Felix Rosenqvist exited last weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with the seventh pole of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career and a stellar drive in the race. Perhaps more important is the inspiration he and his Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian team have taken from the event.

“The confidence boost is huge,” he said.

It comes at a wonderful time in the Swede’s life. If next month goes as he hopes, he will become a father for the first time and contend for his first victory in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Obviously, the former is most important, but don’t sleep on the latter.

Rosenqvist has produced series-leading consistency on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval over the past four years. Split between two different teams, he has finished eighth, third, ninth and fourth, respectively, an average finish of 6.0. No other driver has posted top-eight efforts in each of those years, and only Alex Palou, who won last year’s race, and Santino Ferrucci have better average finishes in that span. Palou’s average finish is 4.75; Ferrucci’s 5.25.

Before Rosenqvist led 51 laps in last weekend’s Long Beach race, his previous high for laps led in an outing was 33 at Indy in 2023. Prior to that, his most laps led in a race was 31 in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut, in 2019 in St. Petersburg.

In Long Beach, Rosenqvist was primed for his first series victory since winning Road America for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020. He comfortably led Palou by about three seconds as the final stop of the race approached, but a caution for debris on the track wiped out the advantage. When all the cars came to pit road for service, Palou overtook him for the lead with a slightly quicker stop. Palou also benefitted from having the preferred pit stall, earned by winning the season’s prior race (the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park).

Felix Rosenqvist

Rosenqvist (photo, front, above) acknowledged that was “the defining moment” of the race.

“I don't even think we had that bad of a stop,” he said. “We had to come around (Ferrucci’s car to exit). I don’t know if Alex had an open in, (but) details like that matter.”

Still, it was a victory of sorts for the No. 60 Honda.

“If you kind of take the perspective, it (was) a very, very good weekend,” Rosenqvist said. “Obviously, you want to win when you have the opportunity. Yeah, I’m proud (of the performance).”

Amid a slow start to the season, the second-place finish in the year’s fifth race advanced Rosenqvist to ninth in the standings. Last year, he tied his best career championship finish in sixth place.

Next up is the fun, and Rosenqvist can’t wait for it to begin. He and the rest of the “500” field will test at IMS on April 28-29 in preparation for the 110th Running on Sunday, May 24. In between those two on-track events is the Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course Saturday, May 9. Rosenqvist has two career poles on that circuit (in 2019 and 2022).

If the Month of May goes well, Rosenqvist might just credit the Long Beach weekend as his launching pad.

“For sure, yeah,” he said. “Going into the (Long Beach) weekend we were just trying to do something a little bit different, try to reload a little bit and get the confidence back.

“I think it's important mentally -- mainly for me, but everyone on the crew -- to reset, show what we got, kind of remind us why we're here.”