The 51st version of the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside featured a Honda sweep of the rostrum, led by Alex Palou.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t the everyday Palou masterclass. He was left pursuing pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist by the primary two-thirds of the race till the final pit cease of the race allowed Palou to vault into the race lead. In the long run, Palou, the reigning and four-time IndyCar Collection champion, sped off to a 3.9663s margin of victory over Rosenqvist to gather his third win of the season and first on the the 1.968-mile, 11-turn short-term road circuit.
The win additionally pushed Palou again into the championship lead, holding a 17-point benefit over Andretti World’s Kyle Kirkwood (205-188), who completed fourth at Lengthy Seaside.
So, with out additional delay, listed here are the winners and losers from the fifth spherical of the 2026 season.
WINNER: #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Pit Crew
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen through Getty Photographs
For all the rightful reward given to Palou for his prowess every race, notably for his skill to stalk rivals and transfer forward courtesy of his outstanding in- and out-laps, this race was gained by his pit crew.
With Rosenqvist holding almost a 3s lead previous to the warning on Lap 57, it was unlikely Palou would be capable of mount a cost on his personal. However when the deficit was erased with the well timed warning, it allowed the Spaniard’s #10 Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew an opportunity to shine, with a cease almost a full second faster and bought Palou out forward of the #66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda of Rosenqvist.
It was the defining issue as Palou utilized the clear air and set sail on the sphere for his twenty second profession win.
LOSER: Everybody who watched (and lots of who participated)
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
There was one on-track cross for place among the many prime 10 previous to pit stops on Lap 30, which got here on the second lap with Palou stunning Pato O’Ward into Flip 1 to take over second. Though the occasion abstract confirmed 69 passes for place for the 90-lap race, it felt like considerably lower than that, with virtually the one place motion taking place throughout pit cease cycles. There have been 4 lead adjustments amongst 4 leaders, with none of these taking place on-track.
It was to the purpose that third-place finisher Scott Dixon referred to as it a “blah” race. And Graham Rahal, who completed a decent eighth, instructed a number of retailers afterwards, together with Motorsport.com, that the race size needs to be adjusted to both 10 laps shorter or 10 laps longer. His idea is so these within the two-stop technique will be extra aggressive or {that a} two-stopper wouldn’t be potential, requiring an additional cease and forcing drivers to maximise tempo over hitting a gas quantity and staying in line.
For a collection that prides itself on how the racing has been higher than Method 1, and often is, this weekend felt very very like a pre-2020 F1 race the place all of the enjoyable was in qualifying earlier than it grew to become a parade race for 2 hours.
Merely put, it was a snoozefest.
WINNER: Felix Rosenqvist
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
There isn’t a doubting Rosenqvist needed extra, with a second profession victory very a lot in play after main a race-high 51 laps from pole. As demoralizing as it’s to see a particles warning – with the proprietor of stated particles that littered Flip 3 nonetheless a thriller – wipe out a large benefit that led to dropping the race within the pits, a second-place end continues to be a refreshing jolt to jumpstart his season.
Coming into the race, the Swede’s finest end was twelfth (twice – St. Petersburg, Phoenix) and sat 14th within the championship standings, so a runner-up result’s the right technique to get his 2026 marketing campaign again on observe.
LOSER: Josef Newgarden
Josef Newgarden, Group Penske
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
Slotting Josef Newgarden within the “loser” spot appears a bit unfair contemplating he’s about the one driver that made the race value watching.
The Tennessee native’s race strategist, Group Penske President Jonathan Diuguid, opted to go together with the three-stop technique, which allowed him to be aggressive and among the many few to truly generate passes.
Nevertheless, in an effort to not get held up by Marcus Armstrong for thirteenth, Newgarden made a diving transfer that led to flatspotting the left-front of his #2 Group Penske Chevrolet simply shy of the midway level. He tried to push by the difficulty, however his lap instances regressed to the purpose of matching the race chief till the race’s solely warning, the primary at Lengthy Seaside since 2024, which negated any probability of the technique working.
Newgarden was left ending the place he began: 14th.
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