One of the most prestigious motorsports events in America takes the green flag this weekend — The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The NTT IndyCar Series makes its annual trip to the west coast to Long Beach, Calif., where the series tackles the 11-turn street circuit south of Los Angeles.
With only one points race under its belt on the streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.), Long Beach presents a sense of urgency for teams and drivers to find a rhythm and set the tone for the season.
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden holds a 14-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood scored his maiden IndyCar Series victory at Long Beach last season.
Here’s some of what we’ll be watching this weekend:
The Year Of Newgarden?
Newgarden’s plans for this year have been well documented — stay off of social media and focus more on racing.
It’s worked to perfection as he won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and co-drove Porsche Penske Motorsport’s winning GTP entry during the Rolex 24 At Daytona in February.
With a simple plan in place, Newgarden may be in for a big weekend once again aboard the No. 2 Chevrolet.
The 33-year-old has one previous victory (2022) at the 1.968-mile temporary street course. He also has finished runner-up twice.
Until proven otherwise, Newgarden continues to be the driver to beat this season.
More Speed From Rosenqvist?
Felix Rosenqvist’s outright pace at St. Petersburg was incredibly impressive, considering how much Meyer Shank Racing has struggled since its Indianapolis 500 victory with Helio Castroneves in 2021.
Rosenqvist qualified second and dipped to seventh by race’s end in St. Petersburg. However, he only continued to show out during the exhibition $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in California.
A third-place finish demonstrated the Swede may be in contention for more this year.
Rosenqvist has two top-10 finishes at Long Beach, including a seventh last season with Arrow McLaren.
Rossi In Need Of A Statement
Ever since Alexander Rossi went on a tear between 2018-’19 to score five victories and 15 podium finishes during that span, it’s been a struggle.
One win across the last four seasons certainly wasn’t what Rossi had in mind as he continues to pursue his first Astor Cup.
A fresh start at Arrow McLaren last season was supposed to be the cure for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, however, he finished ninth in points with an average finish of 10.9.
Not bad, but not stellar.
Rossi raced from 15th to finish eighth at St. Petersburg, but more speed is desired.
Rossi, however, he may be one of the series’ most successful drivers at Long Beach. The 32-year-old scorched the field from the pole two years in a row in 2018-’19, leading a combined 151 of the 170 laps between the two races.
A statement victory would kick-start Rossi’s title aspirations.
Aeroscreen Difference
On Tuesday, IndyCar announced an updated aeroscreen for road and street courses that is mandatory for all cars, starting this weekend.
The aeroscreen, now more lightweight by 11.1 pounds, features increased cooling for drivers with vents and a top front duct. The duct on top of the aeroscreen will direct air toward the driver’s chest.
With temperatures expected to be in the mid 70s by race time according to Weather.com, it’ll be a great way to test out the new aeroscreen and see how much of a difference it makes as drivers tackle a bumpy and challenging Long Beach circuit.
Is Palou’s Dominance Set To Continue?
Reigning IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou beat down on the field during the $1 Million Challenge as he topped runner-up finisher Scott McLaughlin in the feature by nearly six seconds.
With that race in mind, the speed out of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 Honda may be of concern for the rest of the field entering Long Beach. If he was able to gap the field with ease at The Thermal Club, why not anywhere else?
Granted the track was a new venue for the series, Palou’s speed was alarmingly quick.
Entering this weekend at Long Beach, Palou boasts three top-five finishes in three starts, including a podium result (third) in 2022.