest in the opening practice for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Marcus Armstrong

The Meyer Shank Racing driver rounded out the top five in the opening session.

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What they’re saying

“On the reds (Firestone alternate tires), the car was very good. We still have things to improve but looking good.”

— Will Power, Driver, Andretti Global

“As you've seen over the years, the Andretti cars are really good here. I think the one lap in qualifying will be very interesting. Hard to say that would suit us or not.”

— Will Power, Driver, Andretti Global

What’s next

The second practice session is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 6:30 p.m. ET. The 90-lap race is set for a 5:30 p.m. ET start on Sunday.

The takeaway

Andretti Global's early dominance at the iconic Long Beach street circuit suggests they could be the team to beat this weekend, as they continue to prove their prowess on temporary street courses across the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.