Kyle Kirkwood led an Andretti Global double podium in Washington, beating Christian Lundgaard and new teammate Will Power in round 15.
Kyle Kirkwood won the 2026 Grand Prix of Washington, D. C., finishing ahead of Christian Lundgaard and Will Power in IndyCar’s first race on the streets of the United States capital.
The round 15 win put Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian on the top step. Power finished third to complete an Andretti double podium, with Arrow McLaren’s Lundgaard between them.
Kirkwood delivers at a new circuit
Kirkwood became the first IndyCar winner at the Streets of Washington on August 23. It was his second victory of 2026 after his March 15 triumph at the Grand Prix of Arlington.
The Washington result added another street-course win to a season in which Kirkwood had emerged as one of Alex Palou’s closest championship challengers.
Lundgaard leads the chase
Lundgaard finished second for Arrow McLaren, adding another major result after victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 9 and Road America on June 21.
The confirmed finishing order put Lundgaard ahead of Power, whose third-place finish secured Andretti’s second podium spot. It was Power’s fifth top-five result of the 17-race season.
Strategy details stay out of view
The available race material included no verified account of the decisive pass, pit strategy or race incidents. The confirmed result had Kirkwood beating Lundgaard and Power, but attributing the outcome to a particular stop, caution or on-track move would extend beyond the published details.
Washington still produced a clear split at the front, with two Andretti entries sandwiching the leading Arrow McLaren car.
Championship pressure builds behind Palou
Later season standings listed Palou first with 607 points from 17 starts. Lundgaard was second on 507, Kirkwood held third with 505, and Pato O’Ward followed with 503.
Kirkwood’s Washington victory fed into a remarkably tight fight behind the champion. Only four points separated Lundgaard, Kirkwood and O’Ward after the subsequent Milwaukee doubleheader, though Palou had already clinched his fifth series title there.
Washington joins the IndyCar calendar
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D. C. was the first auto race held on the capital’s streets. It was the 15th event on the 2026 schedule, arriving one week after Marcus Ericsson won at Markham and one week before Milwaukee’s doubleheader.
After Milwaukee, IndyCar’s next stop was the season-ending Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 6.
