This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Colton Herta picked up a long-awaited victory by beating Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood to the finish at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
Herta, 24, had not won since the 2022 GMR Grand Prix 799 days ago, ending a 40-race drought.
He finished 0.3469 seconds ahead of Kirkwood, meaning not only did Andretti Global get its first win of the year, but also notched its first 1-2 finish since 2023 at Long Beach.
“We needed this so bad,” owner Michael Andretti said. “We’ve been competitive all year but we just haven’t been able to get the final result. It was a big day.”
Herta won the pole and Kirkwood started second, and no other driver on the streets of Toronto could impeach them. Herta led 81 of 85 laps, only twice losing the lead to pit.
“We’ve been knocking on the door to win for so long,” Herta said. “… I think we’re a team — Michael is the owner — that demands perfection.
“So happy. The Gainbridge Honda was so fast.”
Kirkwood was not upset about playing second fiddle.
“I played a little bit more defense as you probably noticed over the (late) restarts,” Kirkwood said. “Super happy with second place. (Finishing 1-2) was the goal today.”
Scott Dixon of New Zealand placed third, a mere 0.968 seconds behind Herta, and he made history in doing so. Dixon earned his 141st career podium finish, tying Mario Andretti for the most in IndyCar history.
–Field Level Media
