Chip Ganassi Racing driver reacts to his Long Beach glory that even winner Kyle Kirkwood couldn’t claim

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson reacted to a feat Kyle Kirkwood, as a race winner, failed to claim during the 50th anniversary of the ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Simpson is driving for the Chip Ganassi Racing team for the second straight year. He had a great weekend at the Long Beach Grand Prix, as the 20-year-old claimed his first top 10 finish in the series. The Cayman Island native also had another accomplishment this weekend, as he got he fastest lap of the Grand Prix.

The IndyCar X ( previously called Twitter) account posted a tweet showcasing Simpson's fastest lap.

"Career-best finish ☑️ @TAGHeuer Fastest Lap ☑️ A statement drive from @kyffin_simpson"

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver replied:

"I was trying to keep up with Scott 😅"

Simpson qualified for the Long Beach Grand Prix in ninth place and finished the race in 10th while he also led three laps.

The Cayman Island native won the Formula Regional Americas Championship in 2020. The 20-year-old also participated in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2022 and 2023 and won both times. His best finish during the 2024 season was at St. Petersburg in 12th position.

Kyffin Simpson will look forward to keeping up the positives during the next race at Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on May 4.

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Kyle Kirkwood speaks about Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou's championship winning race craft.

Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood won the 50th anniversary ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13. However, it wasn't an easy race, as the Chip Ganassi Racing driver put Kirkwood under pressure. Kirkwood spoke about what he learned from his battle with Palou on two separate occasions.

Kirkwood started the season opener at St. Petersburg on March 2 in ninth place, with Palou starting ahead of him in eighth. He trailed behind Palou most of the race and observed a thing or two from him.

Post race, while in conversation with FOX's presenter, Will Buxton, Kirkwood spoke about what he learned from the Chip Ganassi Racing driver by following him around St. Petersburg.

"It's actually been nice, it's been very nice following him at St. Pete, I learned a lot of what his tendencies are and how his thought process is around a race. And not to get into too much detail, but he pushes at the right times, and he knows how to execute when things need to happen.

“And I understand that while I watched him do it in front of me, I understood it today when he was in my mirrors, which is a big part of today's race, and how I managed it with fuel save, making sure that we kept going a lot longer than him, and how I managed the car to only push in the times I knew that he would be pushing too,” added Kyle Kirkwood.

The Spaniard won the first two races of the season and finished the Long Beach Grand Prix in second place.