The 51st edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach featured a Honda sweep of the podium, led by Alex Palou.
However, it wasn’t the typical Palou masterclass. He was left pursuing pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist through the first two-thirds of the race until the last pit stop of the race allowed Palou to vault into the race lead. In the end, Palou, the reigning and four-time IndyCar Series champion, sped off to a 3.9663s margin of victory over Rosenqvist to collect his third win of the season and first at the the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit.
The win also pushed Palou back into the championship lead, holding a 17-point advantage over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (205-188), who finished fourth at Long Beach.
So, without further delay, here are the winners and losers from the fifth round of the 2026 season.
WINNER: #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Pit Crew
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images
For all of the rightful praise given to Palou for his prowess each and every race, notably for his ability to stalk rivals and move ahead courtesy of his remarkable in- and out-laps, this race was won by his pit crew.
With Rosenqvist holding nearly a 3s lead prior to the caution on Lap 57, it was unlikely Palou would be able to mount a charge on his own. But when the deficit was erased with the timely caution, it allowed the Spaniard’s #10 Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew a chance to shine, with a stop nearly a full second quicker and got Palou out ahead of the #66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda of Rosenqvist.
It was the defining factor as Palou utilized the clean air and set sail on the field for his 22nd career win.
LOSER: Everyone who watched (and many who participated)
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
There was one on-track pass for position among the top 10 prior to pit stops on Lap 30, which came on the second lap with Palou surprising Pato O’Ward into Turn 1 to take over second. Although the event summary showed 69 passes for position for the 90-lap race, it felt like significantly less than that, with practically the only position movement happening during pit stop cycles. There were four lead changes among four leaders, with none of those happening on-track.
It was to the point that third-place finisher Scott Dixon called it a “blah” race. And Graham Rahal, who finished a respectable eighth, told several outlets afterwards, including Motorsport.com, that the race length should be adjusted to either 10 laps shorter or 10 laps longer. His concept is so those in the two-stop strategy can be more aggressive or that a two-stopper wouldn’t be possible, requiring an extra stop and forcing drivers to maximize pace over hitting a fuel number and staying in line.
For a series that prides itself on how the racing has been better than Formula 1, and usually is, this weekend felt very much like a pre-2020 F1 race where all the fun was in qualifying before it became a parade race for two hours.
Simply put, it was a snoozefest.
WINNER: Felix Rosenqvist
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
There is no doubting Rosenqvist wanted more, with a second career victory very much in play after leading a race-high 51 laps from pole. As demoralizing as it is to see a debris caution – with the owner of said debris that littered Turn 3 still a mystery – wipe out a sizable advantage that led to losing the race in the pits, a second-place finish is still a refreshing jolt to jumpstart his season.
Coming into the race, the Swede’s best finish was 12th (twice – St. Petersburg, Phoenix) and sat 14th in the championship standings, so a runner-up result is the perfect way to get his 2026 campaign back on track.
LOSER: Josef Newgarden
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Slotting Josef Newgarden in the “loser” spot seems a bit unfair considering he is about the only driver that made the race worth watching.
The Tennessee native’s race strategist, Team Penske President Jonathan Diuguid, opted to go with the three-stop strategy, which allowed him to be aggressive and among the few to actually generate passes.
However, in an effort to not get held up by Marcus Armstrong for 13th, Newgarden made a diving move that led to flatspotting the left-front of his #2 Team Penske Chevrolet just shy of the halfway point. He attempted to push through the issue, but his lap times regressed to the point of matching the race leader until the race’s only caution, the first at Long Beach since 2024, which negated any chance of the strategy working.
Newgarden was left finishing where he started: 14th.
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