The Colors of the Long Beach Grand Prix

By Brian Kennedy*

I dare you to make a list of all the things, people, places, and events you saw if you went to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. One steno notebook will fill before you’re done.

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Long Beach is a colorful jumble of sights and noises that almost defies cataloguing.

It kind of makes me wonder, “Did I ever…”

… see as many different articles of clothing made out of the checkered flag motif, including tops and bottoms and shoes and bags and backpacks? Belts and hats, too. Bandanas. More? I can’t recall, but it was a lot.

… experience as much hub bub as offered in the lifestyle expo, which had everything from classic Acura cars (if the 1980s can be deemed such now that a few decades have passed) to dragsters to soldiers performing feats of strength as a way to entice the youth to make the military a career choice.

Oh, and there were things to buy, too, like sunglasses, model cars, race-themed clothing, car care products, and more.

And did I ever…

… pay as much as $19 or $21 dollars for a sandwich, dog, serving of pizza, or drink?

Things seemed high this year, but then again, that’s a complaint you can level at your local corporate-branded grocery store, too.

So if you were into track food, you had your choice from a multitude of deliciously robust offerings.

And did I ever…

…see as many races of so many types as were offered at this year’s LBGP? (Well, and to be fair, every year’s Long Beach). IndyCar was just the entry point.

There were Porsches, vintage race cars, IMSA racers, trucks, and drifters.

One thing I missed was Indy Next, which in various prior years has raced here under various names.

Oh, and add on to that, I kinda missed a race after the big one on Sunday.

This year, things just ended when Palou took the checkers for his IndyCar win.

They had other amateur and semi-pro racing in other years as sort of last treats.

I remember some fierce battles in Trans Am, for instance.

And lastly did I ever enjoy so many “rich people’s cars” as were crowded into a section of the paddock outside of turns 9, 10, 11 on Sunday?

That area was also a race paddock earlier in the weekend, note. So walking and wandering was, as usual, rewarded by the variety of things awaiting your inspection.

In short, you don’t buy a ticket to Long Beach to do, or see, one thing, though the full fury of the NTT IndyCar Series will be the high-water mark.

You buy it to experience an overwhelming variety of entertainment and visual and auditory stimulation, so much that by the time you stumble out of there late on Sunday, you’re full up.

And waiting for it all to begin again next spring!

*The author is the Senior Editor of LA Car/LACar.com and a long-time motorsports journalist.