Palou finally loses as IndyCar champ's 2-race winning streak snapped by Kirkwood in Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Kirkwood showed that Alex Palou can be beat this IndyCar season and returned Andretti Global to the top of the podium with his second career victory at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Kirkwood has won the most prestigious street course race in the United States twice in the last three years and Sunday's win ended the early run of Palou dominance. Palou, a three-time IndyCar champion including the last two consecutive seasons, won the first two races this year.
Palou, the current points leader, instead finished second.
'You never feel amazing when you finish second,' Palou said. 'I tried, I tried. I think we did the best we could.'
Palou's dominance has started to irritate other drivers in the field, but the Spaniard doesn't care. He was an unknown from a racing series in Japan when he arrived in IndyCar in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when competition was in a bubble and few got a chance to interact with Palou.
He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 and, in top-notch equipment, won three races and his first IndyCar championship. He was polite, always smiling, and used the descriptor 'it's amazing' for nearly everything good that was happening to him.
Palou's demeanor was endearing and he presented himself as very eager to please. It wasn't an act, but as he collected three championship trophies, there's been a shift in Palou's approach — he's still smiling and nice, but he's calculated and unconcerned about the competition. When told this weekend he should give his rivals a chance to win a race, Palou used an expletive in declining and said to publish his words.
He said he planned to win the first six races of the season before he'd give another driver a chance — a run that would include Palou's first victory in next month's Indianapolis 500. Alas, his streak came to an end on the downtown streets of Long Beach, which hosted the caution-free race for the 50th year.
'I am not disappointed, 100% I am happy to be here,' Palou said. 'It sucks we couldn't make it more interesting for the fans, but I am happy to be here.'
Palou joined his Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon as the only drivers in the last 14 seasons to win the first two races of the year — Dixon did it in 2020, when he won the first three races and eventually his sixth IndyCar title.
Will Power (2010), Sebastian Bourdais (2006), Paul Tracy (2003), Sam Hornish Jr. (2001), Rick Mears (1982) and Johnny Rutherford (1980) are the only drivers to also win the first two races of the season. All but Power went on to win the championship.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Rory McIlroy explains decision to duck media at PGA, saying he didn't want to discuss driver issue
CALEDON, Ontario (AP) — Rory McIlroy explained his decision not to speak to the media during last month's PGA Championship, saying Wednesday he was annoyed that news had leaked about his driver failing to pass inspection before the tournament. McIlroy said the results of equipment tests are supposed to be confidential and noted that Scottie Scheffler's driver had also failed before the championship, but that was not reported until afterward. Scheffler revealed after he won the PGA for his third major title that he had been forced to use a backup driver. 'I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted,' McIlroy said in a news conference at the Canadian Open, which begins Thursday. 'I'm trying to protect Scottie. I don't want to mention his name. I'm trying to protect TaylorMade. I'm trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself.' It was a strange week for McIlroy, who arrived at the PGA as the most celebrated player in golf after he completed the career Grand Slam with his triumph at the Masters. Instead of taking a victory lap at Quail Hollow — a course where he has won four times — McIlroy was in a bad mood all week, and his refusal to discuss the driver test was much debated. McIlroy gave a day-by-day breakdown of his decisions not to talk to reporters, saying he wanted to practice after his poor first round. He finished his second round late and wanted to put his daughter, Poppy, to bed. He didn't want to talk about his driver, he was tired after his weather-delayed third round, and after his week concluded with a tie for 47th place, he just wanted to go home. He reiterated that PGA Tour players are not required to speak to the media. 'I talk to the media a lot,' McIlroy said. 'I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street, and as much as we need to speak to you guys — we understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform and everything else, I understand that — but again, I've been beating this drum for a long time. 'If they want to make it mandatory, that's fine, but in our rules it says that it's not, and until the day that that's maybe written into the regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time, and that's well within our rights.' McIlroy also declined to talk to reporters after he blew a late lead and lost to Bryson DeChambeau in last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He's a two-time winner of the Canadian Open, and he skipped a PGA Tour signature event last week at the Memorial to play in Canada as his tuneup for next week's U.S. Open at Oakmont. Whether he'll be interested in discussing his performance at the storied western Pennsylvania venue remains to be seen. 'If we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys and we could just go on this,' McIlroy said, holding up his phone. 'We could go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way. 'We understand that that's not ideal for you guys and there's a bigger dynamic at play here.' ___ AP golf:
Hamilton Spectator
16 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
More changes at Man United as Dave Brailsford scales back role with the troubled club
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United's soccer operations are undergoing yet more change with one of its key figures Dave Brailsford scaling back his role with the troubled club, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information has not been made public. Brailsford, who was credited for his role in British cycling's spectacular Olympic success in recent years, was a key component of billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's United overhaul following his minority investment in the club last year. But things haven't gone to plan , with the 20-time English champion suffering its lowest finish in the Premier League era last season — 15th — and recording its lowest points total and highest number of losses. Brailsford, who is also sporting director for Ratcliffe's petrochemicals firm INEOS, will remain in that role and also as a United director. However his day-to-day involvement will be reduced, the person said. It is the latest in a slew of changes at United over the past year since Ratcliffe paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25% stake in United, assumed control of its soccer operations from majority owners the Glazer family and vowed to bring the good times back. In that time there have been high-profile hirings and firings, as well new lows on the field and job cuts. Former manager Erik ten Hag went in October — just three months after being handed a one-year contract extension. Director of football Dan Ashworth left the club less than six months into the job and following lengthy negotiations to pry him away from Newcastle. Omar Berrada was lured from Manchester City to become CEO and Jason Wilcox, formerly director of City's academy, became technical director. They remain in position as two key members of the leadership team above coach Ruben Amorim. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Hamilton Spectator
16 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
French Open: Coco Gauff faces a Frenchwoman ranked 361st in the semifinals. Djokovic, Sinner win
PARIS (AP) — That No. 2 seed Coco Gauff reached Thursday's French Open semifinals should surprise no one. Her 361st-ranked opponent for a berth in the title match? That's a whole other story. Gauff made it to the final four at Roland-Garros for the third time, getting past No. 7 Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday in a quarterfinal between two Americans who both have won a major title. Next up for 2023 U.S. Open champion Gauff? A matchup against French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson , who extended one of the most stunning runs in tennis history by beating No. 6 Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3. 'Unbelievable,' Boisson said. 'Incredible.' Those are a couple of good words for what's been happening. A year ago, Boisson was supposed to make her Grand Slam debut in Paris, but she tore a knee ligament and couldn't compete. Now 22, Boisson is the first woman to get to the semifinals of her first major tournament since Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati did it at the 1989 French Open and is the lowest-ranked to get that far at Roland-Garros in at least 40 years. She's doing it with a game made for clay, anchored by heavy groundstrokes and buoyed by a rowdy, partisan crowd that rattled the 18-year-old Andreeva — she was warned for ball abuse for smacking one toward the upper deck after one bad volley — and was just as loud when Boisson upset No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round. 'I love to play with the crowd. I love to hear my name when I won a point and everything,' Boisson said. 'For me, it's just something plus. It's not pressure. But I think it's also really difficult for (a) player from (another) country.' Over and over again, the chair umpire tried to tell the 15,000 or so spectators to be quiet as their thunderous applause and shouts of Boisson's first name reverberated off the inside of the closed roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier. They didn't heed those requests. They jeered and whistled when Andreeva complained about noise between her first and second serves or argued line calls . 'It's normal that they would support a French player, so I knew that it's going to be like this. I think that in the first set, I managed it pretty well (and) I didn't really pay attention to that,' Andreeva said. 'But obviously with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder.' When the match ended, Boisson collapsed to her back, chest heaving and hands on her face. When she rose, there were flecks of rust-colored clay all over, including her forehead. No matter what happens the rest of the way, Boisson certainly has left her mark on the 2025 French Open. 'I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a Slam. More for a French player to win Roland Garros, for sure,' she said. 'So, yeah, it's a dream. For sure, I will go for the dream — because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semifinal.' What else happened at the French Open on Wednesday? Novak Djokovic and No. 1 Jannik Sinner set up a semifinal showdown with victories. Djokovic reached his record 51st Grand Slam semifinal as he pursues his 25th major championship with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year's runner-up. And Sinner got back to the semifinals in Paris for the second year in a row with his latest overpowering performance, defeating unseeded Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in under two hours. Sinner has dropped just 36 games through five matches. Who plays at Roland-Garros on Thursday? The two women's semifinals are the only singles matches on the Day 12 schedule, with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek facing No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in just their second matchup at a Grand Slam tournament, and Gauff meeting Boisson. The men's semifinals are Friday, including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz vs. Lorenzo Musetti. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
