Kyle Kirkwood led an Andretti Global first, second and fourth-place effort with a victory in the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Sunday.

Will Power finished third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda, while NTT P1 Award winner Marcus Ericsson came home fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Honda.

Ericsson can’t believe he didn’t join his teammates on the podium.

“It was a bit defeating, in a way,” Ericsson said. “We were fast all weekend. To not get a podium doesn’t feel great. Our car was really strong.”

Marcus Ericsson

Ericsson (photo, above) led the opening 16 laps before a slow pit stop caused by a wheel gun malfunction dropped him from the lead and forced him to fight back.

Trouble on the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tire also affected his race pace. A similar issue surfaced earlier this season in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, when Ericsson slipped from second to sixth late in the race.

“We need to work on that to be better,” Ericsson said. “That opens up our options in the race. It hurt us again today and maybe cost us a potential podium.

“Still, three cars in the top four is an amazing result for the team. It’s just frustrating to be the one off the podium.”

Ericsson gained one position in the standings and sits eighth in points, 49 behind teammate Kirkwood.

“I hate saying it’s a good points day when you go from first to fourth,” Ericsson said. “If you go from 10th to fourth, it’s a great points day. But it’s still progress.”

Power also left Arlington encouraged after a difficult start to the season.

He entered the weekend 22nd in points after challenging races in St. Petersburg and the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway. Starting fourth and finishing third provided the rebound he needed, gaining 11 spots in the standings to 11th.

Power ran a two-stop strategy while the remaining 24 drivers ran at least three pit stops.

“The first two stints were big tire saves and big fuel saves,” Power said. “The pace wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t the quickest strategy today.

“But it showed we can really look after the tires and save fuel if we have to. A podium this weekend was something I would have been very happy with. I just wanted a solid run.”

O’Ward Continues Consistent Start

Pato O'Ward started third and finished fifth in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren. The result marked his third straight top-five finish to begin the season. Only he and Kirkwood have finished in the top 10 in all three races.

O’Ward leaves Arlington third in the championship standings, 33 points behind Kirkwood.

“Those Andretti cars have rocket ships,” O’Ward said. “It’s not a shocker but holy moly. I think we did the best we could with our street course package this weekend.”

O’Ward said Arrow McLaren still needs more speed on street circuits to challenge Andretti Global.

“Qualifying was very good execution,” he said. “But we’ve got work to do if we want to win these street races because I didn’t have anything for the Andretti Honda camp here.”

Despite that, O’Ward praised the new Arlington event and the sold-out crowd (photo, top).

“I think it’s my favorite street track on the calendar now,” he said. “It used to be Belle Isle. Now it’s this one.

“I couldn’t see an empty seat in the grandstands. General admission was packed. Everyone involved deserves it because they did a phenomenal job.”

Caio Collet

Collet Leads Rookie Finishers

Caio Collet finished 12th in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises and claimed top rookie honors. He started 16th and steadily climbed through the field.

“I think this was a really positive weekend overall,” Collet said. “I was really quick on the blacks (primary tire) today but struggled a bit on the reds (alternate tire).”

Collet (photo, above) said the alternate Firestone Firehawk tire exposed balance issues that made it difficult to keep the front of the car planted into the track.

“The team did a really good job all weekend,” he said. “The crew also had strong pit stops. We were competitive and just need to keep improving.”

Dennis Hauger finished 16th in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda for Dale Coyne Racing while Mick Schumacher finished 22nd in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Hauger finished as the top rookie in the first two races of the season by placing 10th and 15th, respectively. Collet finished 17th and 19th in the first two races.

“There’s good rookie competition out there,” Collet said. “We’ll focus on ourselves, keep progressing with the team and try to get some top-10 finishes.”

Cowboys Owner Jones Impressed by INDYCAR Event

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones attended the race near AT&T Stadium and praised the sold-out crowd in Arlington.

The 14-turn, 2.73-mile street circuit winds around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. This event is a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers.

“I can’t imagine the quality the Penske group and all the workers put into this,” Jones said. “Everything about it is extremely high quality. The track, the equipment, everything involved. It’s better than I expected. It gives me a chill.”

Edwards Gets Closer Look at INDYCAR

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Carl Edwards attended last year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg out of curiosity after seeing the street circuit while flying into the city.

This weekend Edwards returned to the paddock while his son competed in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America race in Arlington.

The 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee also joined the FOX Sports broadcast during the morning warmup show.

“I lived in this NASCAR bubble forever,” Edwards said. “I didn’t realize how amazing INDYCAR is.

“I’m amazed watching these drivers. Their hands are moving constantly, and they’re driving the cars so hard. I’ve been watching INDYCAR from a distance, and I’m getting closer by the minute.”

Odds and Ends

  • Scott Dixon delivered another classic recovery drive. He climbed from 20th to finish eighth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after starting 15th and finishing seventh last week at Phoenix. Dixon is 11th in points entering the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, March 29 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).
  • Helio Castroneves made his first appearance at the track this season. The Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian co-owner will compete in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 24. Castroneves recently spent time racing stock cars in Brazil and is eager to return to INDYCAR SERIES machinery during the Indianapolis 500 Open Test on April 28-29.
  • Kirkwood gave Andretti Global its 78th win in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
  • Honda continues its street course dominance with victories in 15 of the last 17 races on temporary circuits.
  • Andretti Global also celebrated in the development ranks as Max Taylor captured his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday morning.
  • Max Garcia made a quick exit from Texas after the INDY NXT by Firestone race. The ABEL Motorsports rookie returned to Florida after the race to take the SAT on Monday. Garcia, who turns 17 Tuesday, is a junior at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.