IndyCar heads to the Streets of Long Beach, California, for their second official race of the season. It’s been nearly a month since Alex Palou dominated at Thermal, and over a month since Josef Newgarden won at St. Petersburg. The 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit is 85 laps for a total of 167.28 miles, and offers numerous overtake spots.

Stories To Watch

Theo Pourchaire

The reigning F2 champion will step in for Arrow McLaren to fill in for David Malukas who is still injured with a hand and wrist issue. Malukas was only supposed to miss six weeks but still finds himself on the outside looking in and Arrow McLaren can not be thrilled with how the recovery process is going. Callum Ilott has filled in for Malukas in the past, but he had prior commitments which opens the seat for Pourchaire to come in. With back-to-back races (Barber next week), Pourchaire may have a chance to prove that he belongs in Indycar.

New Liveries

Rookie Linus Lundqvist will be driving a Honda inspired by a new movie from comedian Jerry Seinfeld. His Chip Ganassi vehicle will have a Pop-Tart livery based off of the new movie Unfrosted. Nolan Siegel will also be driving a new livery this week. The Dale Coyne driver will feature “King Taco,” A company out of Los Angeles, California.

History

Kyle Kirkwood won the race last year, but there was still quite a bit of drama that stemmed from this race. Pato O’Ward getting into it with Scott Dixon, Callum Ilott having issues with fans from Argentina, and Romain Grosjean finishing second. Of active drivers, Will Power has won twice as has Alex Rossi. Graham Rahal has been racing at Long Beach since 2007 but only has one podium (2013).

Things To Look For

Josef Newgarden and Penske looked dominant at St. Petersburg while Penske secured both the win and third place on the podium. Can Penske continue their domination at Long Beach? Felix Rosenqvist has helped Meyer Shank get back to being competitive, but issues have kept Felix from the podium. Will Long Beach be the turning point for Meyer Shank? A lot of top drivers who haven’t performed well at St. Pete or at Thermal, will be looking for bounce back weeks here at Long Beach and next week at Barber. While this isn’t a make or break race for a lot of these drivers, it definitely feels like it. Drivers like Will Power, Scott Dixon, Alexander Rossi, Pato O’ Ward, and Marcus Ericsson, these next two races feel important.

Past Winners: 2023 Kyle Kirkwood; 2022 Josef Newgarden; 2021 Colton Herta, 2019 & 2018 Alex Rossi.

How To Watch

• Friday, April 19th Practice 1: 5:50 PM – 7:05 PM Eastern,
• Saturday, April 20th Practice 2: 11:25 AM- 12:25 PM Eastern
• Saturday, April 20th Qualifications: 2:25 PM- 3:55 PM Eastern
• Sunday, April 21st Warmup: 12 PM- 12:30 PM Eastern
• Sunday, April 21st, Race: 3 PM Eastern
• Race and Practice are on Peacock, Race is also on USA Network.

Current Point Standings

• Josef Newgarden 54
• Pato O’ Ward -14
• Scott McLaughlin -19
• Will Power -23
• Colton Herta -24

Header Image By: Travis Hinkle