Favorites and Sleepers: Long Beach

Note: Eric Smith of INDYCAR.com takes a fun look before each NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at drivers who enter the weekend with an inside line to victory lane and drivers who could surprise with a strong result.

Kyle Kirkwood delivered Andretti Global its fifth win in the last seven Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach races last year. He has won two of the last three Long Beach races, both from the NTT P1 Award (2023, 2025). Alexander Rossi added back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019 with Andretti Global, meaning the No. 27 Honda has won four of the last seven Long Beach races, all from the pole.

Kirkwood enters Sunday’s race, airing at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls, as the series leader by two points over four-time series champion Alex Palou.

Kirkwood finished fourth in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and won the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, the only two street circuits run this season. Palou won in St. Petersburg and finished runner-up to Kirkwood in both Arlington on March 15 and last year at Long Beach.

Who joins them at the front of the 90-lap race?

Favorites

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Honda has won seven of the last eight Long Beach races, including Dixon’s 2024 victory. The manufacturer also has won 14 of the last 17 street races overall. Dixon (photo, above) won in 2015 at Long Beach with Chevrolet power. Dixon opened this season 23rd at St. Petersburg and finished eighth at Arlington. He has five top-10 finishes in his last six Long Beach starts and enters on a season streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes.

Alex Palou (No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Palou (photo, above) has three street course victories since 2023. However, the Spaniard has yet to win at Long Beach in five starts. Palou finished fourth, third, fifth, third and second, respectively. He owns 10 podium finishes in his last 13 street course starts.

Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda)

Power (photo, above) is a two-time Long Beach winner (2008, 2012) and has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at the track. His results over the last four years are fourth, sixth, sixth and fifth. He takes over a car that Colton Herta drove to victory in 2021 after starting 14th and leading 43 of 85 laps. Power finished third at Arlington for his only top-10 result in four starts this season.

Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda)

American drivers have won six of the last seven Long Beach races, including two by Kirkwood (photo, above). He posted a 3.25 average finish on street courses last season and has 11 top-10 finishes in his last 12 street course starts, eight inside the top five. Kirkwood is the only driver with four top-10 finishes in four starts this season.

Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Allegra Honda)

Three of Ericsson’s four career NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins have come on street circuits, at St. Petersburg, Nashville and Belle Isle. He has not won at Long Beach but finished third in 2023 and fifth in 2024. Ericsson (photo, above) qualified second and finished sixth at St. Petersburg this season. He earned his first NTT P1 Award at Arlington and finished fourth. He has three top-10 finishes in four starts this season.

Sleepers

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 AAA Travel Team Penske Chevrolet)

McLaughlin a sleeper? For starters, the New Zealand native (photo, above) has not recorded a top-five finish in five Long Beach starts. His best result is sixth last year, the spot he also started. He has lost positions relative to his starting spot in every race except last year, moving from 13th to 11th in 2021, ninth to 14th in 2022, ninth to 10th in 2023 and 11th to 26th in 2024. He also has not led a lap at Long Beach. The reason McLaughlin is on this list is because he finished second at St. Petersburg and has three top-six finishes in his last six street course starts.

Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

Lundgaard (photo, above) finished third last year, snapping a six-year run of Andretti Global drivers capturing that spot at Long Beach. He also finished third at St. Petersburg and seventh at Arlington this season. The Dane has eight top-10 finishes in his last 10 street course starts, including four top-five results. He has three top-seven finishes in four starts this season and enters off a runner-up finish at Barber Motorsports Park.

Kyffin Simpson (No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Simpson (photo, above) recorded three top-10 finishes in four street course starts last season, including a 10th-place result at Long Beach. Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda have been strong on street circuits, which could benefit Simpson.

Romain Grosjean (No. 18 BMax Honda)

Grosjean (photo, top) qualified sixth and finished eighth in the St. Petersburg season opener. He finished second, second and eighth, respectively, in his last three Long Beach starts.

Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 Remax Honda)

Armstrong (photo, above) produced four top-11 finishes in five street-course starts in 2023. In 2024, he finished 12th at Long Beach, third at Detroit and fifth at Toronto. His results last season were 24th, 14th, sixth and 14th. Armstrong finished 11th at St. Petersburg and 10th at Arlington. He has three top-10 finishes in four starts this season.