This past weekend, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach returned to the streets of downtown LB. Around 180,000 race fans converged on the Long Beach Convention Center and surrounding area to witness multiple racing series, including Porsche Carrera Cup, the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, and NTT IndyCar.
French IndyCar driver Romain Grosjean explained in his post-race press conference on Sunday why the Long Beach GP is so important to the drivers saying that it is “up there with the Indy500,” and that the crowd atmosphere was “quite impressive.”
Race fans Bill Sampson and Ellen Huang shared a similar sentiment of excitement and joy over the return of the Grand Prix weekend to the streets of Long Beach.
Sampson and Huang were amazed at the access and accessibility of the event.
“We had breakfast with [IndyCar driver] Jimmie Johnson this morning,” Huang said before showing the photo they took with the Chip Ganassi driver.
Other fans echoed the same sentiment, including Arlene Lopez and Erika Ceja. Lopez and Ceja met on Twitter through the NASCAR community on the platform.
The duo are fans of multiple racing series, namely NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1. When asked why they chose this race to attend, they said it was more affordable than any NASCAR or Formula 1 race and with more access.
Arlene mentioned that a ticket to NASCAR can be around $70 with no paddock access, whereas they were able to buy a three-day paddock pass in Long Beach for $30
The access and affordability at the Long Beach Grand Prix are big draws for race fans. A typical NASCAR race ticket ranges between $20 and $100 dollars, with tickets to an event like Daytona costing upwards of $1,838.
Formula 1 tickets, if able to be purchased for a race in the United States, like the Austin Grand Prix, are between $570 and $4850. In comparison, tickets to the Long Beach GP are typically between $30 and $1,085.
Fans came in droves to the streets of downtown Long Beach wearing any sort of motorsport merch from IndyCar to IMSA, F1, and even MotoGP. Restaurants and pubs in the area got involved by throwing events, like Hooters, Yard House, Tequila Jack’s Restaurant, and Cantina. In the fan zone, there was a food truck row where local food trucks like King Taco were serving thousands of fans over the 3-day event.
The Long Beach GP offers Southern California race fans a chance to appreciate and have access to racing in their own backyard. IndyCar is one of the premier racing series around the world, with drivers from all different nations coming to the states hoping to get a chance at victory. The Long Beach GP is an opportunity for people to see this honored racing tradition up close and at a low cost.
Sunday’s IndyCar race was filled with crashes and yellow flags. Southern California native Colton Herta secured pole position on Saturday and looked set to win the race Sunday, but his luck changed when he crashed out with 30 laps to go.
Romain Grosjean, who ran consistently around 6th for most of the race, was able to capitalize on the chaos of the race and score his first podium with Andretti Autosport. Josef Newgarden went on to win the race with Grosjean and Alex Palou following behind.
Palou gave his praise to the fans after the race.
“There is such an amazing atmosphere that we always get here,” Palou said. “Today, it was pretty impressive. When we did the parade lap, it was great all the energy we got from the fans, and I can’t wait to be back here next year.”
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is a special event for both the drivers and fans and is right in Cal State Long Beach’s backyard.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be returning for the 2023 NTT IndyCar season.