Kyle Kirkwood wins inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington

Andretti Global driver dominates new Texas-based IndyCar race

Mar. 16, 2026 at 2:35am

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Kyle Kirkwood won the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington on Sunday, edging out Alex Palou to become the first-ever winner of the new Texas-based IndyCar race. Kirkwood led an Andretti Global trio of top-four finishers, with Will Power finishing third and Marcus Ericsson landing in fourth.

Why it matters

The Grand Prix of Arlington represents a new addition to the IndyCar calendar, bringing open-wheel racing to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for the first time. Kirkwood's victory gives him an early lead in the overall IndyCar standings and highlights the strength of the Andretti Global team on street courses.

The details

Kirkwood executed an impressive pass of Palou on Lap 55 and built a five-second lead before a late caution bunched the field back together. But Kirkwood sprinted ahead at the restart and held on for the win despite a second yellow on the final lap.

  • The inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington took place on Sunday, March 16, 2026.
  • Kirkwood made his race-winning pass on Lap 55.
  • A caution on Lap 68 bunched the field back together.
  • A second caution flew on Lap 70, the final lap of the race.

The players

Kyle Kirkwood

The Andretti Global driver who won the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington, taking an early lead in the 2026 IndyCar standings.

Alex Palou

The driver who finished second to Kirkwood in the Grand Prix of Arlington.

Andretti Global

The racing team that had three drivers finish in the top four at the Grand Prix of Arlington, highlighting their strength on street courses.

Pato O'Ward

The Arrow McLaren driver who finished fifth and acknowledged the dominance of the Andretti Global cars.

Josef Newgarden

The previous standings leader who finished 15th, dropping to third in the overall IndyCar standings.

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What they’re saying

“This Andretti Honda camp is fricking strong on street courses. We've got a lot of work to do if we want to start winning races on outright pace against them.”

— Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren driver (austinnews.net)

“That was so incredible. Man, did we have some pace. This JM Bullion Honda, Andretti, all these guys right here, they gave me the tools today. It's because of this race car we won today, because of teamwork.”

— Kyle Kirkwood (austinnews.net)

“Not today. (Kirkwood) did an awesome pass; hats off to him. It was super clean, and it was pretty impressive. We'll get them in a couple weeks.”

— Alex Palou (austinnews.net)

What’s next

The next IndyCar race will take place in a couple weeks, where Palou hopes to get his revenge on Kirkwood and the Andretti Global team.

The takeaway

Kirkwood's dominant victory in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington showcases the strength of the Andretti Global team on street courses and gives him an early lead in the 2026 IndyCar championship. The new Texas-based race has already proven to be an exciting addition to the IndyCar calendar.