To Watch: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Kyle Kirkwood during the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (IndyCar Photo)

One of the most prestigious motorsports events in America takes the green flag this weekend – The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The NTT IndyCar Series makes its annual trip to the west coast to Long Beach, Calif., where the series covers an 11-turn road circuit south of Los Angeles.

With just one race point under his belt in the streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.), Long Beach provides a sense of urgency for teams and drivers to find a rhythm and set the tone for the season.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden holds a 14-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood scored his first IndyCar Series win at Long Beach last season.

Here’s some of what we’ll be watching this weekend:

Newgarden year?

Newgarden’s plans for this year are well documented – stay off social media and focus more on the race.

It worked perfectly when he won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and co-led Porsche Penske Motorsport’s GTP victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in February.

With a simple plan in place, Newgarden could be in for a big weekend once again inside the No. 2 Chevrolet.

The 33-year-old has one previous victory (2022) on the 1.968-mile temporary street course. He has also finished runner-up twice.

Until proven otherwise, Newgarden remains the best driver this season.

More Speed ​​From Rosenqvist?

Felix Rosenqvist’s live speed in St.

Rosenqvist qualified second and dropped to number seven after finishing the race in St. However, he only continued to perform during the 1 Million Challenge show at The Thermal Club in California.

A third-place finish showed that the Swede could be in contention for more this year.

Rosenqvist has two top-10 finishes at Long Beach, including a seventh last season with Arrow McLaren.

Rossi Needs Information

Ever since Alexander Rossi broke through in 2018-’19 and scored five wins and 15 podium finishes in that period, it’s been tough.

One win in the past four seasons certainly wasn’t what Rossi had in mind as he continued his pursuit of his first Astor Cup.

A fresh start at Arrow McLaren last season should have been a treat for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, however, he finished ninth in points with a 10.9 average finish.

Not bad, but not stellar.

Rossi raced from 15th to finish eighth in St. Petersburg, but more speed is needed.

Rossi, however, may be one of the most successful drivers in the Long Beach lineup. The 32-year-old led two straight years in 2018-’19, leading a combined 151 of 170 laps between the two races.

A statement win would launch Rossi’s championship hopes.

Aeroscreen difference

On Tuesday, IndyCar announced an updated air screen for street and road courses that is mandatory for all cars, starting this weekend.

The airframe, now lighter at 11.1 pounds, has cooling cooling for vented drivers and superior anterior duct. A duct at the top of the air screen will direct air towards the driver’s chest.

With temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s at race time according to Weather.com, it will be a great way to test out the new aero screen and see what difference it makes when drivers tackle the tough and challenging Long Beach circuit. .

Is Palou’s Reign Set to Continue?

Reigning IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou won the field during the $1 Million Challenge when he beat runner-up Scott McLaughlin in the feature by nearly six seconds.

With that race in mind, the exit speed of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 Honda could be a concern for the remainder of the entry into Long Beach. If he could easily split the field at The Thermal Club, why not anywhere else?

In fact the track was a new venue for the series, Palou’s speed was terrifying.

Entering this weekend in Long Beach, Palou boasts three top-five finishes in three starts, as well as a podium result (third) in 2022.