Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts
Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise)
Race distance: 80 laps / 157.4 miles
Entry List: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (PDF)
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 20 seconds each
Firestone tire allotment: Four sets primary, three sets alternate
Twitter: @ToyotaGPLB @IndyCar, #TGPLB, #IndyCar
Event website: www.gplb.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2014 race winner: Mike Conway (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet)
2014 Verizon P1 Award winner: Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda), 1:07.8219, 104.462 mph
Qualifying lap record: Justin Wilson, 1:06.902, 105.898 mph, April 2008
NBCSN race broadcast: Sunday, April 19 (4 p.m. ET)
NBCSN qualifying broadcast: Saturday, April 18 (6:30 p.m. ET)
Brian Till will be the play-by-play announcer for NBCSN’s broadcast of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Marty Snider, Kelly Stavast, Kevin Lee, and Robin Miller are the pit reporters.
Radio broadcasts: Paul Page is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Qualifying and all Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network, Sirius 213, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.
Video Streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season will be available on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar) and RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR 15 App: Verizon Wireless puts fans in the driver’s seat with its INDYCAR 15 app. The app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR 15 app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include Interactive 3D Live View with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan’s favorite driver is positioned, leaderboard with enhanced 2D marching ants and car telemetry for 2015, in-car camera video streams from cameras that move 360 degrees and Driver-Pit Crew Chatter as drivers talk strategy with their pit crews during the race.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, April 17
12:30-1:15 p.m. (Verizon IndyCar Series practice)
3:45-4:30 p.m. (Verizon IndyCar Series practice)
Saturday, April 18
10-10:45 a.m. (Verizon IndyCar Series practice)
2 p.m. (Three rounds of Verizon IndyCar Series qualifications)
Sunday, April 19
10-10:30 a.m. (Verizon IndyCar Series warm-up)
1 p.m. NBCSN on air
1:37 p.m. Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach green flag
Race Notes:
* James Hinchcliffe and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports played strategy to perfection and won the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park on April 12. Now the “mayor of Hinchtown” hopes to make Long Beach his latest conquest.
* This weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 32nd Indy car event on the historic street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first Indy car race there in 1984. Mike Conway was the 2014 race winner.
* Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Sebastien Bourdais and Will Power are the only entered drivers with multiple wins. Bourdais won three straight races from 2005-2007. Power won in 2008 and 2012. Other former race winners scheduled to compete are: Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Helio Castroneves (2001), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2010), and Takuma Sato (2013).
* Team Penske drivers have won four of the last six poles at Long Beach: Power from 2009-2011 and Ryan Briscoe in 2012. In addition to Power, other past pole winners entered in this year’s race are: Hunter-Reay (2014), Justin Wilson (2008), Bourdais (2006-2007), Castroneves (2001) and Tony Kanaan (1999).
* Four drivers have won the race from the pole – Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Unser Jr. (1989-90), Castroneves (2001) and Bourdais (2006-07).
* Nineteen drivers entered in the event have competed in Indy car races at Long Beach. Twelve of those drivers have led laps: Bourdais 168, Power 162, Hunter-Reay 122, Castroneves 101, Sato 66, Marco Andretti 64, Kanaan 51, Montoya 40, Simon Pagenaud 26, Scott Dixon 25, Sebastian Saavedra 3, Josef Newgarden 1.
* Gabby Chaves, Stefano Coletti, Francesco Dracone, and Luca Filippi will compete in their first Verizon IndyCar Series race on the streets of Long Beach. Chaves competed on the circuit in Indy Lights.
* Kanaan seeks to start his 236th consecutive race, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon has made 177 consecutive starts.
* Dixon, the longest-tenured driver for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, is tied with Bobby Unser for fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 35.
* The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg marked the competition debut of aerodynamic bodywork kits designed, manufactured, and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Cars are differentiated by their shape on the street course as the manufacturers have designed separate aero kit specifications for road and street course/short ovals and speedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis. References to the cars will incorporate the name of the corresponding manufacturer.
* The No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda Dallara crew of James Hinchcliffe won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana with a total pit lane time of 35.066 seconds. The Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Motorsports crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Pre-Race Driver Quotes:
Will Power (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet): “Long Beach, man, everyone wants to win at Long Beach. It’s one of the biggest races in North America and a place with so much history. I’ve had some pretty interesting history there myself, from qualifying on the pole before Helio (Castroneves) made his comeback in 2009 to winning there twice in my career at Team Penske. If you want to see what street racing is all about in the Verizon IndyCar Series, then you need to go to Long Beach. With the amount of attention we paid in the offseason to preparing for the street courses, I expect us to be quick this weekend. We knew going into the season that those tracks would be our strong suit. The No. 1 Verizon Chevy team was fortunate to come away from NOLA with a decent points day, but it looked to be much more promising. Regardless, we will be ready for Long Beach.”
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “Knowing that we’ve had the fastest cars at both of the first two races to start the season is a great feeling for everyone at Team Penske and the No. 2 Verizon Chevy team. Unfortunately, we couldn’t control the weather at NOLA or the caution flags that came with it. We should be sitting here with two wins to start the season, but to have a nice lead in the points and to be running well on the street courses gives us plenty of momentum going into this weekend at Long Beach. Long Beach will always be a special place for me. It was where I won my first major Indy car race in 1999, setting me up for a tremendous season that culminated in the (CART) championship that year. It would be very nice to win there again and set ourselves up for a title run this year.”
Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California Team Penske Chevrolet): “Sometimes you are not going to have races that go your way and you need to man up, overcome, and make the best of a situation. The weather in New Orleans was something we could not control. Several drivers, myself included, made some mistakes on the wet surface and we paid for it. But the Hitachi team did a great job in making repairs and getting me back on track for a solid finish. When you have a will to win like that, it means you can overcome anything that comes your way during the season. Those are the kind of days and races that make you a champion. Hopefully our race at Long Beach in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevy will be smoother. Our cars were really strong at St. Petersburg, so I really like the platform we have for the street circuits.”
Stefano Coletti (No. 4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet): “I’m excited to race at Long Beach for the first time. From what I have seen, it’s a fast, bumpy track with some good passing opportunities, which will be a lot of fun. This will now be my third race for KV Racing Technology and the team has given me a great car at my previous two events, so I am sure we’ll be just as competitive here, too. I look forward to not only driving this historic track, but also seeing the West Coast for the first time.”
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Arrow/Lucas Oil Schmidt Peterson Honda): “Long Beach is one of my favorite events of the year. There’s a reason that race has been going on for more than 40 years now. The fans are great, the atmosphere is awesome and the track is one my favorites. I’ve always seemed to run pretty well there and obviously, coming off of our win last weekend, the whole team is helping to keep the momentum going, and we’re hoping for a good result.”
James Jakes (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): “Obviously very excited to go to Long Beach. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks of the year and one of the best races on the calendar, not just from a circuit point of view but also from a fan perspective. They have a great atmosphere there. We had two great results in New Orleans last weekend, so everybody’s very excited to maintain the momentum. We look forward to another strong weekend in Long Beach.”
Sebastian Saavedra (No. 8 AFS Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “It’s good to be back in the Verizon IndyCar Series. This is an amazing opportunity for me with AFS to work with one of the most prestigious teams in all of racing. I’m very grateful to Chip and the team, which have had an incredible history in the sport, and specifically in the Indianapolis 500. I’m looking forward to Long Beach and doing everything I can to help get the No. 8 car to the front.”
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “Long Beach is one of the most iconic tracks we run on. There are a lot of different tracks that stand out for different reasons, and like Indianapolis, it’s got a lot of background with a 40-year history. I’ve raced there in Indy Lights and CART, and Formula One raced there back in the day. Some of the best racers in the world over many generations have won there and participated there. It’s just such a cool place; you’re right on the ocean there and close to L.A., so it’s got a great vibe. They have something for everybody. That’s one of the coolest parts about Long Beach, but I’ve never won there. I’ve really got to sort my act out at that place and hopefully get a victory there this weekend.”
Tony Kanaan (No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “It’s always fun to come to Long Beach and race. It’s just got so much history for so many people, even for me. This is actually where I earned my first pole in this series in 1999. I’ve had a lot of good races here and a lot of not-so-good races here, so I’m ready to pull out a win. NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing is coming off a decent weekend in New Orleans. We were able to come out of that race with a sixth-place finish and continue with the momentum into Long Beach. It’s a quick turnaround for everyone, but I think with the way car has been running, we are definitely prepared for Long Beach.”
Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut – KVSH Racing Chevrolet): “We had a solid race in the season opener at St. Petersburg, finishing sixth. Then at New Orleans, it was just a weird race. The car ran good, but with all the things that happened, it just didn’t work out. Hopefully, Long Beach will be better for us. It is a great event because of the atmosphere. Next to the Indy 500, it is the premier event on our schedule.” (About the circuit) “The Long Beach circuit is a challenge. There are different corners and different surfaces that you have to contend with, so getting the right setup is crucial. Because it is a street circuit, qualifying is extremely important.” (About his history at Long Beach): “I had some success at Long Beach (three straight wins from 2005-2007), but the last few years have been more difficult. However, based on how good the KVSH Racing car has been so far this season, I am looking forward to having a good race. Also, you have to remember that my team owner Kevin Kalkhoven co-owns the race, so I think the entire team would like to do well for him.”
Takuma Sato (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “The Long Beach track has a great balance of layout. It has both high-speed and low-speed corners and heavy braking followed by good straights, which means there are a few overtaking opportunities for drivers. The track is a little on the lower side of grip level, but it can evolve a lot over the weekend as it rubbers down in the usually consistently good weather. The venue has a fantastic atmosphere and great restaurants downtown or nearby. It’s just one of the best street courses I’ve known from many aspects. Long Beach has got a long racing history with the greatest series (Formula One and INDYCAR). People love this race and winning it makes it even more valuable and special.”
Graham Rahal (No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda): “I have been pleasantly surprised by the fan support and excitement since we announced Steak ‘n Shake as a sponsor. The fans have taken the news by storm and the support has been pretty incredible. It seems that every day someone tags me in a tweet with a picture of themselves at Steak ‘n Shake. I’m looking forward to getting out there in the Steak ‘n Shake Maxim car and seeing how we can do. It’s a racy-looking machine; I think the colors suit the car well. The last time we ran red and white, we finished second at Long Beach (2013, with sponsor Big O Tires), so hopefully that carries forward. Long Beach is kind of a home race for me these days, so it will be exciting to be out there with a lot of friends and family. Hopefully we can put on a good show for them. The St. Pete and Long Beach tracks are a little bit different, but I do think that having had a competitive run at St. Pete indicates that we should have a good run at Long Beach. I feel pretty confident in our street course car. Long Beach has kind of been one of our strong suits as far as the street courses have been, certainly the last couple of years, so I’m looking forward to it. Long Beach is a very technical track, there are a lot of bumps, a lot of different variations of speed, and cornering; it should be a lot of fun.”
Luca Filippi (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka CFH Racing Chevrolet): “I can’t wait to be in Long Beach. I have a good feeling about that place. Even though I’ve never been, there is so much history at that track between INDYCAR and Formula One that I want to make my mark on that race. We are going to do our best to win it again this year.”
Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet): “I pride myself on being cool under pressure, but I have to admit I was pretty hot last weekend at NOLA. I hate that we were involved in the incident there at the end and I’m very thankful that no one was hurt. I’ve put it behind me because it’s time for the Penske Truck Rental Chevy team to get ready for Long Beach, one of our premier races. It would be a big deal for me to win that race. It’s just an iconic race. The Indianapolis 500 is our biggest event, but I believe that Long Beach is at the top of the list of tracks we race at as well. If we are able to get the win there in my first season with Team Penske, it would be very special. I’m proud of the way we have started the season. We should have two top-five finishes were it not for some crazy circumstances at NOLA. I really believe we are getting better and better each week, with a win just around the corner.”
Carlos Muñoz (No. 26 AndrettiTV/Cinsay Honda): “It’s nice to be going back to Long Beach. I have great memories from that track from Indy Lights – I won that race – and last year in (the Verizon) IndyCar (Series), I finished third. It’s great – one of my favorite tracks, not only because of the track itself, but also the ambience outside of the circuit.”
Marco Andretti (No. 27 Merchant First/Snapple Honda): “Long Beach is high on my list of desired wins, second only to Indy. There is so much history with my family in Long Beach; I want to add my name to the list of winners there. It’s one of my favorite events each year and we’re looking for good results for the 27.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda): “This weekend is always a highlight for me on the schedule for many reasons. I look forward to getting back out to the beach. We’ve run so strong in Long Beach in the past, hopefully we can put together another strong weekend for the DHL Honda.”
Jack Hawksworth (No. 41 ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt Racing Honda): “Long Beach is one of the most historic street circuits in the world and the list of great champions who have won there is endless. It’s a bit like the Indianapolis of street course racing – its history and prestige definitely sets it apart. In terms of track layout, it is very technical and challenging. The circuit has a fantastic feel to it and there is always a great crowd and buzz around the paddock.”
Josef Newgarden (No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet): “I feel good about going to Long Beach. I am happy about where we are at and I’m really excited to go there now after not being able to capitalize on our speed last weekend in New Orleans. My guys have put in so much hard work, I think they’re as prepared as they need to be to go into Long Beach and be solid. We have such a great group; everyone is pushing really hard for good results. We haven’t started off the year too bad, now we just need to keep moving the bar higher.”
Charlie Kimball (No, 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “After a wet weekend in New Orleans, I think we’re all more than ready to get to the ‘Best Coast’ for some sunshine and, of course, racing. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team showed we had speed both on a wet and dry track (in New Orleans). Unfortunately with the qualifying session ending the way it did and the less-than-ideal conditions for race day, we didn’t get the result for our efforts. The guys have a quick turnaround for Long Beach this weekend, but I have no doubt the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet will be quick as soon as we roll onto the track. It’s a race I enjoy as a driver and one I enjoyed as a kid growing up. With it being a home race for me, I am always pushing extra hard for my friends and family members in the grandstands!”
Gabby Chaves (No. 98 Bowers & Wilkins/Curb Honda): “I’m really looking forward to Long Beach. Having won there in Indy Lights, it’s my favorite road/street course on the schedule. Everybody has been working real hard at BHA. The Bowers & Wilkins/Castrol EDGE Honda has been good at both the St. Pete race and NOLA in the dry, just haven’t had things go our way. This weekend is when we’re going to turn our luck around.”
Sources: Mike Kitchel/Verizon IndyCar Series PR