Downtown Detroit, Michigan- Kyle Kirkwood masters the streets of downtown Detroit for his second Indycar triumph of the season
Following an exciting edition of the Indianapolis 500, the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES travelled north to the tight and tricky circuit of Downtown Detroit. The 100-lap race was packed with drama, but it was Kyle Kirkwood who held his nerve, to rise from P3 to the top and claim his second street victory of 2025.
The field of 27 cars were divided by two different race strategies for the difficult circuit, either opting for quick, easily worn tyres or slower but more durable ones. The top 9 grid sitters opted for the softer tyres, with most drivers pitting soon after to switch to the primary tyre for durability.
Kirkwood, who started on the faster alternate tyre, first took the lead when Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon entered the pits on lap 39. This was a lead he was able to protect until lap 50, when he brought his Andretti Racing Honda to the pits for the second time. The second half of the race saw things shaken up a bit, with several drivers losing control of their cars on the Detroit Street circuit. Calum Ilott heavily damaged his PREMA Racing Chevrolet on lap 67, which ended his race there and then. Next was the championship leader, Alex Palou at the same turn as Ilott, on lap 72. It was not to be for Palou, who entered the race with five victories in six races this season, as he was handed 25th place in Detroit following his error at Turn 1.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kirkwood began his ascent up the field, chasing down Ferrucci, Simpson, and Armstrong in first, second, and third respectively. Following the restart of the race after Palou’s misfortune, Kirkwood completed the first of three quick moves past Marcus Armstrong on lap 76. It was then past Simpson and into P2 for the Andretti racer, but a slight misjudgement resulted in considerable damage for Kirkwood’s front wing, which he battled with for the remainder of the race. Despite this impact, he was able to execute the final move into P1, moving cleverly past Santino Ferrucci on lap 79. Towards the latter stages of the race, a major collision between Louis Foster and Felix Rosenqvist ended both of their races with 17 laps to go, initiating the 5th and final caution period of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
This caution period was well received by Kyle Kirkwood and his team, with an impressive restart on lap 89 propelling him further into the lead with just 11 laps remaining. The victory for Kirkwood in Detroit proves his ability to perform on tricky street circuits, as he built on his success at Long Beach earlier in the season to shoot him up to third place in the championship. Santino Ferrucci recorded a career’s best finishing in P2, with Colton Herta dropping to third from pole position. A seventh-place finish for Pato O’Ward maintains his position in second, whilst Alex Palou’s lead at the top is cut down to 90 points after his disappointing afternoon in Detroit.
The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES will be back to the oval circuit on June 15th, with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 taking place in Madison, Illinois.
