IndyCar Headlines Another Successful Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach Weekend

Despite unseasonably cool and cloudy temperatures, the 48^th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach was once again a big success for the Southern California city on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

All grandstand seats for the 48^th running of North America’s biggest street race were sold out before the race weekend. A limited number of general admission tickets were put on sale with fans arriving as early as 7 a.m. on Friday, April 14 to take part in the annual event known as “Southern California’s 200-MPH Beach Party.”

From the “Kings of Chaos” performing a concert to thousands of fans on Saturday night, to Kyle Kirkwood blistering the field to score his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory in just his third race with Andretti Autosport, it was another memorable motorsports weekend for this event that is one of California’s biggest sporting events.

Sunday’s crowd exceeded 86,000 fans, according to estimates, and the three-day total once again approached 200,000 spectators.

“It was another great weekend, and our event continues to trend upwards,” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President Jim Michaelian told me Sunday night after the race. “IndyCar is on a tremendous upswing and today’s race was another indication of that as Kyle Kirkwood put on quite a performance to win his first career IndyCar victory.

“A 27-car starting lineup is great for this event and it was a very exciting and clean race.

“The sun even came out during the race and that really helped.”

Southern California has been in a months-long pattern of unusual weather but that didn’t keep the shorts-wearing crowd of partygoers and race fans from descending on downtown Long Beach to continue one of the greatest traditions in motorsports.

Kirkwood added his name to the impressive list of past race winners by starting on the pole and claiming his first career victory in the No. 27 AutoNation
AN
Honda for Andretti Autosport.

He led a trio of Andretti Autosport cars to a 1-2-4 finish defeating teammate Romain Grosjean in the No. 28 DHL Honda. Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport was fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.

Team owner Michael Andretti won his first and last IndyCar races as a driver in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

This past Sunday, he got to celebrate one of his drivers joining him as first-time winners who got their first victory at Long Beach.

“Oh, it’s huge,” Andretti said. “I know he’s going to remember this day for a long, long time. Well, forever, I think.

“It’s always extra special to do it at places like here in Long Beach. It’s just a great event, great history, great fans. The fans are so into it. You just love doing well here.

“Yeah, for us Andrettis, it’s been a very special place for us. I won my first and very last race of my IndyCar career here. My dad I think won four times. He’s the only time an American won a Formula 1 on American soil. There are so many things we’ve been able to do here in Long Beach to make it that special for us”

Andretti has called the 24-year-old Kirkwood from Jupiter, Florida the “Real Deal.” Kirkwood backed that up with a dominating performance to continue the success of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“Talk about the significance of it? It’s incredible,” Kirkwood said. “The next best race to win outside of this one, in my mind, is Indianapolis, right? For someone to have their first win at Indianapolis, I guess Alexander Rossi did it in 2016.

“Yeah, wow.

“It’s so cool. It’s so cool. Everything has been timed perfectly. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that they’ve given me.

“The car was amazing today. It was fantastic. The feeling I got at the end; I was trying to hold tears back in the car which is something I’ve never really felt before all through the ladder system.

“It almost feels like through my entire open-wheel ladder series career, I always wanted more. I’d win a bunch of races and I’d be like, Okay, I need to get to the next one, keep progressing. Today was the first time I was able to actually soak it in and acknowledge I’ve done something incredible.

“So, it’s really cool.”

After the race was over, the spectators had to exit the grounds because of a police investigation from a shooting in downtown Long Beach that had happened earlier in the day, several blocks away from the footprint of the race course. The alleged gunman was not part of the crowd at the race and the pursuit began several blocks away.

Long Beach Police, however, blocked off a three-block stretch of Ocean Avenue after the assailant was shot by an officer. He was taken into custody without life-threatening injuries.

Fans exited the facility several blocks away on Pine Avenue.