St. Petersburg, FL

  • Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou goes back-to-back in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener at St. Pete
  • Palou seeks his fifth series championship following stellar 2025 season
  • Kyle Kirkwood narrowly misses out on podium finish for Andretti Global 

Reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou began his 2026 right where he ended 2025, at the top.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver drove his Honda-powered #10 machine to victory lane at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the second-consecutive year. The Spaniard is looking to repeat the success of his 2025 season, which saw him win eight races, including both St. Pete and the Indianapolis 500 en route to his third-consecutive championship and fourth title in five years.

This victory marks Alex Palou's 20th NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 99 race starts—all powered by Honda.

Kyle Kirkwood drove an impressive Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing fourth in his home race. The Floridian started 15th and carved his way through the field over the 100-lap event. The Andretti Global driver climbed as high as second before increased tire degradation saw him slip to fourth place in the closing laps of the race.

Other Honda-powered finishers in the top-10 include Kirkwood's Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson in sixth, Dale Coyne Racing's Romain Grosjean in eighth and Grosjean's DCR teammate, Rookie Dennis Hauger in 10th.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Race Results

1st Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global Honda
6th Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global Honda
8th Romain Grosjean Dale Coyne Racing Honda
10th Dennis Hauger - R Dale Coyne Racing Honda
11th Marcus Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing Honda
12th Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Louis Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
22nd Will Power Andretti Global Honda - Not Running, retired
23rd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda - Not Running, off course
25th Mick Schumacher - R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda - Not Running, contact

 

R – Rookie

Quotes

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished first: "We did it, we're back baby! We just won here again in St. Pete and it was an amazing race. We just felt like we had so much power today from Honda. We couldn't have started the season in a better way. I'm so pumped, so happy. Thank you to all the fans that came to the track this weekend and to those watching at home. I already can't wait for Phoenix next week!"

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) finished fourth: "It was a great day overall for the #27 crew and for Honda with Palou's win and us in fourth. We were running in second for the majority of that last stint, but I ultimately just had too much tire degradation. It was beautiful race, and we had some beautiful pace. Everything went great—reliability, fuel saving, everything was up to par. We drove from 15th to fourth, which is a huge deal in the IndyCar series. Everybody knows how hard that is to accomplish, so it was a big day for us in the #27 car."

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): "It's so great to get the season underway. Congratulations to IndyCar, this place was packed this weekend. Racing is very much alive and well in St. Pete, which was delightful to see. Huge congratulations to the mythical Alex Palou, who did what Alex Palou does, with the mythical CGR team who did what they do best. And of course, my heartfelt thanks to all the men and women at Honda Racing Corporation USA who worked hard during the winter with full attention to detail and continue to show what they are made of and work together brilliantly. This is a great start to the season. We realize how tough this is to achieve and we take nothing for granted. Well done, team!"

Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES head to Phoenix for a doubleheader with the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway—the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday March 7th.

 

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