Another three days of motorsports excitement concluded on Sunday, April 19, with the titular Grand Prix of Long Beach enthralling the thousands of fans who packed the grandstands and lined the track — as Spain’s Alex Palou took the checkered flag.
In a post-race interview with Fox, Palou, who narrowly lost the Grand Prix in 2025, touted Long Beach as the second-biggest race of the season.
“It’s incredible,” he said, “to finally win here in Long Beach.”
The 51st Grand Prix of Long Beach was expected to draw nearly 200,000 people from Friday to Sunday. While it wasn’t yet known on Sunday evening whether the Grand Prix broke attendance records for a fourth consecutive year, the downtown concourse was awash with diehard and casual motorsports revelers all weekend. Typically, the crowds grow each day, increasing with the number of on-the-track events — building to a crescendo during the climactic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
While that seemed to be the case this year as well, even the first day was busier than usual, Jim Liaw, the new president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.
“I think we saw lots of new faces,” Liaw said, “new fans that got to experience what the Grand Prix is about.”
And the Grand Prix is about a lot.
The Lifestyle Expo and Family Fun Zone, at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, were crammed all weekend, and the Food Truck Village served myriad hungry racing fans as well. But the action on the track hit a fever pitch on Sunday, with the Historic Sports Car Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup Race, Stadium Super Trucks Race and the Mornings CARnival Car Parade all captivating audiences.
But ultimately, those events were warm-up acts for the weekend’s marquee competition — the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The prestigious street race, the fifth in the 2026 IndyCar Series season, was thrilling once again, proving why most fans and drivers alike hold it in such high regard that they rank it only behind the Indianapolis 500.
In the end, Palou, the defending IndyCar Series champion, won his third race of the young 2026 season — and his first Grand Prix of Long Beach.
After finishing third in qualifying, behind only Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden and local favorite Pato O’Ward of Mexico, Palou won the Grand Prix with relative ease down the stretch. Rosenqvist led for 51 of the 90 laps, but a slow pit stop toward the end allowed Palou to pass him.
“Felix was doing a (great) job, so it was gonna be really tough to beat him,” Palou told Fox. “But we did.”
Palou, a four-time IndyCar Series champion, beat out Rosenqvist by about four seconds. Joining them on the podium was Scott Dixon in third place.
“End of the day, it’s great,” Rosenqvist said of his runner-up finish, his first top-10 of the season. “Tough start to the season. We came back here, tried to bounce back and got a pole (and a second-place finish).
“A little bit of a bittersweet result,” he added, mentioning his slow pit stop at lap 58. “But that’s how it goes.”
Palou’s fans, meanwhile, were ecstatic with his win.
Megan Loreto, a longtime Palou fan from Culver City, said she didn’t want to jinx it — but a Palou win is often “inevitable.”
“He pulled it off,” she said, “and it was really cool to see the crew come in to play and have a perfect operation race.”
“It’s so fun seeing the cars,” Loreto added, “and the drivers and feeling really close to the racers.”
While the race thrilled fans, things took a quieter turn ahead of the race.
Before speed skater Jordan Stolz, an Olympic gold medalist, waved the green flag — setting the drivers loose on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street circuit — the weekend’s revelry broke for a moment of somber reflection.
That’s because, for the first time in decades, the Grand Prix took place without its longtime leader.
Jim Michaelian — who had served as the president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach since 2001, and who had been involved in every race since its inaugural edition in 1975 — was set to lead the city’s biggest annual event one final time this year. Then, he would essentially retire, taking up an undefined role with the Grand Prix’s new owner, Penske. He would then hand over the reins to Liaw.
But Michaelian, 83, died on March 21 — shocking Long Beach and the entire racing community.
Grand Prix and city officials paid memorialized Michaelian with a tribute ahead of the IndyCar race. The tribute included a video that featured photos of Michaelian’s life and career, from 1975 to last year — when the Grand Prix celebrated its golden anniversary.
“This was to be Jim’s final event as CEO,” said Chris Pook, founder of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. “In a cruel strike, he was taken from us. But knowing Jim Michaelian as I do, I know that if he were here today, he would want to say thank you. Thank you to you for being here (and) thank you to his team at the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.”
The typically raucous crowd remained quiet during the tribute. But when Pook finished speaking, the race fans erupted into applause.
While the pre-race tribute memorialized Michaelian, the whole weekend, in many ways, was a reminder of his legacy — as the one who built the Grand Prix into a locally, regionally and nationally iconic motorsports event.
“This is like the Monaco of North America,” said Bell Gardens resident Edgar Soto, 33. “It doesn’t get any better than this having it in our backyard.”
Soto stood along Shoreline Drive, near the grandstands, on Sunday morning to get a glimpse of the vintage vehicles passing by during the Historic Sports Car Challenge.
“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 wore a Pato O’Ward jersey.
“I really hope he takes the W today,” he said. “If you can win here, you can win anywhere.”
Long Beach successes, however, remained elusive for O’Ward — as he finished in fifth.
Santa Barbara resident Zachary Moomey, meanwhile, was cheering for Kyle Kirkwood, who sought his second-consecutive Grand Prix of Long Beach win. But he finished in fourth place.
Moomey, 31, spent the early part of Sunday scouting where he’d watch the IndyCar race. He decided on a spot under a palm tree along Pine Avenue. This was his third time attending the Grand Prix of Long Beach — and he visited all three days this year.
“I’ve spent all weekend walking around,” Moomey added, “so I’m hoping no one takes this good spot to watch the race.”
Teenager Sophia Balanos didn’t have to do nearly as much scouting, since she spent a good chunk of her weekend in the IndyCar paddock — a rare experience offered in Long Beach.
A self-described “super fan” of the IndyCar Series, Balanos camped out on Sunday to snag drivers as they entered and exited their trailers.
Even though she was unable to make the official autograph session on Friday, Balanos, a Los Angeles resident, said she had 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, 15, said her favorite IndyCar driver is Christian Rasmussen. Not only did she root for him during Sunday’s finale — he came in 15th — but she also wanted to get his signature and a picture with him.
“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, for example, said she’s not particularly interested in racing. But when it’s in your backyard, the 51-year-old said, 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.”
Cody said she arrived early to enjoy the smaller crowd before the concourse filled up with the hardcore racing fans 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. Those who watched the competition were rapt as the cars flew around the concourse.
The crowds were even thicker during the Stadium Super Trucks Race, which took place shortly after noon. The stairs leading to the Convention Center — at Bay Street and Bay Avenue — were crammed with spectators. Crowds also gathered near the fences and in the grandstands surrounding the track for the trucks race.
Ray Mario, from Torrance, was among those enthralled by the trucks. The Super Trucks were his favorite part of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Mario said.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s very entertaining.”
It’s one of the highest-energy events, Mario added, with crowds screaming when one of the giant trucks fly into the air and screech abruptly — lifting up on two wheels.
“You see the IMSA cars go by and everyone is like, yeah,” Mario said. “You see the IndyCars and people are a bit more excited. You see the drifters, though, and people go crazy. This is the same.”
And that’s exactly what happened. The crowd cheered as trucks jumped and held their breath when they skirted a little too close to the stands. When a bumper came off of one of the trucks, the crowd initially oohed — and then erupted in cheers. The fans also cheered when the trucks drove on two wheels.
It wasn’t all about the action on the track, however.
Grand Prix attendees had plenty to do elsewhere, whether that was exploring a special exhibit celebrating Acura’s 40th anniversary in the Lifestyle Expo, heading over to Pit Lane and 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 grabbed 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. The business is relatively new, only starting in September.
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.
“Everyone is nice here; we haven’t seen much of the cars,” Nguyen added jokingly. “It’s more for the people, to serve people who are willing to try our food.”
Gotcha Cravings served its dishes on Saturday and Sunday. 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.”
Among those who enjoyed the Food Truck Village were Olympians Kaysha Love and Hunter Powell, who got lunch at King Taco before appearing in the Grand Prix’s parade in the afternoon.
“It’s really cool and feels special to be involved,” said Love, who competed in bobsled during the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, earlier this year. She was one of six Team Honda winter Olympians who served as the event’s grand marshals.
“It’s been an amazing experience so far,” added Powell, Love’s fiancé and a fellow Olympian. “Bringing Acura athletes, and bringing her out like this, it’s been the most fun.”
Acura is a luxury division of Honda.
“The community is awesome,” Love said about Long Beach. “I can’t believe how many people have rallied behind to make this happen.”
While there was no shortage of races and activities to captivate visitors, as the minutes and hours ticked by, most people turned their attention to Shoreline Drive and the rest of the nearly 2-mile track, waiting for the Grand Prix of Long Beach to begin.
The IndyCar drivers zipped around the track in ideal conditions: mid-70s, sunny, a gentle breeze.
Michaelian, for his part, would not have been surprised.
Over the years, the Grand Prix’s longtime leader regularly told anyone and everyone that it had never rained during Sunday’s finale.
And so, the 51st Grand Prix came to an appropriate end, with Palou spraying champaign in Victory Lane — under Long Beach’s cerulean skies.
