Ganassi drivers deliver three top-eight finishes in Long Beach

It was another strong showing for Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) in Long Beach Sunday, with three of the team’s drivers scoring top-eight finishes, including the fifth-straight top-3 in an INDYCAR SERIES race. And all three cars featured American Legion branding.

Marcus Ericsson finished third in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and moved into first place in the INDYCAR points standings, while Alex Palou scored a fifth-place finish and moved into third in the points race. And rookie Marcus Armstrong, in just his second INDYCAR start and featuring The American Legion livery for the first time, overcame a crash during qualifications to take eighth place on Sunday.

"I think it was a great day,” Armstrong said via CGR media after his impressive performance in the No. 11 American Legion Honda. “It was a genuine pleasure to drive the Ganassi car, as it was very well-balanced from start to finish, especially on the primary tires. The performance was there; it was just about finding that clear air."

Ericsson, who won the series season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., made his 50th career start for CGR. His performance in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda gives him a 15-point lead over Pato O’Ward in the point standings.

“It was a really good weekend. We were fast all the way through,” Ericsson said. “It was a hectic race. We were running very well and then on that restart in the middle, we dropped back a bit and lost some positions. But the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda was so fast out there, and we made up the ground and finished on the podium. I'm really happy with that and now we have got the championship lead. Bring on the rest of the season."

Making his 50th career INDYCAR start, Palou ran near the front of the pack most of the race and recorded the day’s fastest lap while driving the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda.

“It's a bit of a sour day,” said Palou, just four points behind O’Ward in the standings. “I think our car was one of the strongest and was running very well at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately, I got caught up with an incident and had to wait until (O’Ward) was able to get back on track. We lost a lot of positions there, but happy that we recovered from 12th or 13th back to fifth. We got a top-5 finish, and then the podium for Marcus, so a solid effort by the team. We had strong cars, and I can't wait for Barber in just a matter of days now."

Andretti Autosports’s Kyle Kirkwood earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory after winning the pole Saturday. His teammate, Romain Grosjean finished second.

The CGR team and the rest of the INDYCAR SERIES next heads to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on April 30.