Overview
- Palou’s win, which came Sunday after the lap-60 pit cycle triggered by debris, hinged on beating polesitter Felix Rosenqvist out of pit lane and then controlling the restart to win by about four seconds.
- Rosenqvist led a race-high 51 laps from pole, but his final stop was roughly 1.1 seconds slower, costing the lead on a street course where on-track passing is scarce.
- Honda-powered teams swept the podium with Scott Dixon in third, while Kyle Kirkwood took fourth and Pato O’Ward finished fifth.
- Split strategies on tire compound and pit count shaped the race, as Josef Newgarden’s three-stop gamble briefly moved him to the front before a flat-spotted tire and extra service left him 14th.
- The outcome underscores how pit-stall position and crew speed decide Long Beach, with Meyer Shank Racing also starring on Saturday by winning the IMSA race before taking IndyCar pole and second place.