IndyCar Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 2026 | Schedule & Sessions | MotorSportRadar

IndyCar - Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Dunlaing Watches
Event Start

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Dunlaing Watches
0 D
0 H
0 M
0 S

18 - 20 Apr

Completed
Long Beach Street Circuit

Long Beach Street Circuit

Practice 1
05:00 - Sat, 18 Apr
Practice 2
00:30 - Sun, 19 Apr
Qualifying
05:30 - Sun, 19 Apr
Warm Up
00:00 - Mon, 20 Apr
Race (Broadcast Start)
04:30 - Mon, 20 Apr

Where To Watch IndyCar in United States

Where To Watch IndyCar in United States
FOX English; primary U.S. TV home for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2026, with live races and race-weekend coverage.
FOX One English; U.S. streaming access for live INDYCAR coverage alongside FOX broadcasts where supported.
INDYCAR LIVE Official INDYCAR streaming service outside selected local broadcast markets; includes live races, practice, qualifying, highlights and INDY NXT access, with some territories subject to delays by session type.
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Upcoming in IndyCar

Upcoming in IndyCar
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8 - 10 May
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23 - 24 May
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Track Info

Long Beach Street Circuit - Long Beach, California, USA

Temporary waterfront street course using Shoreline Drive and downtown roads - clockwise - hairpin finale and fountain complex

First Race
1975
Debuted as a Formula 5000 event in September 1975. Hosted Formula 1 from 1976 to 1983 before becoming a premier CART/IndyCar race.
Circuit Length
3.167 km
1.968 miles - 90 laps for IndyCar (177.12 miles).
Turns
11
Signature sections include T1 on Shoreline Drive, the Aquarium fountain complex, and the tight T11 hairpin onto the main straight.
Lap Record (Race)
1:07.2359 - Álex Palou (IndyCar), 2022
Official IndyCar race lap on the current 3.167 km layout. Overall all-time lap record: 1:05.309 by Colton Herta in 2022 (qualifying).

When was the track built?

It is a temporary circuit assembled each spring around the Long Beach Convention Center and marina district. The first layout ran in 1975 for Formula 5000; the venue stepped up to Formula 1 as the United States Grand Prix West from 1976 to 1983, then evolved into a CART and later IndyCar staple with iterative tweaks to walls, kerbs and sightlines while retaining the Shoreline Drive straight and hairpin signature.

When was its first race?

The city’s first race was the Formula 5000 Long Beach Grand Prix on September 28, 1975, won by Brian Redman. Formula 1 arrived the next spring, and since 1984 the event has been North America’s longest-running major street race under CART/Champ Car and IndyCar.

What's the circuit like?

  • Fast into heavy stops: The lap launches down Shoreline Drive into a big T1 brake zone, then flows past the Aquarium fountain toward technical city blocks.
  • Hairpin drama: The ultra-tight T11 hairpin funnels the pack before the front straight. Exit traction here decides passes into T1.
  • Street-surface quirks: Crowned roads, paint lines and bumps reward precise braking and rotation. Grip ramps up quickly across the weekend.
  • Strategy themes: Cautions often reshape pit windows on this relatively short lap. Undercuts can work if you rejoin into clean air before the hairpin queue.
  • Benchmark pace: IndyCar race lap record 1:07.2359 (2022). Poles typically sit around the 1:06 low 1:05 range in recent years.

Lap records and benchmarks (by series)

  • IndyCar (race lap): 1:07.2359 - Álex Palou, 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
  • IMSA GTP/DPi (race lap): 1:10.317 - Sébastien Bourdais, Cadillac DPi-V.R, 2022 Long Beach. Earlier DPi mark 1:11.932 set in 2019 (Pipo Derani).
  • LMP1 (ALMS race lap): 1:12.599 - Marco Werner, Audi R10 TDI, 2008. LMP2: 1:12.383 - Patrick Long, Porsche RS Spyder Evo, 2008.

Why go?

Southern California’s classic street race weekend - beach weather, a downtown festival and grandstands close to the action. The long Shoreline straight and the hairpin guarantee late-braking theatre, while vendor villages and concerts make it a destination even between sessions.

Where's the best place to watch?

  • T1 grandstands on Shoreline Drive: Starts, restarts and out-braking duels into the first complex.
  • Fountain complex: Great visuals as cars snake past the Aquarium with change-of-direction through the parkland section.
  • Back-straight brake zone (T9/T10): Set-up moves that often decide track position before the hairpin.
  • T11 hairpin and main straight: See traction fights off the slowest corner and slipstream sprints to the flag. Official maps pinpoint grandstand clusters around these areas.

Not just IndyCar: sports cars and support series

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Prototype and GT fields run a 100-minute street sprint that has rewritten class lap records in the modern era.

Indy NXT and ladder series: The Road to Indy brings tight packs and bold passes into T1 and the hairpin.

Historic and festival elements: Manufacturer displays, Super Drift exhibitions and ancillary events turn the waterfront into a three-day motorsport fair.

Hotels & Accommodation

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