Competing in the most competitive motorsports series in the world, Kyle Kirkwood described what it felt like to be running at the head of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES pack in Sunday’s 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

It felt, in a word, natural.

“When I was younger (in junior categories), all I did was win championships,” he said. “It's a different sensation when you're fighting kind of for those (wins) – even top-five (finishes). It’s a completely different mindset.

“Races like (Sunday’s) are more what I was used to when I was in the lower series, when you're not fighting people front and back. You kind of dictate the pace of the race, and you understand the strategy. You just have to think about it, and you're kind of in control. Those were what I love.

“Where I tended to struggle in previous years (in INDYCAR) were the races where you kind of start in the 10th, 11th spot and work your way through, and you overcome adversity in those ways. That was something that was … something that was very new to me.”

Kirkwood had won about 60 professional races before scoring his first INDYCAR SERIES victory in 2023 at Long Beach, and now he has won three of these in the past 35 races. Only six drivers have won more in that span, and raise your hand if their names sound familiar: Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward and Will Power. Four of those are series champions, and the other two look they could be one day.

Kirkwood has shown he knows what to do with a fast car. He has qualified on one of the first two rows seven times since joining Andretti Global for the 2023 season, and he has converted six of them into top-five finishes, winning three times. He has twice won the Long Beach race from the pole, leading 99 of the 175 combined laps (56.6 percent).

Kirkwood didn’t just cruise to victory Sunday, either. He took pressure from the driver who has won the past two series championships and three of the past four titles. But Palou couldn’t match him as the checkered flag drew near.

There has been a significant amount of talk about Palou’s start to the season – he has bolted to a 34-point lead on the strength of two wins and Sunday’s second-place finish – and the title-hopeful chatter has included O’Ward, Dixon, Colton Herta and others. Before long, maybe Kirkwood fully joins that conversation. After all, he is second in the standings after three races, and Andretti Global seems to have taken a step forward this season.

If Kirkwood continues to have a fast car, his track record shows he knows what to do with it. After all, being at the front feels natural to him.