Long Beach Grand Prix: Qualifying for IndyCar race set for Saturday
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Qualifying will be held Saturday for the featured IndyCar race of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, along with the conclusion of the drifting competition and what organizers are billing as an "all-star jam concert."
Historic Indy car, IMSA sports car, Stadium super truck and GT America sprint races will also be held Saturday.
Mexican Pato O'Ward posted the fastest practice time among the IndyCar drivers Friday for the second consecutive year, completing a lap on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in one minute, 6.6874 seconds, 106.239 mph.
"The car is in the window, and we've been making small tweaks here and there," O'Ward said. "Some things worked, some things didn't work."
O'Ward had a practice time of 1:06.6999, 106.219 mph last year, qualified sixth and finished 17th in the field of 27. Pole winner Kyle Kirkwood went on the win the race, his first victory on the NTT IndyCar Series circuit.
Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion, will be among the drivers in the historic Indy car race at 10:40 a.m. The field of cars from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s include cars that raced (and won) in the Long Beach Grand Prix.
A second historic Indy car race will be held at 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
A 100-minute IMSA sports car race will begin at 1:30 p.m. IMSA drivers will participate in an autograph session from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the IMSA paddock.
Robby Gordon will start from the pole in the stadium super trucks race set to begin at 4 p.m. The former IndyCar and NASCAR driver founded the series for 600-horsepower V-8 engine trucks.
Gordon's 15-year-old son Max will start third in the field of 10. The younger Gordon has been racing since he was 8 years old. He won an Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach super trucks race in 2022.
A second stadium super trucks race will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
A GT America sprint race will be held at 4:45 p.m. Saturday, and the final portion of the drifting competition will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. In drifting, drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, with a judging panel determining the winner based on execution and style.
An "all-star jam concert," starring Gretchen Wilson, Eddie Montgomery, David Lee Murphy and the country band Six Wire will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on the Terrace Plaza outside the Long Beach Convention Center and is free to race ticket holders.
