Take a ride on the Long Beach street course. John Cádiz Klemack reports for Today in LA on Friday April 19, 2024.
A lap doesn't take long on the streets of Long Beach.
Alex Palou clocked the fastest lap of the 2023 Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar race at 67.9469 seconds, averaging 104.270 mph.
The challenging street course is only 1.968 miles with 11 turns and a long front straight where drivers reach around 185 mph in a blast of sound and adrenaline. The fastest section is along Shoreline Drive and the start-finish line, where fans in the grandstands can watch cars roar past and see what happens when pit lane gets busy.
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From there, drivers brake hard into Turn 1, an overtaking opportunity where a race can be won and lost, before the dolphin fountain section and turns 2 and 3. After navigating turns 4 and 5, the track parallels a portion of Shoreline Drive -- an exciting viewing area on the dive down into Turn 6.
Drivers set up through here for the run down Seaside Way and entry into another technical section of track that includes a sweeping left into the hairpin Turn 11. This last section of the track is another great place to watch as drivers set up for another launch down Shoreline Drive.
Last year's winner Kyle Kirkwood completed the 85-lap race in 1 hour, 43 minutes and 17 seconds, winning from pole position just 0.99 seconds in front of second-place Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean.
The top-five finishers averaged more than 97 mph around the 11-turn street course. Seven laps were run under the caution flag, which can make or break a team's afternoon in Long Beach.
Sound exciting? The IndyCar Experience offers fans an opportunity to ride along in a two-seat IndyCar. Take a lap with Colton Herta during his blistering qualifying run in 2022.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is Friday through Sunday. Qualifying events highlight Friday's schedule with the IMSA race on Saturday and the IndyCar main event on Sunday.
