In a clean practice run under cool and cloudy conditions, Nolan Siegel ended up with the fastest lap as some new names appeared in the top 10. Louis Foster led the session for a bit and finished hird, whilke David Malukas was eighth.
Andretti and Penske cars retained top spots from yesterday. Colton Herta was second quick and Kyle Kirkwood finished fifth for Andretti, while Will Power in fourth and Josef Newgarden in sixth kept Penske in the hunt.
Arrow McLaren had all three cars leading the session at one point. Christian Lundgaard finished10th and Pato O’Ward was 12th.
Notes
At qualifying time the temperature should be about 63 degrees, up just slightly from the 58 degree practice temperature.
LBGP officials annpounced that reserved grandstand seating is sold out for the weekend for the third year in a row. Achieving a sellout is a remarkable feat these days, but sustaining it over three years is remarkable. General admission ickets are still available.
Based on yesterday’s practice, the alternates are faster, but how long will they last? Teams appeared to be saving primaries for the race, resulting in less on track action. Will Power, yesterday’s leader, completed only 20 laps.
Maybe IndyCar should shorten the first practice a bit to encourage cars to be on track for the entire session.
IMSA
BMW locked out the front row with their third straight pole of the season. The team has yet to have success in a race. The Penske Porsches are in Row 2 and poised to take their third straight victory.
Today’s race marks the return of Robert Wickens to major competition. He will start eight in the GTD field. He called his qualifying effort “frustrating.”
Wickens will be in the ble Corvette (I know) number 36.
I’ll be back after practice with the qualifying groups,
While I don’t put a lot of stock in Friday practice, it5 appears that supremacy by the seas may come down to Penske versus Andretti. Will Power grabbed the top spot on his final lap, nipping Marcus Ericsson, who was just 0.002 seconds ahead of his teammate Kyle Kirkwood. Power’s stablemate Josef Newgarden finished sixth overall, but he led part of the 45 minute portion of the split practice.
Points leader Alex Palou was seventh quick, the fastest of the Ganassi cars.
Meyer Shank racing had a strong showing, with Marcus Armstrong fourth and Felix Rosenqvist fifth.
Notes
The grandstands in turns nine and 10 were nearly at capacity for practice. I haven’t been to Long Beach in three years, but I don’t remember the seats this full for the first practice.
The Grand Prix organization has gone all out to mark the 50th anniversary of a race on the streets. Their merchandise booth has very nice commemorative shirts and outerwear.
For the Golden Anniversary, even the event cars are gold.
IndyCar practice 2 is at 8:30 am Pacific, and qualifying is at 11:30 PT.
IMSA note– Robert Wickens just qualified eighth for tomorrow’s race.
The session lasted only 20 minutes, but it was the best 20 minutes od the morning as the historic cars took to to the track for their first practice. Formula 500, F1, and Indycars- all formulae that have raced in an iteration of the Long Beach Grand Prix -were represented.
Another highlight of the morning was seeing the ar Robert Wickens will drive during IMSA practice.
Robert Wickens will drive this Corvette in tomorrow’s IMSA race.
A look at the timing screen with the car makes gave me chills and great memories.
Here are some photos of the historic cars. I’ve included one of each.
F 5000 1975 EagleF1 1974 MarchIndycar Eagle
IndyCar practice begins in about 90 minutes. I’s an 80 minute session on FS1.
Photo: Brian Redman winning the first long Beach race in Formula 5000
Fog is lifting and the SRO series just completed practice 1. IMSA takes the track to begin a very busy day for them with practice 1 at 9 AM Pacific time.
IndyCar Practice is at 3 PM Pacific/6 PM Eastern on FS1.
IMSA qualifying is at 5:10 Pacific time.
I am really excited to see the historic cars on track later this morning, and the display featuring Brian Radman’s Formula 500 car, which won the first race held at Long Beach in 1975. Formula 5000 is a series that I never had a chance to witness live.
I did not think the city of Long Beach could do any more to embrace this event than what I saw on my first two trips here, but walking around yesterday I there seemed to many more businesses than I remembered displaying checkered flags and banners.
It is a remarkable achievement for a city to continue a street race for 50 years, through changes in city council membership and mayors. Long Beach loves this event as much as Indianapolis loves the 500. I remember on my first visit here how shocked I was when the agent at the rental car center knew about the race. This the only place where that has happened.
I will be back in a bit before IndyCar practice and then have a practice wrapup.
The 2025 Long Beach weekend is one I have been anticipating since my last visit to southern California since my last trip in 2022. Sunday’s Indycar race marks 50 years of racing on the streets of this city by the sea.
It is the 41st race IndyCar. The first race was Formula 5000 event in 1975, followed eight years of Formula 1. How special is this place? Formula 1 tried to return a few years ago and was rebuffed by the city and the grand prix owners. NASCAR turned an eye toward staging a race here as well.
IndyCar resolved the issue by buy the late Kevin Kalkhoven’s half of the franchise. Since by law only one weekend a year can be used for a race in the streets, it is solely for IndyCar as long as they wish.
The third race of the 2025 season should play out much like the St. Pete opener, although there are a couple of added twists.
Longer Race
The race distance is now 90 laps, up from 85 the past few years. How will the new distance affect fuel strategy? Can someone still make it on two stops? And if fuel isn’t the question mark, tires certainly will be.
Changing Colors?
Firestone will bring the same compound to Long Beach that was used at St. Pete. We can assume high wear on the alternates. IndyCar has returned to the new allotment formula of five sets of primaries and five sets of alternates.
Long Beach has traditionally been a race for the alternate tires, but with the alternate rubber’s shorter life this year, is this now a race favoring the primary tires?
Kyle Kirkwood said in the media conference that it is too soon to tell
“In the past, it’s typically been a red tire race. That’s obviously going to change now, considering it’s the same tire as St. Pete. That’s really the only question mark we have in our minds right now. We need to get through the first practice to know exactly how bad or good it’s going to be.”
Palou Goes for Three
Alex Palou has a chance Sunday to match teammate Scott Dixon’s feat in 2020 of winning the first three races of the season. I say he will not win this weekend.
Andretti Global looks to be reasserting their street course dominance. Both Colton herta and Kyle Kirkwood have each won at Long Beach. Look for one of them to be in Victory Lane after 90 laps.
IMSA
A highlight of Long Beach is the IMSA event which accompanies the IndyCar race. Saturday’s 100-minute race has some added interest for IndyCar fans.
Robert Wickens makes his return to major league motorsport, driving a Corvette in the GTD class. Wickens won several races and the championship in the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
It will be a thrill to watch him race at this high level again. I have a feeling some fans who use the IMSA race time to just walk around the track will be watching this race.
Race weekend: Friday, April 11 – Sunday, April 13 Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California Race distance: 90 laps / 177.12 miles Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 415 kilojoules (kj) per lap Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary (hard) and five sets alternate (soft) to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
2024 race winner: Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 2024 NTT P1 Award: Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda), 1:06.0172, 107.317 mph Qualifying lap record: Colton Herta, 1:05.3095, 108.480 mph, April 9, 2022
FOX Sports telecast: Practice 1, 6 p.m. ET, Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 11:30 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Warmup, Noon ET Sunday, FS1 (live); Race, 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live).
Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be available on FOX Deportes.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Jonathan Grace and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race (4 p.m. ET on April 13) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all local times): Friday, April 11 3:05-4:25 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (split group format), FS1 (live) Saturday, April 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (limited green flag guarantee of 45 minutes), FS1 (live)1 1:35 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS2 (live) Sunday, April 13 9:02-9:27 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS1 (live) 12:59 p.m. – Driver introductions 1:30 p.m. – FOX on air 1:45 p.m. – Start engines command 1:52 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (90 laps/177.12 miles), FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network (live). Spanish telecast on FOX Deportes (live) WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT LONG BEACH: 1. Palou on repeat: After scoring wins in the first two races of the season, Alex Palou looks to continue his winning streak and become just the fourth driver since 1979 to open the season with three or more wins. Scott Dixon was the last driver to start the season with three wins, when he captured the first three races of the 2020 season. Dixon, Sebastien Bourdais (first four races of the 2006 Champ Car season) and Paul Tracy (first three wins of 2003 CART season) all won INDYCAR SERIES titles after starting the season with a win streak. 2. It’s not where you start…: Except for Alexander Rossi’s wins in 2018-19 and Kyle Kirkwood’s win from pole in 2023, the pole position has not been the place to start at Long Beach. Just six drivers have won Long Beach from the top spot. While pole winners have scored podium finishes in recent races, 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). 3. …It’s where you finish: Alex Palou is the only driver to finish in the top five in both of this season’s events. Palou, who won at St. Petersburg and Thermal, is one of six drivers to finish in the top 10 in each race, so far. The other drivers are Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi. Race Notes:This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 50th auto racing event and the 41st INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race in 1984. Scott Dixon won the race in 2024. Three California natives are entered: 2018 and 2019 race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City, while Andretti Global’s Colton Herta, the 2021 race winner, hails from Valencia. Nolan Siegel, who made his INDYCAR SERIES debut at Long Beach in 2024, hails from Palo Alto. Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Scott Dixon, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Dixon won in 2015 and 2020 Power won in 2008 and 2012, and Rossi won in 2018 and 2019. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are Colton Herta (2021), Josef Newgarden (2022) and Kyle Kirkwood (2023).Six 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), Alexander Rossi (2018-19) and Kyle Kirkwood (2023). Twenty-four of the 27 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 18 starts, the most among all entered drivers. Nine entered drivers have led laps: Power 187, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 146, Josef Newgarden 100, Colton Herta 78, Kyle Kirkwood 54, Alex Palou 24, Graham Rahal 4 and Felix Rosenqvist 1. Milestones: Alexander Rossi will attempt to make his 150th INDYCAR SERIES start at Long Beach … Marcus Ericsson will attempt to make his 100th INDYCAR SERIES start at Long Beach…Scott Dixon will look to extend his consecutive starts streak to 342 – the longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon’s next top-10 finish will be the 300th of his career.
I am happy to report that all my misgivings about the IMS Museum renovation were swept away- no- blown away by the gale force winds that came through the state last week. My visit earlier today put all my concerns at ease.
This is not your grandfather’s IMS Museum. It is a far cry from the six cars sitting in the ticket office at the corner of 16th and Georgetown. It’s even a far cry from what it was 15 months ago.
The static museum with artifacts randomly lining the walls has given way to a dynamic, immersive presentation of the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The similarity to the former place ends when you enter the front door. Yet, change begins outside as well. The two car sculptures, the 1949 Novi and the 1970 Foyt car, have been moved to flank the walkway leading to the entrance. The cars now have more visibility than they had on the lawn in front of the fountain.
Once inside, visitors are greeted by a wall with three screens of race highlights which change. I happened to enter when a photo of Bill Vukovich in Victory Lane flashed into view. They must have known I was there.
The images are faint, but take a minute to watch some of them. This was in the center of the screen and there are pictures on either side.
The former single floor display now encompasses all three levels of the building. There are five parts to the museum as it tells the story of speedway from its humble beginnings to the modern racing facility it is today. The story is told with respect, and it honors those who have built the Indianapolis 500 into the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Gasoline Alley
The journey begins in Gasoline Alley, a corridor just past the admission counter. On the left is a timeline beginning in 1909. Artifacts and photos are arranged in an orderly fashion, numbered with corresponding explanations below.
On the right are cars of several era in the garages as they would have looked at that time. While the cars were great to see, following the development of the garages was more interesting to me.
1928 Miller1957 Dean Van Lines
Starting Line Experience
I am not going to describe this because it needs to be experienced firsthand. I will say it an intense, multi-sensory presentation. and you will get race day goosebumps during the three-minute show. I saw some people wiping their eyes as they left.
Winners’ Gallery
The winning cars are essentially in the same area as they were, but each now has its own niche. This is the part where I had the largest concern with the new project. There is actually more access to the cars. The Boyle Special and the Fuel Injection Special are among the cars with individual stands. Some cars are in wall niches, but those platforms are banked so visitors can get a good look at cockpits. If I have one small nitpick, the lighting causes photos to make the cars look a different color than they are. The Boyle Special looks more red in a photo. I found using a flash helps.
I maintain that this is the greatest car in Speedway history.
Kids’ Area
I like that a kids’ area is included in the museum. The area is educational as well. There are many activities for the kids, including working wrenches, moving a toy car around the oval and the road course, and sim racing. Each activity involves easy to read facts about the car and racing.
Four Time Winners’ Gallery
This is likely a special exhibit. It features each of the four time winners. Each winner has a corner of the area.
Penske Gallery
The Penske Gallery displays the history of Roger Penske. All drivers who won for him and some of the winning cars are represented. My favorite part of this exhibit was the row of helmets of the winning Penske drivers. It is a nice history of the evolution of the helmet from 1972 to today.
Interactive Displays
Throughout the museum there are interactive display screens ranging from a driver database to a speedway timeline to a winner’s database. The nice thing is there two of each, which eliminates waiting for those who like to linger over these devices.
If you are coming to the race in May, please take some time to visit the museum. It is well worth the time and the price is fair.
While I loved the former iteration of the place- it was my winter sanctuary and place of comfort during difficult periods the new museum presents a more orderly and dignified telling of the history of IMS. I think I will find comfort here as well.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 