Kyle Kirkwood's remarkable turnaround continued Saturday morning as he dominated the final practice session before qualifying at Arlington's inaugural IndyCar race weekend.
The Andretti Global driver posted the fastest time of 1 minute, 33.1409 seconds around the challenging 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary circuit in his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda. The performance marked a dramatic improvement from Friday's opening session, where Kirkwood struggled to 15th place.
"A lot better than yesterday," Kirkwood said. "Unfortunately, yesterday, we just never really got a good run in the 40-minute session. So, yeah, I was disappointed yesterday. Had a lot to look at, big learning curve overnight, just driving mostly, to be honest, and figured it out, saw what the teammates were doing and were able to match them and then figure out some other things too in this session."
Kirkwood enters the weekend second in the championship standings, trailing leader Josef Newgarden by just five points after securing fourth and second-place finishes in the season's opening two races.
Honda's dominance extended well beyond Kirkwood's pole position time. The Japanese manufacturer claimed all five fastest positions in the 80-minute session, continuing their recent stranglehold on street course competition. Honda has captured 14 of the last 16 street race victories in the series.
Reigning four-time champion Alex Palou secured second place with a lap of 1:33.5008 in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top three at 1:33.9702 despite causing a red flag when he spun in Turn 14 while pushing the limits on the demanding circuit that combines asphalt and concrete surfaces with varying grip levels.
Will Power overcame early drama to claim fourth position at 1:34.0226 in his No. 26 TWG AI Honda. The Andretti Global driver had earlier collided with fellow champion Scott Dixon during a separate incident that brought out red flags. Marcus Ericsson completed Honda's top-five sweep with a time of 1:34.0695 in the No. 28 InPwr Honda.
David Malukas emerged as the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver, posting sixth place at 1:34.3889 in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske machine.
The session featured multiple incidents on the challenging street circuit. Dixon spun his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in Turn 4, coming to rest in the apex of the blind corner just 11 minutes into the session. Power, following behind, struck Dixon's left rear wheel with his front wing. Both drivers managed to return their damaged cars to pit lane for repairs and rejoined the session.
Championship leader Josef Newgarden encountered his own troubles late in the session. The two-time champion lost rear grip in his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet 39 minutes into practice, sliding through Turn 2 and making contact with the concrete barrier. Team officials confirmed Newgarden will switch to a backup car for qualifying.
Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, with Sunday's 70-lap inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington set to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET. The weekend represents a crucial opportunity for drivers to gain ground in the early championship battle on IndyCar's newest street circuit venue.
