WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) – American Kyle Kirkwood gave the home crowd a victory to remember as the Andretti Global driver won the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday, surviving six caution periods on the streets of Washington to cut into championship leader Alex Palou’s advantage.
Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard, driving for Arrow McLaren, finished second, while Australian Will Power, Kirkwood’s Andretti Global teammate, took third.
“This is incredible. I’m almost in tears here. This is a big moment for us. Big moment for America here, the 250, right?” Kirkwood told FOX.
“Big moment for Andretti, big moment for Honda. These guys, they’re the ones that gave me the equipment, this car right here, to be out there, to go out there and perform. That was a hard race,” he added.
Defending champion Palou arrived in Washington with six wins under his belt. However, the four-time series champion suffered a setback when he was handed a drive-through penalty for making contact with a tyre after leaving his pit box under caution, while a slow pit stop later added to the problems of the Chip Ganassi Racing driver.
The Spaniard fought back from 21st to seventh place, but his recovery ended with 25 laps remaining when he hit the wall at turn four. He finished in 20th place.
The event had opened with a distinctly Washington flourish. President Donald Trump completed a ceremonial lap in the presidential limousine before waving the green flag for IndyCar’s first race on the city’s streets.
Winding its way around the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.7-mile street circuit provided a dramatic setting for a race that swiftly turned into a test of patience, strategy and survival.
After two early cautions for debris, the third yellow flag was displayed on lap 37, after Team Penske’s David Malukas ran wide at Turn 7 and hit the outside wall.
Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Sting Ray Robb was unable to avoid the stricken car and collided with it, prompting the AMR Safety Team to attend to the crash.
Following the restart on lap 42, Meyer Shank’s Marcus Armstrong made contact with Ed Carpenter driver Christian Rasmussen, propelling him into Rinus VeeKay’s path, forcing the Juncos Hollinger driver to retire.
Kirkwood, who overtook Palou on lap two, retained control through the interruptions as the field repeatedly bunched up behind the safety car.
After the Palou incident towards the end, a sixth and final yellow flag came out at the restart when Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske attempted to take the lead yet the New Zealand driver’s move ended in him hitting the wall.
Kirkwood’s victory put him 91 points behind Palou. The next race will be in Milwaukee next week.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
