Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 2026

The Grand Prix of Long Beach is considered the longest continuously held street race in North America. The history begins in 1975, when promoter Christopher Pook brought the idea of Monaco-style racing to the California coast and initially held a Formula 5000 race as a test for a larger project. The following year came the jump into Formula 1: From 1976 to 1983, the course through the harbor district was called the United States Grand Prix West and took drivers past the Convention Center and the legendary ocean liner Queen Mary.

After the end of the Formula 1 era, Long Beach established itself as a mainstay of American motorsports and changed its series partnership multiple times over the decades. Today, the track is firmly anchored in the IndyCar Series calendar and is also used by the IMSA SportsCar Championship. For 2026, the event is called the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, a name that underscores the close relationship between manufacturer and racing series and continues the legacy of this traditional event.

The Long Beach Street Circuit measures 3.167 kilometers and takes drivers through eleven corners that wind between high-rises, port facilities, and the waterfront promenade. The mix of tight corners, long straights along Shoreline Drive, and varying road surfaces makes the course a real challenge for chassis setup and braking performance. Despite several detailed adjustments over time, the fundamental character of the street circuit has remained intact for decades and gives the race its distinctive identity as the West American counterpart to European street courses.

In recent years, Álex Palou set the fastest lap ever driven: In 2022, he established the track record with 1:07.2359 minutes, which still stands today, demonstrating the enormous potential of modern IndyCar chassis on a tight street course. Beyond pure lap times, Long Beach has also produced memorable moments time and again, such as when James Hinchcliffe triumphed here first in 2010 in Indy Lights and later in 2017 in the IndyCar Series, a rare double at the same venue.

Most recently, Kyle Kirkwood prevailed in 2025, adding his name to the long list of prominent winners of this traditional race. Looking ahead to the 2026 edition, the combination of historic setting, technical track characteristics, and the prospect of a competitive field should once again provide plenty of excitement. Long Beach remains a fixed point on the American motorsports calendar, where the past and present of street racing meet in a unique way.