IndyCar: Acura GP of Long beach Preview
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take to the Streets of Long Beach this weekend for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit has been the site of some of the most memorable moments in open-wheel racing including Michael Andretti claiming his first and final INDYCAR wins as a driver (1986, 2002).
Race weekend: Friday, April 14 – Sunday, April 16
Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California
Race distance: 85 laps / 167.28 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, five sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for Practice 1.
Twitter: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @GrandPrixLB, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @grandprixlongbeach, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.gplb.com
INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
Entry List
|
CAR |
DRIVER |
HOMETOWN |
CAR NAME |
TEAM |
ENGINE |
|
|
1 |
2 |
Josef Newgarden |
Nashville, Tennessee |
Hitachi Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
2 |
3 |
Scott McLaughlin |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
Sonsio Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
3 |
5 |
Pato O’Ward |
Monterrey, Mexico |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
4 |
06 |
Helio Castroneves |
Sao Paulo, Brazil |
AutoNation/SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing |
Honda |
|
5 |
6 |
Felix Rosenqvist |
Värnamo, Sweden |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
6 |
7 |
Alexander Rossi |
Nevada City, California |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
7 |
8 |
Marcus Ericsson |
Kumla, Sweden |
Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
8 |
9 |
Scott Dixon |
Auckland, New Zealand |
PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
9 |
10 |
Alex Palou |
Barcelona, Spain |
Ridgeline Lubricants |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
10 |
11 |
Marcus Armstrong (R) |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
The American Legion |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
11 |
12 |
Will Power |
Toowoomba, Australia |
Verizon Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
12 |
14 |
Santino Ferrucci |
Woodbury, Connecticut |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
13 |
15 |
Graham Rahal |
New Albany, Ohio |
United Rentals |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
14 |
18 |
David Malukas |
Chicago, Illinois |
HMD Trucking |
Dale Coyne Racing with HMD |
Honda |
|
15 |
20 |
Conor Daly |
Noblesville, Indiana |
Bitnile.com |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
16 |
21 |
Rinus VeeKay |
Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
Bitnile.com |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
17 |
26 |
Colton Herta |
Valencia, California |
Gainbridge |
Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian |
Honda |
|
18 |
27 |
Kyle Kirkwood |
Jupiter, Florida |
AutoNation |
Andretti Autosport |
Honda |
|
19 |
28 |
Romain Grosjean |
Geneva, Switzerland |
DHL |
Andretti Autosport |
Honda |
|
20 |
29 |
Devlin DeFrancesco |
Toronto, Canada |
EVTEC |
Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport |
Honda |
|
21 |
30 |
Jack Harvey |
Bassingham, England |
Kustom Entertainment |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
22 |
45 |
Christian Lundgaard |
Hedensted, Denmark |
Hy-Vee |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
23 |
51 |
Sting Ray Robb (R) |
Payette, Idaho |
biohaven |
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR |
Honda |
|
24 |
55 |
Benjamin Pedersen (R) |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
25 |
60 |
Simon Pagenaud |
Montmorillon, France |
AutoNation/SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing |
Honda |
|
26 |
77 |
Callum Ilott |
Cambridge, England |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
27 |
78 |
Agustín Canapino (R) |
Arrecifes, Argentina |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
All cars use fourth-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis (Dallara IR12) with universal IR-18 aerodynamic bodywork, Chevrolet or Honda engines and Firestone tires.
(R) – Denotes Rookie of the Year candidate Issued: 4/10/2023
2022 race winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet)
2022 NTT P1 Award: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), 1:05.3095, 108.480 mph
Qualifying lap record: Colton Herta, 1:05.3095, 108.480 mph, April 9, 2022
NBC Sports race telecast: 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 16, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider, Dave Burns and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions, qualifying and races will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and turn announcers Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young. Ryan Myrehn, Alex Wollf and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 160 and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85 (Race only), racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, April 14
3-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (75-minute session), Peacock (live)
Saturday, April 15
8:45-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45-minute session), Peacock (live)
12:05 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock (live)
Sunday, April 16
9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock (live)
Noon – Driver introductions
Noon – NBC on air
12:38 p.m. – Start engines command
12:45 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (85 laps/167.28 miles), NBC and Peacock (live)
“3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR” AT LONG BEACH:
- Newgarden on repeat?: Since 2008 only Alexander Rossi has ever been able to back up one Long Beach win with another – he did it in 2018-19.
Josef Newgarden has the potential to double down after scoring his first victory at Long Beach last season. Newgarden won that race coming off a thrilling win at Texas Motor Speedway.
He enters 2023 looking in the same situation after his win at Texas on April 2. Can the Team Penske star score back-to-back races at Texas and Long Beach for the second year in a row?
- It’s not where you start…: With the exception of Rossi’s wins in 2018-19, the pole has not been the place to start at Long Beach. Just five drivers have ever won Long Beach from the top spot, and while pole sitters have scored podium finishes in recent races – Newgarden was second in 2021 –they’ve also finished 15th or worse just as often (Colton Herta – 23rd in 2022, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 20th in 2014, Dario Franchitti – 15th in 2012, and Justin Wilson – 19th in 2008).
- …It’s where you finish: Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon are the only drivers so far this season to sweep the top five this season. O’Ward has back-to-back second-place finishes at St. Petersburg and Texas, while Dixon has finishes of third (St. Pete) and fifth (Texas).
Keeping that mark could be a challenge for both. O’Ward has only one top-five at Long Beach (third in 2022) in three previous starts while Dixon has six top-five finishes in 15 previous races at Long Beach.
Race Notes:
- This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 39th INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race there in 1984. Josef Newgarden won the race in 2022.
- There have been two winners in as many races in 2023 – Marcus Ericsson (St. Petersburg) and Josef Newgarden (Texas). Since 2012, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has averaged just under nine different race winners per season, including a record-tying 11 winners in 2014. There were nine different winners in the 17 races in 2022, with equally tight competition projected for this season.
- Two California natives are entered: 2021 Long Beach race winner Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport hails from Valencia while 2018 and 2019 Long Beach race winner Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren is a native of Nevada City. Herta has won three of the last five INDYCAR SERIES races held in the Golden State (Laguna Seca 2019, Laguna Seca 2021 and Long Beach 2021).
- Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six). Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Power won in 2008 and 2012, and Rossi won in 2018 and 2019. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are Helio Castroneves (2001), Takuma Sato (2013), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Colton Herta (2021) and Josef Newgarden (2022).
- Five drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07) and Alexander Rossi (2018-19).
- Twenty-three of the 27 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 16 starts, the most among all entered drivers. Eleven entered drivers have led laps: Helio Castroneves 194, Power 172, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 104, Colton Herta 71, Josef Newgarden 54, Simon Pagenaud 54, Alex Palou 22, Graham Rahal 4, Devlin DeFrancesco 1 and Jack Harvey 1.
- Four NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies – Marcus Armstrong, Agustin Canapino, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb – are expected to compete. All will be making their first Long Beach INDYCAR SERIES start.
- Milestones – Conor Daly will attempt to make his 100th INDYCAR SERIES start at Long Beach… Alex Palou will attempt to make his 50th INDYCAR SERIES start at Long Beach…Scott Dixon will look to extend his consecutive starts streak to 308 – the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history
Team Highlight – Andretti Autosport
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take to the Streets of Long Beach this weekend for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit has been the site of some of the most memorable moments in open-wheel racing including Michael Andretti claiming his first and final INDYCAR wins as a driver (1986, 2002). The Andretti Autosport team is no stranger to success on the historic street circuit with five wins and four poles since the inaugural INDYCAR event in 2009. With Andretti Autosport’s rich Long Beach history, this weekend is sure to bring excitement to the longest-running major street race in North America.
Team Fast Facts
- In 13 starts on the Streets of Long Beach, Andretti Autosport has won a total of five times (Hunter-Reay – 2010, Conway – 2011, Rossi – 2018 + 2019, Herta – 2021). The team has also recorded four pole positions (Hunter-Reay – 2014, Rossi 2018 + 2019, C. Herta – 2021), finished on the podium nine times, recorded thirteen top-five finishes and led 401 laps.
- Colton Herta will make his fourth start at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach having scored one win (2021), one pole (2022) and leading 71 laps on the historic street circuit. Herta’s 2022 pole lap broke the Long Beach qualifying record.
- Returning for his third start at Long Beach, Romain Grosjean will try for another Firestone Fast Six appearance after qualifying sixth in both 2021 and 2022 and finishing on the second step of the podium in 2022.
- This year marks both Kyle Kirkwood’s and Devlin DeFrancesco’s second start at Long Beach with Kirkwood finishing in the top 10 in his 2021 debut and DeFrancesco retiring early due to contact.
- Michael Andretti won his first and final races as a driver on the Streets of Long Beach (1986, 2002) as well as his first win as a sole team owner (2010).
Team Quotes
Colton Herta #26
“It’s great to be back home in Southern California for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. I grew up coming to this race as a kid and was fortunate enough to win here in 2021. We’ve had fantastic cars here in the past and I can’t wait to see what we can do this weekend with the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.”
Kyle Kirkwood #27
“Long Beach is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar and it was actually my best finish last year. The Andretti Autosport team always thrives on street courses and even more so at Long Beach. It’s definitely a track I’ve been looking forward to and we’re due for some luck to turn our way after the first two events this year. Hopefully, the third time is a charm for us in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda.”
Romain Grosjean #28
“Long Beach was good to us last year and we know from St. Pete this season that we have a super fast car on street courses. I’m excited to keep the momentum going from the start of our season with the No. 28 DHL Honda and see all the fans that always have a great time in Long Beach.”
Devlin De Francesco #29
“Andretti Autosport has always had strong cars in Long Beach and I’m confident the same will be true this year. Our street course package is solid and we’ve had a good amount of speed in the No. 29 Capstone Andretti Steinbrenner Honda, so I’m looking forward to getting a strong finish.”
Rob Edwards – Chief Operating Officer
“The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is always one of the highlights of the year – Jim Michaelian and the AGPLB put on a world-class event. This race has also been good to Andretti Autosport as a team with five wins including three of the past four and Michael winning both his first and his 42nd and final races on the streets of Long Beach. We look forward to building on the speed we showed at St. Petersburg with a little more good fortune in the race to be at the sharp end when the checkered flag falls on Sunday afternoon.”