“Kyle Kirkwood wins Detroit Grand Prix, takes second IndyCar race of 2025”
When Kyle Kirkwood was asked what happened when Will Power latched onto the back of his car during the first practice lap on Friday, May 30, his annoyance seemed softened by his top-position finish:
“I’m not upset. I don’t care. We’re P1,” he said.
He was able to say that again on Sunday, June 1, winning the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix. And he seemed a lot happier with this result than he felt Friday.
This is Kirkwood’s second win of the IndyCar season, following his win at the 2025 Grand Prix of Long Beach. His best finish in Detroit previously came in 2024, when he finished in fourth place.
“The car was flawless,” he said. “We were definitely the fastest, and on the restarts, man, the car just came alive.”
Finishing second was Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 car, who celebrated his second IndyCar podium and best finish of his young career in IndyCar. Colton Herta, who started the race in the pole position, finished in third place.
“Kyle was so fast today, so congratulations to him and his team on the win,” Ferrucci said.
Kirkwood paced all drivers leading the race for 48 laps, followed by Christian Rasmussen at 21.
The race brought an early surprise with no incidents on the first turn, something that marred the 2023 and 2024 races and the Indy NXT race from earlier in the day. That race paused under a red flag almost immediately after it began when a pileup occurred on Turn 3, causing 17-year-old Max Taylor to bow out on lap 1.
The first yellow flag waved on the 15th lap when Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 car spun out on Turn 8 and halted facing backwards. The caution lasted for five laps, but the yellow came out once again when Devlin DeFrancesco lost his rear right tire trying to get back into the race.
With the cool morning temperatures warming up by race time, most drivers in the front half of the field began with the alternate soft tires, while the rest began with hard tires. Those with the softer tires went to the pit much earlier than expected, however, dashing the hopes of a two-stop race for the soft-tire starters.
Each driver was required to use each set of tires at least once, per IndyCar rules.
Herta, who has won at qualifying at Detroit in two straight years, led for the first 11 laps before entering the pit for his first tire change. It ended up a consequential decision, as Kirkwood edged Herta out for positioning once he emerged from the pit and finished the race two spots ahead of him.
After Scott McLaughlin’s brief spell in the front, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen took the lead and stretched it to a two-second advantage for 21 laps before heading into the pit. Rasmussen pitted again 26 laps later but almost immediately ran into the wall after spinning out on cold tires in Turn 2, though he chose to continue despite his car appearing to suffer damage on the right side.
But that wasn’t the biggest crash of the day.
Big crash on lap 84
On the fastest part of the track, Louis Foster in the No. 45 car appeared to lose control of his suspension and crashed into Rosenqvist heading into turn 3. Foster’s car continued deep into the turnout while Rosenqvist smashed into the tire barrier.
“I don’t know how the heck that happens,” said Foster. “This track is just ridiculously bumpy, and that has to be something to do with it, because that’s so uncommon.”
The bumpiness of the track was a common complaint from drivers during the race weekend.
Both drivers exited their cars within minutes and appeared to avoid serious injury despite the crash, though both had to bow out of the race. Rosenqvist exited on a stretcher as he wasn’t able to walk to the ambulance and waved to the crowd as he was carried off.
Álex Palou doesn’t finish the race
Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Alex Palou quickly vaulted up to second from a fifth-position start in the early laps but fell behind once again after an early pit. He found himself in the top 5 again by the 45th lap and kept himself in a healthy position until lap 72, when a push from David Malukas sent Palou into the tire barrier at Turn 8.
The collision was enough to knock Palou out of the race, who couldn’t continue his dominant stretch to begin the 2025 season. Despite not being able to finish the race, Palou maintains a strong lead in the overall standings.
“Doesn’t feel great, but nothing we could have done there, I think,” said Palou after exiting.
Palou to this point has won five of the first seven races of the NTT IndyCar season. This is the first time this season that Palou has not finished in the first or second position.
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