The final day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is finally here.
Gates to the venue opened at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, welcoming in thousands of fans eager to get a glimpse of Southern California’s 200-mph beach party, where the titular NTT IndyCar race will get underway in the afternoon.
The marquee Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the most iconic races in the IndyCar Series. The drivers who zip around the 1.97 mile, 11-turn street circuit through some of Long Beach’s most well-known landmarks — at speeds up to 180 mph — widely consider it the second-most prestigious race, behind only the Indianapolis 500.
In the morning, Zachary Moomey, 31, from Santa Barbara, was scouting out his spot for where he’d watch the IndyCar race. He decided on a spot under a palm tree along Pine Avenue. This is his third time attending the Grand Prix of Long Beach — and he’s gone to all three days this year.
His favorite part of the event, Moomey said, has been “the atmosphere and meeting people and talking to other fans of racing.”
Early bird fans watch race cars zip around the 1.97-mile downtown track on day three of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, hours before the main IndyCar Series race is set to take place. (Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Race fans participate in the VIP track activities during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, 2026
Early bird race fans watch people participating in the VIP track activities during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, 2026
People walk by the Formula Drift Walk Of Fame statue during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, 2026
Early bird fans watch race cars zip around the 1.97-mile downtown track on day three of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, hours before the main IndyCar Series race is set to take place. (Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Race fans participate in the VIP track activities during the 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, 2026
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Early bird fans watch race cars zip around the 1.97-mile downtown track on day three of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19, hours before the main IndyCar Series race is set to take place. (Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Moomey said he’s grown to be a fan of both Formula One and IndyCar. He is rooting for defending Grand Prix of Long Beach champion Kyle Kirkwood on Sunday, Moomey said.
“I like Andretti as a whole,” he said, “of course, Kirkwood is who qualified the highest.
“I’ve spent all weekend walking around,” Moomey added, “so I’m hoping no one takes this good spot to watch the race.”
This year, for the first time, the Long Beach race will be the fifth in the IndyCar season — straying away from its traditional spot as the third stop on the circuit. That’s because the series added two new races, at Phoenix International Raceway and in Arlington, Texas, as lead-ins to the iconic Long Beach race.
The first two races this season were the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Good Ranchers 250 in Arizona. While Spain’s Alex Palou, 29 — the defending IndyCar Series champion — took the checkered flag in Florida, American Josef Newgarden, 35, reigned in Arizona.
But at the third race of the IndyCar season, the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, it was the American Kirkwood who took home the trophy.
Palou, though, came back for another win at the season’s fourth race on March 29, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, leaving many fans wondering if the Spaniard will claim his first win in Long Beach this year.
Sophia Balanos, 15, has spent a good chunk of her weekend at the Grand Prix in the IndyCar paddock — a rare experience offered in Long Beach.
A “super fan” of the IndyCar Series, Balnos said she has camped out, eagerly waiting to snag a driver as they enter or exit their trailers.
Even though she was unable to make the official autograph session on Friday, Balanos, a Los Angeles resident, has collected six signatures in a book and on her orange McLaren baseball cap.
“Being in the paddock in general — it’s not something you can do very often,” Balanos said. “So, whenever they (IndyCar) come near my area, it’s amazing to see the drivers here.”
Balanos said her favorite IndyCar driver is Christian Rasmussen. Not only will she be rooting for him during Sunday’s finale, but she is also hoping to get his signature and a picture with him. In the first round of Saturday’s qualifying session, Rasmussen finished eighth in his group, failing to advance to the second round. The Ed Carpenter Racing driver will start in the 16th position on Sunday.
“Today’s my last chance,” she said as she braved the sun near his team’s area in the paddock. “I’m really looking forward to the race in general and I really, really hope Christian Rasmussen can sign my cap.”
But the Grand Prix of Long Beach isn’t only for hardcore motorsports fans — but also casuals who are just looking for a good time.
Long Beach resident Michelle Cody, 51, for example, said she’s not particularly interested in racing but when it’s in your backyard, it’s worth it.
“I really don’t know much about it but when you live here, you witness the whole prep for months that goes into it,” Cody said, “and it gets you excited for this weekend.”
The best time to arrive is as early as possible, Cody said, as she was looking forward to a smaller crowd before the wave of racing fans arrive in the afternoon. She also said she wanted to see the Historic Sports Car Challenge.
“This is my third year here and every time, I learn a little bit more,” Cody said. “It’s great.”
The Historic Sports Car Challenge got Sunday started with a bang. People paused in their tracks to see the cars fly around the concourse.
Some people, young and old, covered their ears as they saw the cars go by. There was a distinct roar from the engines — different from the modern race cars that will be on display later in the day.
Edgar Soto, 33, from Bell Gardens stood along Shoreline Drive, near the grandstands, to get a glimpse of all the historic cars passing by.
“It’s really cool,” Soto said about the historic cars. “It really shows the hard work that drivers do too, being able to drive them.”
Like many racing fans, Soto said he was most looking forward to the IndyCar race. He was wearing his Pato O’Ward jersey.
“I really hope he takes the W today,” he said. “If you can win here, you can win anywhere.”
“This is like the Monaco of North America,” Soto said about the Grand Prix of Long Beach. “It doesn’t get any better than this having it in our backyard.”
Indeed, fans and drivers alike consider the Grand Prix of Long Beach the second-most prestigious IndyCar race in the nation — behind only the Indianapolis 500.
Last year’s Grand Prix, the event’s 50th anniversary, broke attendance records for the third year running, with around 197,000 flocking to Long Beach from all over the region to enjoy the golden anniversary.
And that trend seems to be sticking for the 2026 iteration of the event — with thousands descending on the Long Beach waterfront to enjoy the Grand Prix so far this weekend.
Besides all the races, Grand Prix attendees had plenty else to do off the track, whether that was exploring a special exhibit celebrating Acura’s 40th anniversary in the Lifestyle Expo, heading over to Pit Lane hoping for a chance to get an up close look at some of the cars, or sampling the myriad food and drink options at the event.
In the food truck village, a steady flow of people started grabbing some lunch around midday Sunday. One of the food trucks this year is Gotcha Cravings, which is based in Los Angeles and offers Asian fusion cuisine.
From spam musubi and Asian street tacos to stir-fry noodles and specialty plates, owner Linda Nguyen said, the truck has a lot to offer.
“This is our first time at the Grand Prix,” Nguyen said.
The business is relatively new, only starting in September.
“Everyone is nice here; we haven’t seen much of the cars,” Nguyen said jokingly. “It’s more for the people, to serve people who are willing to try our food.”
Gotcha Cravings has been serving people since Saturday and is ready to offer people their delicious food during the Grand Prix’s final day as well. The food is made fresh to order, and the sauces are made in-house.
“The meat that we have, we marinate it in Asian flavors so it tastes different,” Nguyen said, “so it’s really good. I hope people come around so people get to know us.”
Sunday will also see the weekend’s on-the-track excitement crescendo. The Grand Prix’s final day will start with the Historic Sports Car Challenge No. 2 and then the IndyCar warm-up. The on-the-track action will also include Porsche Carrera Cup Race No. 2 and Stadium Super Trucks Race No. 2 as preludes to the main event — the IndyCar Series’ Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Sunday also boasts a new addition to the Grand Prix: A “CARnival” produced and operated by Morning Car Club.
That event will feature a full paddock with a curated lineup of vehicles specifically chosen for their quality, design and presence, the GPALB said.
“This is exactly the kind of high-energy, enthusiast-driven experience that complements our event so well,” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Liaw said on Saturday. “Mornings has built something truly special within the automotive community, and their CARnival will add even more excitement, personality and fan engagement to an action-packed weekend.”
But all those activities are simply warm-ups for the main event, with the majority of fans in attendance on Sunday just waiting to hear that iconic call to action: “Drivers, start your engines!”
This year, the Grand Prix grand marshals will include multiple Olympic and Paralympic athletes who recently competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy with Team Honda.
The grand marshals will include para alpine skier Audrey Crowley, 2026 para snowboarding bronze medalist Brenna Huckaby, 2026 sled hockey gold medalists Brody Roybal and Declan Farmer, 2026 two-time speedskating gold medalist and silver medalist Jordan Stolz, and bobsledder Kaysha Love.
All of those athletes will help kick off the IndyCar race in the afternoon, which will get underway at 2:45 p.m.