Long Beach Wrap Up

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The result was inevitable. Ale4x Palou took the lead with 32 laps to go with a lightning quick pit stop to come out ahead of Felix Rosenqvist and won his third race of 2026. After a promising start to the year, which saw three different winners in three races and Palou second in the standings, we are back to 2025. Perhaps the month of May can salvage the season for the rest of the grid.

The processional race saw pole sitter Felix Rosenqvist jump to the lead and hold it except for five laps during the first pit stop round. When he shuffled back to the top, Rosenqvist maintained a 1.5 to 2 second lead over Palou until the pit stops under the day’s only caution flag.

When Palou exited the pits in first on the primary tires, it was game over. Palou is back in the points lead by 17 points over Kyle Kirkwood.

Awful Start: Long Beach is not known for great starts as the last rows are generally just rounding the hairpin when the green flies, but yesterday saw the worst start I’ve ever seen for this race. The first three rows were in formation followed by a large gap to an unorganized row four. The rest of the field wasn’t even in view. I don’t know why the star wasn’t waved off.

Either move the start line down the front straight a bit or have a standing start. The finish line can return to its current position. Another possibility is to start the race on Pine Street.

Soft tires too hard? The alternate tires lasted a full 30 laps. While the blistering was severe, the tire did not cause a big enough drop off to allow for any real racing. If the series wants the red tire used twice in a race, it has to force different strategies. The cars who made three stops didn’t have a chance.

Another Bad Break for Power: Will Power was enjoying his cleanest weekend of 2026. He did not contact anything on Friday or Saturday. He started seventh and spent the day in the top 10, even getting into the lead during pit stop shuffles. On the final stop, however, while exiting his pit box he made contact with a crew member of Caio Collet’s car. The drive through penalty sent him to the rear of the field. he recovered to finish 19th.

Good Days: Nolan Siegel finished 12th, his best result of the year. Siegel started last and rove a steady race.

Dennis Hauger improved to 11th from his 19th starting spot.

Alexander Rossi came home 9th after starting18th.

Obsession: Why FOX became so enamored with Josef Newgarden and spent innumerable laps showing him drive alone on a clear track is beyond me. Newgarden made an early pit stop and did cycle to the lead when the rest of the field made their first stops. It was clear that Newgarden would need two more stops while the leaders had a good chance to only need one more trip to the pits. His lead and chance for victory was ephemeral, but FOX kept up the narrative.

The more compelling story was how Rosenqvist could hold off Palou.

Final Thoughts: The Fast Six shootout was the highlight of the weekend. It was dramatic thanks to the tweaks in format that IndyCar implemented.

While racing at Long Beach has never been great, yesterday’s contest was devoid of drama and action. Palou’s pass of Pato O’Ward on lap two was the only significant pass of the race.

The good news is that a week from tomorrow, the circus moves to IMS for an entire month. I can’t wait.

Long Beach Race Day

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Today’s schedule: Times Eastern

1 PM Warmup FS1

5:30 PM FOX on Air

5:57 PM Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Qualifying produced an interesting starting grid which should make for a good race today. The polesitter wins less than 20% of the time4 at Long Beach. Since Kyle Kirkwood won from pole in 2025, Felix Rosenqvist’s chances are somewhat diminished. I think the winner comes from the first two rows.

From last night:

Rosenqvist Pole Caps Big Day for MSR

Things to watch for:

Remembering Jim Michaelian

Take a moment before the race to remember Jim Michaelian, who helped found the Long Beach event and guided it to the prestigious spot it holds on the IndyCar schedule as one the series’ Crown Jewels.

Kirkwood vs. Palou

If the pair is not contending for the win, keep an eye on where they are. Kirkwood leads the points by just 2, so where this duo finishes will determine the leader heading the IMS road course race in 20 days.

Another Charge for Lundgaard?

Lundgaard has not qualified particularly well this season, but he has made his way into the top 10 by the end of the day. From 1th on the grid, a top 5 result is very likely. He is my race sleeper.

Pato Vindication Tour

Pato O’Ward used very blunt terms to describe h at Barber, and he seems to be on a mission to avenge an embarrassing showing. From his front row spot, I give him the nod to park in Victory Lane today.

Pit Strategy

The race is very likely to be a three stop event, barring a mid-first stint yellow. The requirement to use two sets of the alternate tire could dictate the amount of pit visits.

Notes

Word I’m hearing is that A. J. Foyt Racing will be home for the 33rd entry for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. Katherine Legge will drive the entry. Number and sponsor will probably be announced next week.

Rosenqvist Pole Caps Big Day for MSR

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Mike Shank would have left IndyCar qualifying happy regardless of the outcome after one of his entries won the IMSA race at: Long Beach this afternoon. It was MSR’s first win at the prestigious track. But Felix Rosenqvist wasn’t ready to end the celebration there.

“That was nerve-wracking to watch,” Rosenqvist said. “My old buddy Pato there at end, that was close. That was a good lap.”

Rosenqvist tied his career best by finishing sixth in the standings last season, his second year with MSR. But he has endured a slow start to 2026, 14th in the standings after four races, which he said gave the team extra focus this weekend.

“It’s been a tough start of the year,” Rosenqvist said. “We said we wanted to do a little bounce-back here, and we did. Phenomenal day for us.”

In a dramatic Fast Six qualifying, Rosenqvist knocked defending series champion off the pole, then he watched nervously out as Pato O’Ward just missed beating him on the final run of the day. O’Ward missed by 0.04 seconds.

The former teammates will share the front row, while the top two in the standings, Palou and leader Kyle Kirkwood, will roll off in row 2. Full results are at the end of this post.

Tweaks Worked

At Arlington the debut of the single car qualifying was a flop in my opinion. The sixth fastest in Round 2 went first, a distinct advantage as his tires were still warm from the previous run. The other five drivers had little chance of catching Marcus Ericsson.

For Long Beach, the fastest driver had first choice of when to make his run, and the other drivers chose a spot in order of their Fast 12 finish. The only driver to pick out of order was O’Ward, who chose to go last instead of fifth.

Teams had the option of changing tires, but most stuck with the Round 2 set.

The result was a dramatic round with the top spot changing hands three times.

The format worked the way it was intended to.

FOX Still Not There

FOX displayed sector times, but only occasionally and infrequently during the Fast Six. In the final round, they had a running timer which switched from red to green depending on where the car was in relation to the driver on pole at the time. That was okay, but I want to know how far off the fastest pace the driver is.

I want to see running sector times for all six drivers and each driver’s deficit or advantage as they run. The network has the capability, I don’t understand why they are shortchanging the broadcast of a sport they partly own.

A Black Day for Racing

This morning we learned of the of sports car driver Juha Miettinen as a result of injuries sustained in a crash involving seven cars during a race at the Nürburgring in Germany. Any driver sport in any racing category is a tough blow to all racing fans. I’m thankful that racing fatalities are so few and far between in this era, but somehow it makes each one hurt more.

If you are going to a race tomorrow, or just watching at home, please take a moment to honor Juha Miettinen’s memory.

Results

Saturday at Long Beach- Will Redemption Weekend Continue?

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Friday was a day of comebacks. Will Power led the one IndyCar practice. Former IndyCar driver Robert Wickens won the pole for the GTD class We’ll see if the momentum continues today.

Today’s schedule: Times are Eastern

1:35-2:55 pm: Practice (same format as PRAC 1) FS2

IUMSA race, 4 pm Peacock


6:30 pm: IndyCar qualifying FS1

Practice Groups. Qualifying groups will be announced after practice.

Stories You May Have \Missed.

From my series on the Indianapolis 500 relating to the 2026 race:

100 Years Ago: Lockhart Subs, Wins Rain Shortened Race

:

90 Years Ago: Meyer Wins Third, Records Fall, Traditions Sprout
110 Years Ago: Resta Wins Shortened Event as War Clouds Loom

Power Fastest in Long Beach Opener

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Will Power led Practice 1 for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and his Andretti teammates placed in the top six. Points leader Kyle Kirkwood finished third, and Marcus Ericsson was sixth fastest.

Scott McLaughlin had the second quickest time before he made contact with the turn 9 tire barrier.

Alex Palou led his small group and placed fourth.
Mick Schumacher continued his rocky start in IndyCar as his car stalled in turn 2 just 9 mi9nutes into the session. The crew told him not to restart the car. He did not return to the track.

Could this be the weekend Power regains his form? The first four races were difficult for him, but he had his best on track session of the season today.lFrom what I saw of the crowd on television, Sunday will have an enormous crowd. It looked like a race day crowd today, and I received word from a friend on site that it felt like race day.

Tomorrow’s schedule, in Eastern time:


1:35-2:55 pm: Practice FS2 (40 mins all skate, 12 mins per 2 groups
4 pm: IMSA Race Peacock
6:40 pm: IndyCar Qualifying FS1

Results

Long Beach Preview

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Today’s schedule: Eastern Times

6:05 pm- IndyCar practice FS1

The second half century of racing at Long Beach begins today with a single practice. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is the crown jewel of street courses. The expected three day attendance could reach 200,000.

Long Beach is my second favorite event of the season- beautiful setting, car crazy fans, an IMSA race, and a first class presentation. This is a city that completely embraces the event.

This weekend will be the first without Jim Michaelian, one of the founders of the Grand Prix, along with Dan Gurney Michaelian, who died suddenly last month, grew the event into a world class attraction. he will be missed, but I don’t think the event will suffer much.

Jim Michaelian

Kyle Kirkwood comes to Long Beach as the defending race winner, and he is heavily favored to win for the third time on the streets of Southern California. While Alex Palou is expected to put up a stiff challenge, Kirkwood also needs to be wary of his teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson.

Andretti Global is strong on the street courses, and they are formidable at Long Beach. One team that may spoil the party is McLaren and Christian Lundgaard. Lundgaard has been close all season, and he was one bad pit stop from winning at Barber.

Qualifying

The qualifying format which debuted at Arlington returns with some tweaks. The Fasy Six will use the single car qualifying format, but there will be some different procedures.

Per IndyCar, the Fast Six procedures beginning tomorrow and for the remaining street races are :

“Choice of qualifying order based on Segment 2 results.
The fastest qualifier from Segment 2 will be the first to choose which position they would like to make their Fast Six qualifying run with subsequent choices made for the remaining positions based on the order of Segment 2 results.

Lining up at pit out following tire declaration.Once the qualifying order is determined, teams will make their tire selection – primary or alternate tires – prior to lining up in single-file and in order of their qualifying run, at pit out to await their qualifying attempt.

During Firestone Fast Six single-car qualifying, drivers will leave pit lane and get an opportunity for one lap – starting and ending at the alternate start/finish line. Once the car enters pit lane following that driver’s attempt, the next car will be released for its attempt. As in the streets of Arlington event, tire allotments and tire rules will remain unchanged.”

I like the changes. The fastest in Round 2 deserves the choice of when to qualify. The rule doesn’t specifically say the teams must change tires, although I hope it’s required. That will take away some of the advantage of being the first car out with tires that are still warm.

I would also like to see a longer break before the Fast Six. If the television window is an issue, shave4 a minute from Round 2.

Now that IndyCar has made a great effort to improve the new format, FOX needs to step up their qualifying game. At Barber, the network briefly displayed sector times during an IND NXT practice. Sector times should be mandatory on screen for Fast Six qualifying, if not for the entire session.

Race Strategy

Two sets of alternates are required during the race, and when to use them will be key. The 90 lap race should be a three stop affair, but who will gamble on a two stop race?

While I wish no driver ill, a caution or two would greatly enhance the strategy of the race.

I’m going with Kyle Kirkwood to keep his Long Beach crown, but I would not be surprised if Will Power puts all the issues that he’s encountered this season behind him and stand atop the podium.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams To Participate in Indy 500 Open Test April 28-29 at IMS 

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From IMS:
 In preparation for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers will participate in an Open Test from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, April 28 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29 on the famed 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On Tuesday, veterans will take to the oval from 10:05 a.m.-noon, with Rookie Orientation Program and refresher tests from noon-2 p.m. and all participants on track from 2-6 p.m. All cars are scheduled to be on track from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Wednesday.

The Southeast Vista grandstands and the Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing. Guests will park across 16th Street in Lot 3P and will enter through Gate 3. Guests with an ADA parking placard will park in the Front Museum Lot and sit in South Terrace East. Security will be on site to assist fans with crossing 16th Street. Concessions and merchandise will be available for purchase.

The test will be streamed on the INDYCAR YouTube channel. Live timing will be available on INDYCAR.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.