On a weekend that celebrated the rich 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, a bit of history met the present: the name Andretti was again in Victory Circle.
It was not Mario or Michael but Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global who took the checkered flag in Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. Counting the four victories here by Mario, the two by Michael and now seven by this team, the Andretti family has now been involved in an incredible 13 victories at Long Beach.
Al Unser, Jr., for his six wins as a driver, is known as the “King of the Beach.” Perhaps the Andrettis should now be known as the “Monarcas of the Beach.”
“It’s massive,” Kirkwood said. “This is an historic race and I don’t think it’s set in yet for me. But I know how special it is to win the 50th anniversary/ To be a multi-time winner is absolutely massive. And do it in an Andretti car, too. Andretti has a huge history here and to add to that history is big for me, big for the team and big for everyone involved."
The pole-sitter was joined on the podium by Chip Ganassi's Alex Palou and Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard. The race was a rarity in street races and Long Beach in particular in that the entire race was run under a green flag. There was not one caution period for the entire 90 laps for the first time since 2016. An even more rare situation nearly presented itself: It initially appeared that the race would be run under a sky full of clouds. But at the very moment the drivers started their cars, the sun came out and a long-standing Long Beach tradition - a sunny race day - continued on its 50th anniversary.
Sunday was a full day of activity that started with a race featuring different generations of cars that raced here throughout the decades, a Historic Formula Exhibition. GT America then showcased its series with its second race of the weekend and as a grand finale – an encore, if you will – the SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks kept people on the edges of their seats until the end of the afternoon. For many fans throughout the day, they paid for a full seat in the grandstands but only used the front of it.
For the 50th, legends Andretti and Unser, Jr., were brought back as co-Grand Marshals. They then joined 1975 race winner Brian Redman, four-time winner Paul Tracy, members of the family of Dan Gurney, race co-founder Chris Pook and Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO Jim Michaelian for pre-race laps in vintage cars provided by Petersen Automotive Museum. A special display in the Lifestyle Expo showcased the history of the race through photos and descriptions of the previous 49 winners as well as Gurney, without whom there would be no Grand Prix in Long Beach.
Sunday also featured a big thank you to the LA wildfires first responders, who rode along with the 27 drivers in pickup trucks to wave to fans around the track prior to the start of the IndyCar race.
The 50th year of the Grand Prix sure went a lot smoother than the first, and it provided a perfect reflection of its past while also setting the pace for even more success in the future.
