The three-day 49th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach begins Friday with qualifying and practice sessions for all races, the start of the drifting competition and a concert by the DJ/producer Ape Drums.
A practice session for Sunday’s featured IndyCar race will be held from 2:50 to 4:05 p.m. on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street circuit surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center. IndyCar drivers will participate in an autograph session from 5 to 6 p.m. in the IndyCar paddock, open to all spectators.
Friday’s action will begin with a practice session for Saturday and Sunday’s GT America sprint races from 7:45 to 8:15 a.m. A second practice session will be conducted from 11:30 a.m. to noon, with qualifying set for 4:25 to 4:40 p.m.
Practices for the IMSA sports car races will be from 9 to 10 a.m. and 12:50 to 2:20 p.m., with qualifying set for 5 to 5:50 p.m.
Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion, will be among the drivers in Saturday and Sunday’s historic Indy car races practicing from 10:15 to 10:35 a.m. The field of cars from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s include cars that raced (and won) in the Long Beach Grand Prix.
A practice session for Saturday and Sunday’s Stadium Super Trucks races will be from 12:15 to 12:35 p.m.
The series for 600-horsepower V-8 engine trucks was founded by former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, who also drives on the series as does his 15-year-old son Max. The younger Gordon has been racing since he was 8 years old. He was fifth in the driver series points standings in 2023, one spot behind his father.
The Ape Drums concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the Terrace Plaza outside the Long Beach Convention Center and is free to Friday race ticket holders.
The initial part of the drifting competition will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
In drifting, drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, with a judging panel determining the winner based on execution and style.
The final portion will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Gates will open at 7:30 a.m.
Saturday’s schedule features qualifying for the IndyCar race, an “all-star jam concert,” starring Gretchen Wilson, Eddie Montgomery, David Lee Murphy and the country band Six Wire and IMSA drivers participating in an autograph session.