Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard secured a P3 finish at the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach after starting in P12. The American driver spoke with a FOX Sports reporter after Sunday’s race and dedicated his podium finish to the team and Hendrick Motorsports legend Jon Edwards.
Jon Edwards, a former PR representative for Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson, had passed away earlier in the week. To mourn his death, Arrow McLaren featured a decal dedicated to Edwards on all three IndyCars at the Long Beach race.
As Lundgaard got out of the car and prepared to step onto the podium, a FOX Sports reporter caught up to him and asked him about the race. The 23-year-old praised his team’s effort to get the car ready in time following his crash in qualifying and dedicated the podium finish to Edwards.
“This one’s dedicated to the crew. I think everybody on the the number seven Velo Arrow Chevrolet got to rebuild the car yesterday. I damaged the car in the crash in qualifying. This is to them. Mr. Jon Edwards, who unfortunately passed away … So this one’s to everybody on the entire Arrow McLaren team”, Christian Lundgaard said.
Kyle Larson, who won this weekend’s NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, also dedicated his win to Jon Edwards, who had become a confidant to the #5 HMS driver.
“This one’s for Jon. He’s a great guy. We’re gonna miss him. I wish he was here, but I know his spirit is here with us,” Larson said after winning the Cup Series race.
Christian Lundgaard’s climb from P12 to P3 at the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Christian Lundgaard had crashed his car into the barrier during the second qualifying session, and the team had to work to get the spare chassis ready for the race. His lap time from the session was deleted because he had caused a caution, and he started the race in 12th position.
However, unlike others who started on the alternate soft tires, Lundgaard began the race on the harder primary tires, which gave him an advantage and propelled him into the top five.
Lundgaard led multiple laps during the race, and his strategy worked out beautifully, effectively putting him in fourth place after the final round of pit stops. The 23-year-old then chased down Felix Rosenqvist over the final 10 laps and overtook the Meyer Shank Racing driver with five laps remaining.
The Arrow McLaren star used all his P2P down the main straight and made a daring move on Rosenqvist into Turn 1 to secure the podium position.
The P3 result at Long Beach was Lundgaard’s second consecutive podium finish this season, following his third-place finish at The Thermal Club.
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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh
