IndyCars - Long Beach: The Monaco of the West

[MarkyS]

The series heads West and lands on the Pacific coast for the one of the most popular and longest-lasting street races anywhere in the world. It’s the one EVERY driver wants to WIN, as we do…

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

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Originally an F5000 race, the Grand Prix of Long Beach then became a Formula One race for a time, finally becoming an IndyCar race for the last 39 years. Known as “the Monaco of the West” for the weekend atmosphere, it was sponsored by local Toyota dealers for decades, but for the last four years has been sponsored by Acura.

The course itself has changed over time. The current 1.968-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit encircles the Long Beach Convention Center and runs down scenic Shoreline Drive, which despite the bend in the middle, is considered a straight-away, taken at full chat, and is extremely fast. The track offers numerous overtaking opportunities, including Turn 1 - a left-hander after the long run down Shorline. The most famous turn is perhaps the most important hairpin in North America - Turn 11 onto Shoreline. Getting the Turn 11 hairpin correct is critical and getting it wrong has brought many to grief. The Fountain corner at Turn 2 has also taken its toll on the over-exuberant. There is only room for one at a time.

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One of the things that makes the Long Beach weekend so popular and well-attended is the extra effort the promoters do to entertain the fans, all weekend long, with family-friendly events, music, parades and attractions. Certainly, they will also get their money’s worth when it comes to racing, as there will be no less than 10 competitive events over the next three days. They include:

• The Formula Drift Super Drift Challenge - 2 races on Friday and Saturday
• Historic F-1 Challenge - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Robby Gordon’s Speed / UTV Stadium Super Trucks - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Porsche Carrera Cup North America - 2 racers on Saturday and Sunday
• IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - 1 race on Saturday

…and, of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday

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Let’s take a look at that support racing, starting with the Formula Drift guys:

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The Formula Drift Super Drift Challenge - A Long Beach fan favorite, the SD Challenge is all about driving a portion of the road course in full drift, always sideways instead of nose to tail. The kids love the squealing tires and the smoke. No IndyCar guys are in here, so we will wish them safe and fun racing and watch elsewhere.

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Historic Formula 1 Challenge - Featuring classic F1 machines from the 1970s and 1980s,
Historic Formula One Challenge incorporates virtually the same F-1 cars that used to be the primary racers for the Long Beach weekend. This weekend, two 20-minute sprints will allow the big-tired powerful cars to delight, once again, with cars that were once driven in anger by Mario Andretti, Nicki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Clay Regazzoni, Andrea de Cesaris, Gilles Villeneuve and Keke Rosberg. As there are no IndyCar drivers involved, we will wish them safe and happy times and concentrate elsewhere.

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(continued)…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Support Racing…(continued)…

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Robby Gordon’s Speed / UTV Stadium Super Trucks - Former IndyCar driver and off-road legend Robby Gordon invented a street and track truck series that uses steel ramps to create the whoop-de-doos they would normally encounter in the off-road world and the result is one of the MOST popular support series in racing. The powerful trucks can leap up to 20 feet high over a 200 foot distance. The kids go INSANE….And those kids are kids of all ages. Robby Gordon and Indy NXT driver Matthew Brabham will be among the drivers making the weekend spectacular and we will keep abreast of them.

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IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - This is multi-class SportsCar racing at its best with both high horsepower prototypes and GT cars all racing on the same track at the same time, with the slower cars becoming a moving chicane for the faster cars. The driving talent in the WeatherTech series is among the best in North America and part of that is because of the large number of IndyCar guys and gals who gravitate to IMSA. Many former open-wheelers (and when the schedules allow), many current IndyCar drivers end up in WeatherTech races. This weekend, the WeatherTech classes on track will be the new hybrid prototype GTP class, and the two GT3-spec classes, the GTD Pro class and GTD class, and there will be several former IndyCar and Road to Indy stars in the game, so we will be watching.

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Porsche Carrera Cup North America - Porsche Carrera Cup is one of the preeminent one-make racing series in the world. Every car competing in the series is identical - the road car-based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, known as the 992 - which places the emphasis on driver and team talent to WIN. The drivers come from all over the world and that includes the Road to Indy, where at least two talented kids will be competing in the top Pro class - Thomas Nepveu and Sabre Cook. We will be watching them and cheering them on.

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Friday will be a very busy day for everyone, with at least a first practice. The Porsches and the IMSA SportsCars will also hold a 2nd practice followed by qualify. The Stadium Super Trucks will hold a single practice and then qualify. The IndyCars will have their P-1 practice.

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Let’s GET THIS GOING!!!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Long Beach - the IndyCars hold their first practice…

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The IndyCars’ P-1 session saw a few minor taps of the walls and more than a few trips up the escape roads as everyone pressed to the limit, trying to gauge what the minor differences to the track will make of the famed street course. Just like at St. Pete, there was a bit of a repave on a small section of the track, with the intent of trying to remove some bumps, and just like at St. Pete, the effort was was both good and bad for the cars.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-1 practice, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren - time of 1:06.6999s for a speed of 106.219mph

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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 1:06.9649s for a speed of 105.799mph

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3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.9808s for a speed of 105.774mph

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4 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 1:06.9859s for a speed of 105.766mph

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5 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:07.1049s for a speed of 105.578mph

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6 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren
8 - Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing
9 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren
10 - Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

11 - Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport
12 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
13 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
14 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
15 - Will Power, Team Penske
16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
18 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
19 - Marcus Armstrong [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
20 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

21 - Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Steinbrenner
22 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
23 - Agustin Canapino [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
24 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
25 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
26 - Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Enterprises
27 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• Pato was lingering near the top of the heap for most of the 1-hour session, but with two and a half minutes to go let it fly. His time is 0.275 seconds faster than Scott Dixon’s and the rest of the field. The kid is currently the points leader and having a great start to his season.

• That’s 6 Hondas and four Chevys in the top ten - a nice mix. Chip Ganassi has three cars in the TOP FIVE, but Arrow McLaren has all three of their cars in the TOP TEN and Andretti also has three cars in the TOP TEN. Team Penske, conversely, has their three cars in 12th, 13th and 14th, so need a bit of tweaking, yet.

• Josef Newgarden was one of two guys to actually brush a wall. He did it in Turn 5 in what looked like a very light tap, but upon inspection he ruined both wheels and chewed up his floor pan all the way down the left side. Graham Rahal spun in Turn 5 but barely brushed his left rear wing endplate - about as little damage as can be done.

• Another stellar showing for Callum Ilott in P8. We need to stop being impressed and just accept that the young Brit is one of the better drivers in this field. He is consistently good and sometimes great and never makes costly mistakes.

• Rahal Letterman Lanigan acquitted themselves well, with cars in P10, P12 and P16. A little bit more massaging and they may all get into the Fast 12 on qualifying.

• This is Conor Daly’s 100th career IndyCar start.

• The track repave was done right after Turn 6 and up through and including Turn 8. Cars CANNOT get on the throttle until they are past the Turn 6 concrete and actually on the new tarmac, less they spin out, but then it’s great up until after Turn 8 when it transitions back to concrete. There, there is a big bump that can also catch one out.

Callum Ilott - Given his due

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Pato O’Ward - phenomenal start to the weekend

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The IndyCars will be back on track early Saturday morning for their P-2 practice and then qualify midday.

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[MarkyS]

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Friday at Long Beach - Porsche Carrera Cup practices and qualifies…

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The PCCNA gang had two practice sessions on the day and then qualified late in the day. The results of the practice foretold who would get pole for the entire field and the Pro class.

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In the two practice sessions points-leader Riley Dickinson for Kellymoss dominated, with a P-2 session time that was almost a full 0.7 seconds faster than P2 Jimmy Llibre for MDK Motorsports. When it came time to qualify, it was a lot closer than anyone thought it might be, but Dickinson put in a late flier that secured pole for the # 53 Kellymoss Porsche with a time of 1:19.246s for a speed of 89.402mph. Riley bested Tom Sargent in the # 17 Porsche for McElrea Racing by a mere 0.033 seconds. Starting third will be Ryan Yardley in the # 78 for Topp Racing.

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The # 53 Porsche 992 for Kellymoss - on the pole for Race 1

Riley Dickinson

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Notable:

• Riley’s pole-snatching lap is a new track record for Long Beach, besting Kay van Berlo’s 1:19.667s benchmark set last year.

• IndyCar drivers Thomas Nepveu and Sabre Cook qualified P14 and P18 respectively, as they are open-wheel drivers having their first ever year of GT cars and first ever year of Porsche Cup cars. This is a learning year for both.

Thomas Nepveu (left) and Sabre Cook - rookies

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The qualifying session will also play a role in gridding Race 2, using the 2nd fastest qualifying lap of each driver and there we had a difference, as Tom Sargent in the # 17 Porsche for McElrea Racing took the TOP SPOT with a time of 1:19.405s for a speed of 89.223mph - some 0.260 seconds quicker than Riley Dickinson’s 2nd best qually lap in the Kellymoss # 53 Porsche.

HOWEVER, it should be noted that any driver can still get P1 on the grid for Race 2 by posting a better Race 1 lap time than what Tom put down in qualifying. Time will tell.

Tom Sargent - possible pole for Race 2

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Race 1 for the Porsche Carrera Cup NA gang will be on Saturday afternoon, late.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Long Beach - The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice and qualify…

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…for Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. The series put in two practice sessions and then late in the day qualified all three classes that will be competing this weekend, with a separate session for the prototypes and the GT cars. In all the practice sessions everyone was quicker in the midday P-2 session, when the track had rubbered up considerably. We have the TOPS in practice for the day and the TOP THREE qualifiers for each class, here:

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GTP class - TOPPING the day of practice for the new hybrids was Tom Blomqvist in the # 60 Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing but when it came time to qualifying Filipe Albuquerque in the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura for Wayne Taylor Racing w/Andretti Autosport took the pole with a time of 1:09.909s for a speed of 101.343mph. Filipe bested Tom Blomqvist in the # 60 Acura by a healthy 0.674 seconds. IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais made a late-session improvement to P3 in the # 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R.

Filipe shares the # 10 Acura with Ricky Taylor while Tom shares the # 60 Acura with Colin Braun. Sebastien’s co-driver in the Caddy is Renger van der Zande.

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The # 10 Konica Minolta Acura for Wayne Taylor Racing w/Andretti Autosport and pole-sitter Filipe Albuquerque

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GTD Pro class - IndyCar driver and Indy Pro 2000 Champ Jack Hawksworth led the class parade in practice in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan and that speed later translated to a record-setting pole for the Brit with a time of 1:17.817s for a speed of 91.044mph. Jack beat out Ross Gunn in the # 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 by 0.141 seconds. Starting 3rd will be Patrick Pilet in the points-leading # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Racing.

Jack’s co-driver in the Lexus is fellow Brit Ben Barnicoat while Ross shares the Aston with Alex Riberas and Patrick shares the Porsche with Austrian Klaus Bachler.

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The #14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan - on the pole, with a record.

Jack Hawksworth

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GTD class - TOPPING the practice sessions was Mario Farnbacher in the # 93 Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 but in qualifying it was Marco Sorensen who took a record-setting pole in the # 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 with a time of 1:17.811s for a speed of 91.051mph. Marco bested Frankie Montecalvo in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan by 0.565 seconds. Starting 3rd will be Madison Snow in the # 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3.

Marco shares the Aston Martin with Roman De Angelis while Frankie shares the Lexus with Road to Indy ace and Indy Pro 2000 Champ Aaron Telitz. Madison’s co-driver in the Bimmer is Bryan Sellers.

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The # 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 - on the pole, with a record

Marco Sorensen

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Notable:

• Marco Sorensen’s new track record even beat Jack Hawksworth’s new GTD Pro track record, as Marco was the fastest GT car on track today.

• With two minutes to go in the 15-minute GT qually session Ashton Harrison hit the Turn 8 wall in the # 93 Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Andretti Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 before coming to rest and briefly catching fire.

• Right after Harrison’s shunt PJ Hyett made an even heavier impact in the same Turn 8 corner in the # 80 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, which sustained extensive damage. No telling whether the car will be in the race tomorrow.

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The race is scheduled to run at 5:00pm EASTERN time and 2:00pm PACIFIC time on Saturday, with LIVE broadcast on USA Network.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday at Long Beach - the Stadium Super Trucks practice and qualify…

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…for their two races over the weekend. Unfortunately, the series failed to post their practice or qualifying results, so we cannot send them out at this time.

We do have the entry list, however:

#1 - Gavin Harlien
#5 - Bruce Binnquist
#7 - Robby Gordon
#23 - David Bernstein
#28 - Robert Stout
#50 - Trey Hernquist
#51 - Ryan Beat
#57 - Bill Hynes
#69 - Josh Thomas
#77 - Max Gordon
#83 - Matt Brabham
#957 - Myles Cheek

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They also sent out this teaser:

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

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Of that entry list the guys to watch in the races are current Champ Gavin Harlien, Robert Stout, Max Gordon, and IndyCar drivers Robby Gordon and Matthew Brabham. Brabham is 3 times a former champion in the trucks.

Max Gordon is the 14-year-old son of series founder Robby Gordon and a fearless and talented competitor. Max was the series Vice-Champion in 2022.

Once the qualifying list is released, we will post it. It should be remembered that the trucks grid the reverse of their qualifying positions, as in the guy who qualified fastest will start last and the slowest qualifier will be on pole.

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Race 1 for the trucks will be right after the IMSA race and right before the Porsche Race 1 on Saturday afternoon. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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[MarkyS]

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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett interviews Marcus Ericsson…

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… after the IndyCar P-1 practice:

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Long Beach Friday IndyCar Report with Pruett & Ericsson

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…And here is James Hinchcliffe’s interview with Californian Colton Herta:

JAVA WITH JAMES // JAMES HINCHCLIFFE WITH COLTON HERTA

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Long Beach - The IndyCars hold their P-2 practice session…

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This practice incorporated the first chance to experience the alternate tires - “greens” this weekend - before the drivers qualify later today. No one has yet come close to Colton Herta’s track record, but we are dipping into the 1:05s on time for the first time. The session had a few 'events" due to track changes made overnight that caught a couple drivers out.
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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-2 practice session, with times for the TOP FIVE:[R] denotes rookie

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1 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren - time of 1:05.9982s for a speed of 107.348mph

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2 - Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.0149s for a speed of 107.321mph

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3 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.0629s for a speed of 107.243mph

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4 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.1475s for a speed of 107.106mph

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5 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 1:06.1870s for a speed of 107.042mph

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6 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren
7 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
8 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

11 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
12 - David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
13 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
14 - Will Power, Team Penske
15 - Marcus Armstrong [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
16 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
17 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
18 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
19 - Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Steinbrenner
20 - Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren

21 - Agustin Canapino [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
22 - Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
23 - Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Enterprises
24 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
25 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
26 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
27 - Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing

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Notable:

• Pato O’Ward TOPS another session, proving he is the guy to beat, but the Andretti boys are also hot as a pistol, with three drivers in the TOP FIVE. Qualifying should be epic!

• Team Penske improves a bit with two of their three making the TOP TEN today. Expect them to excel in the race. It’s their M.O. at Long Beach. Josef Newgarden has 4 podiums, including the WIN here, last year. (Romain Grosjean was P2 and Alex Palou was P3).

• 2-time WINNER Alexander Rossi slipped a lot over his P-1 performance, but that could be due to finding it hard to find practice room on the crowded track. His teammates are still the guys to beat.

• Chip Ganassi cannot be counted out, either, as they have 3 guys in the TOP TEN.

• First guy out in the session very early was Callum Ilott who got caught out by a new piece of square curbing put down overnight in Turn 5 that no one was informed about. The piece was there for the track walk on Thursday but had not been there for the P-1 practice and therefore no one was used to it being there. Callum hit it and went airborne, crashing out hard in the tire barriers. Just minutes later, Rinus VeeKay did the exact same thing, though not hitting as hard. After that, all the rest of the cars were quickly informed over radio to avoid the new piece.

• Ilott missed the rest of the session with suspension damage and will have to go into qualifying blind, as far as the alternate tires go, with only data derived from rookie teammate Agustin Canapino. VeeKay was able to keep practicing, after quick repairs to his front wing.

• Happy Birthday to Jack Harvey - 30 years old today.

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Callum Ilott’s adventure. The new piece of square curbing is the first white one on the left in this video:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Callum’s reaction:

INDYCAR on NBC

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Pato O’Ward dips into the 1:05s on time

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Qualifying will commence at 3:05pm EASTERN time and 12:05pm Pacific time and will be broadcast on Peacock Premium.

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday at Long Beach - The IndyCars are qualified!..

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…and on the pole for the first time ever in his career will be Kyle Kirkwood for Andretti Autosport.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Season Round 3 with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:06.2878s for a speed of 106.879mph

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P2 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:06.3253s for a speed of 106.819mph

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Row 2

P3 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:06.5347s for a speed of 106.483mph

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P4 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:06.5549s for a speed of 106.450mph

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Row 3

P5 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:06.5730s for a speed of 106.422mph

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P6 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren - time of 01:06.6039s for a speed of 106.372mph

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Row 4

P7 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
P8 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Row 5

P9 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
P10 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLare

Row 6

P11 - Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren
P12 - Marcus Armstrong [R], Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 7

P13 - Will Power, Team Penske
P14 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 8

P15 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P16 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 9

P17 - Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 10

P19 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
P20 - Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Steinbrenner

Row 11

P21 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
P22 - Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 12

P23 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
P24 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 13

P25 - David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
P26 - Agustin Canapino [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

Row 14

P27 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

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Notable:

• Kirkwood was in the pits and his team was celebrating the pole while Marcus Ericsson was still on track - the last car to pit at the end of the Fast Six. The Swede almost stole Kyle’s thunder, finishing a mere 0.03 seconds off Kyle’s pole.

• The Fast Twelve was affected by Marcus Armstrong who went solidly into the tire barrier in the last two minutes, bringing out a red flag. With just one lap left on the restart, Kirkwood was the only car in the Fast Twelve to opt for trying to get into the fast Six with the tires on the car, instead of putting on stickers, saving him a great set of tires for the Fast Six.

• David Malukas had a big crash in Q1, Round 1 when he brushed the wall in Turn 9 and then stayed out, feeling like the car was okay, but in fact the car was damaged and David swapped ends quickly in Turn 4, backing in hard and bringing out a red flag for that session. Malukas will have to be medically cleared to drive in the race on Sunday.

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Kyle Kirkwood’s interview:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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The IndyCars will have a morning warm-up session on Sunday.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Long Beach - IMSA puts on their great show…

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…as they did the Acura Grand Prix at Long Beach. The result was the first victory overall and in GTP class for the new # 6 Porsche 963 from Porsche Penske Motorsport, with starter Nick Tandy and closer Mathieu Jaminet running the entire 100-minute race on a single set of tires. Coming home P2 was the # 25 BMW of IndyCar driver and closer Connor De Philippi and starter Nick Yelloly, recording their second consecutive runner-up finish for BMW M Team RLL, ahead of closer Matt Campbell and starter Felipe Nasr in the # 7 Porsche, which completed the podium in third for Porsche Penske Motorsports.

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Mathieu Jaminet (left) and Nick Tandy hand Porsche their first GTP WIN

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Making the finish all the more exciting was the attempt by Ricky Taylor in the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 for Wayne Taylor Racing w/ Andretti Autosport to take the lead from P2 in the closing laps of the race. With two laps to go Taylor went long in Turn 1 and made the pass but ran out of room to make the turn and stuffed the Acura into the tire barriers as Jaminet sailed by, bringing out a full course caution to end the race under yellow. Jaminet and Tandy now lead by 1 point over Alexander Sims and IndyCar driver Pipo Derani in the # 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R , which finished in P5 today. Porsche Penske Motorsports also leads as a team by 1 point over Chip Ganassi Racing and the Whelen # 31.

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Starter and IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth and closer Ben Barnicoat took the # 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RCF GT3 in a dominating drive from pole to victory in the GTD Pro class, with their greatest challenge only near the end of the contest, when the # 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD of closer Jordan Taylor and starter Antonio Garcia came close to taking the lead after vanquishing the # 9 PFAFF Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by starter Patrick Pilet and closer Klaus Bachler, who came home 3rd. With the WIN Hawksworth and Barnicoat now have a P3, a P2 and this WIN to start their season, and the GTD Pro class points lead, by 73 points over Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon in the # 9 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, finishing P5 today. Vasser Sullivan leads WeatherTech Racing by 73 points, as well.

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Ben Barnicoat (left) and Jack Hawksworth take the WIN and the points lead in GTD Pro

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Closer Bryan Sellers and starter Madison Snow took their Paul Miller Racing # 1 BMW M4 GT3 to the WIN in GTD class, marking the duo and the team’s third consecutive WIN on the streets of Long Beach. It was a mid-race pit stop that put Sellers marginally in front of the # 27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of closer Roman De Angelis, which had led from class pole in the hands of starter Marco Sorensen. The Aston took P2 while P3 went to the # 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RCF GT3 of starter Frankie Montecalvo and closer and IndyCar driver Aaron Telitz. Sellers and Snow jump out to a decent 99-point lead in GTD class over Sorensen and De Angelis, as do Paul Miller Racing over Heart of Racing Team.

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Madison Snow (left) and Bryan Sellers (right) flank team owner Paul Miller

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The next outing for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N at newly-repaved WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, May 12-14, with support from the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Mazda MX-5 Cup. Classes will include GTP class, LMP2 class, GTD Pro class and GTD class.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Long Beach - The Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 1…

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…was WON by pole-sitter Riley Dickinson in the # 53 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for Kellymoss under a yellow flag. Taking P2 from a P2 start was Tom Sargent in the # 17 McElrea Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car while P3 went to Michael McCann in the # 8 Porsche for McCann Racing from a P4 start. This is the third WIN by the Texan in 3 starts, all from pole.

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Riley Dickinson WINS Race 1 under a yellow flag

Riley Dickinson

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The race-ending yellow flag was caused by a heavy collision at Turn 8 between Pro class competitors Michael McCarthy for Kellymoss and Jason Hart for MDK Motorsports which neutralized the contest with seven minutes remaining, but Dickinson was clearly in control of the race with a WIN really never contested. McCarthy was spun by Travis Wiley for Topp Racing on the entry to Turn 8, only to be hit by the MDK driver just behind.

IndyCar driver Thomas Nepveu went from a P13 start to a P12 finish for McElrea Racing while IndyCar driver Sabre Cook went from a P16 start to a P13 finish for Kellymoss.

Thomas Nepveu (left) and Sabre Cook

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The grid for Race 2 on Sunday hasn’t been released yet but there is a good chance that Tom Sargent will be on pole and that will give Riley Dickinson a run for his money.

Tom Sargent

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Your happy podium - That’s Tom Sargent on the left in P2, Riley Dickinson in the middle in P1 and Michael McCann in P3 on the right:

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Saturday afternoon at Long Beach - the Stadium Super Trucks hold Race 1…

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…of both the weekend and the season. WINNING from a P6 start was Indy NXT driver and Road to Indy ace Matthew Brabham. P2 went to IndyCar driver and SST series founder Robby Gordon from a P10 start while P3 went to 2022 SST Champion Gavin Harlien from a P9 start.

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The grid was set yesterday in qualifying, but remember, the TOP qualifier in Super Trucks starts last, as the grid is reversed. Here was the way the trucks gridded for Race 1:

Race 1 Starting Lineup

1. Bill Hynes
2. Trey Hernquist
3. Bruce Binnquist
4. Ryan Beat
5. Myles Cheek
6. Matt Brabham
7. Robert Stout
8. Max Gordon
9. Gavin Harlien
10. Robby Gordon
11. Joshua Thomas
12. Dave Bernstein

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Matty on his way to the WIN with Robby Gordon in pursuit

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Your happy podium - That’s Robby Gordon in P2 on the left, Matty Brabham in P1 in the middle and Gavin Harlien in P3 on the right:

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Video of the race has finally surfaced. ENJOY!!

Live from Long Beach Grand Prix: Stadium Super Trucks Race

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The SSTs will hold Race 2 of the weekend directly following the Sunday IndyCar race.
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Sunday morning at Long Beach - The IndyCars hold morning Warm-Up…

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The P-3 practice session is also known as the Morning Warm-Up and is the last chance for any driver or team to check out any unknown they may yet have, or to verify what they THINK they have in the way of race set-up and race strategy. As it is a post-qualifying practice, one never knows what program each driver or team is looking into. All we know for certain is they are NOT trying to develop a great qualifying set-up. That’s over and done. That means the fast guys in the Warm-Up will be fast in the race, but they will NOT necessarily be the only fast guys in the race.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-3 practice, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:06.5611s for a speed of 106.441mph

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2 - Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren - time of 01:06.7540s for a speed of 106.133mph

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3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:06.8118s for a speed of 106.041mph

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4 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:07.0286s for a speed of 105.698mph

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5 - Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:07.0492s for a speed of 105.666mph

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6 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
7 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
8 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

11 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
12 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
13 - Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing
14 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
15 - Benjamin Pedersen [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
16 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Marcus Armstrong [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
18 - Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
19 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
20 - Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Steinbrenner

21 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
22 - David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
23 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren
24 - Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Enterprises
25 - Will Power, Team Penske
26 - Sting Ray Robb [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
27 - Agustin Canapino [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing

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Notable:

• No drama during the session. Josef was fairly unhappy about his outright pace during qualifying, lamenting that he was still unable to put one solid lap together. This is proof that he might have found his mojo, just in time for the race.

• Best rookie was Benjamin Pedersen for AJ Foyt in P15 - a significant uptick for the team this weekend, which has been struggling. Benjamin has never been to Long Beach before - Not even in the Indy Lights. Teammate Santino Ferrucci has only been here once before, so both guys are learning a lot this weekend.

Benjamin Pedersen (left) and Santino Ferrucci - learning curves

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Josef Newgarden

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The race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC and Peacock Premium starting with pre-race activity at 3:00pm EASTERN time and Noon PACIFIC time, the race to begin about 45 minutes later.
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Sunday at Long Beach - the IndyCar race…

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…was one of the best days of Kyle Kirkwood’s life, as he secured his first IndyCar WIN, and he did it from pole, making this an almost perfect weekend for the Andretti Autosport driver from Jupiter, Florida. P2 went to teammate Romain Grosjean while P3 went to Marcus Ericsson for Chip Ganassi Racing - his 2nd podium of the season, following his WIN at St. Pete, and vaulting him into the points lead for the 2nd time in the year.

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Kirkwood drove an almost perfect race from the start. He lost the lead due to the tire strategy of Josef Newgarden for Team Penske, who started on primaries and was thus able to end the first stint faster than Kirkwood. Newgarden quickly pitted and moved from 4th to P2 and then finally into the top spot on track. Newgarden then held the lead through the middle stint but Kirkwood pulled an overcut strategy at the end of it, staying out 1 lap longer than most of the field, and thus had a slight reserve of fuel in the third stint while everyone else was trying to finish on fumes. Newgarden would eventually fade to 9th at the end.

It was a bit of a gamble as Kyle was looking at his fuel warning light while pressing hard on the extra lap, but it paid off handsomely. Near the end of the race the greatest concern was teammate Romain Grosjean who was only a half a second from Kyle’s tail for most of the final stint. Making it worse, Grosjean had three times the number of Push-to-Pass seconds in reserve, but he was unable to use them, due to his own lack of fuel, and had to be content with yet another P2.

Marcus Ericsson survived a bit of contact with Pato O’Ward and was eventually one of the fastest cars on track at the end but suffered from the same lack of fuel to press.

Every one of Kirkwood’s fans know that he was perhaps the greatest junior formula driver ever in the United States and have been looking for that poise and talent to start to shine in IndyCars. Today, we saw it. He was poised, fast, confident and perfect. You can only have your first WIN once in your IndyCar career. To have it at Long Beach is a dream come true.

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An interview with the race WINNER:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Teammate Romain Grosjean happy to finish well, after the last two races:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Third place Marcus Ericsson:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Kirkwood’s boss Michael Andretti:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

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Here is the highlight reel:

2023 RACE HIGHLIGHTS // ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Long Beach:

1 - Marcus Ericsson, 110
2 - Pato O’Ward, 95
3 - Alex Palou, 91
4 - Josef Newgarden, 89
5 - Kyle Kirkwood, 74
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Next up for the IndyCars is a two-day test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, next weekend, while the next race will be at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, April 30th.

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Sunday afternoon at Long Beach - The Stadium Super Trucks close out their weekend…

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…with Season Round 2, and sweeping the weekend was Indy NXT driver Matthew Brabham from a P9 start. Taking P2 after leading most of the race was Myles Cheek from his P4 start. P3 went to series 2022 Champion Gavin Harlien in his 2nd podium of the weekend from a P8 start.

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This was the order of the starting grid:

1. Bill Hynes
2. Bruce Binnquist
3. Trey Hernquist
4. Myles Cheek
5. Ryan Beat
6. Robert Stout
7. Max Gordon
8. Gavin Harlien
9. Matt Brabham
10. Robby Gordon
11. Dave Bernstein
12. Brett Thomas

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Matty Brabham sweeps in Long Beach

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Brabham is truly remarkable. He WINS races in virtually anything he gets a chance to try. He’s WON in karts. He’s WON at the Bathurst 12 Hour. He’s WON in Trans AM, He’s WON in all three of the Road to Indy formats and he’s WON in Super Trucks. He owns more championships than we can count. We wish Brabham would get a chance in IMSA SportsCars because we know what he would do with them. The guy is an animal.

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Here’s your happy podium - That’s Myles Cheek in P2 on the left, Matty Brabham in P1 in the middle and Gavin Harlien in P3 on the right:

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Here is the race. ENJOY!

2023 Long Beach Race 2 LIVE

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The Stadium Super Trucks will fly again in June but the venue is still TBA.

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Sunday afternoon at Long Beach - Porsche Carrera Cup North America holds Race 2…

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…and closes out their weekend and the whole event with a change at the TOP of the podium, as England’s Will Martin takes his first series WIN for JDX Racing in the # 9 Porsche 992 from a P4 start. P2 went to pole-sitter Tom Sargent in the # 17 Porsche 992 for McElrea Racing and while Riley Dickinson did not WIN his 4th race in a row, he managed to podium in P3 from his P2 start for Kellymoss in the # 53 Porsche 992.

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Will Martin (left), Tom Sargent and Riley Dickinson (right)

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On the opening lap of the race Martin jumped past Michael McCann for McCann Racing and then Riley Dickinson to take over P2. After a caution, Martin managed to get past race-leader Tom Sargent in Turn 1 on the restart. For the last 14 minutes of the race Sargent was all over the back of Martin, trying to reclaim the lead, but the JDX driver held on for the WIN.

IndyCar driver Sabre Cook for Kellymoss went from P14 to P13 in the race, but IndyCar driver Thomas Nepveu for McElrea Racing fell from his P11 start to P15 at the end.

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Points have yet to be awarded for this race, but Riley Dickinson should leave Long Beach still in first place with Tom Sargent in second place and Will Martin in third.

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The next outings for the PCCNA will be for Round 3 at the Miami International Autodrome, May 5-7, but the next time we will feature them will be Round 4 as support for the WeatherTech Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen, June 22-25 at Watkins Glen International.

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This was the last event of the day and the weekend. As always, Long Beach was entertaining and hospitable for the whole weekend. Thanks, Long Beach!!

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