Armstrong to feature American Legion livery this weekend in Long Beach
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) rookie driver Marcus Armstrong and the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES head west this weekend for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. And The American Legion’s “Be the One” suicide-prevention initiative again will be featured prominently.
For the first time, Armstrong’s No. 11 Honda will feature The American Legion livery, complete with betheone.org present on the design. Armstrong is driving the No. 11 Honda on street circuits and road courses this season for CGR. The 22-year-old New Zealander made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in impressive fashion, finishing a rookie-best 11th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
"I've been looking forward to racing (in Long Beach) for quite some time,” Armstrong said via CGR media. “It was one of the races that was circled on my imaginary calendar as a race I was really looking forward to. It's an iconic race, obviously, and I remember thinking about racing here when I was in math class back in school. I was in class then searching for visor camera on-boards. Now, I'm headed there to race this weekend in the American Legion Honda.”
Both Alex Palou – who finished third in the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway driving The American Legion No. 10 Honda – and Marcus Ericsson, who won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, both will carry American Legion branding on their cars this weekend. Ericsson currently is second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings and will attempt to make his 50th career start for CGR, while Palou is fifth in the point standings.
The Long Beach street course covers 167.28 miles over 85 laps. The nearly two-mile course features 11 turns and encircles the Long Beach Convention Center – which houses a Family Fun Zone and numerous displays during the race weekend – and runs down scenic Shoreline Drive. The course offers numerous passing opportunities.
The weekend broadcast schedule (all times ET):
· Friday, April 14 – Practice 1, 6-7:15 p.m., Peacock.
· Saturday, April 15 – Practice 2, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.; qualifications, 3:05-4:20 p.m. (both Peacock).
· Sunday, April 16 – warmup, noon-12:30 p.m. Peacock; race, 3-6 p.m., NBC and Peacock.
Four Things to Look for at Long Beach (via INDYCAR)
1. Newgarden on repeat? Since 2008 only Alexander Rossi has ever been able to back up one Long Beach win with another – he did it in 2018-19. Josef Newgarden has the potential to double down after scoring his first victory at Long Beach last season. Newgarden won that race coming off a thrilling win at Texas Motor Speedway. He enters 2023 looking in the same situation after his win at Texas on April 2. Can the Team Penske star score back-to-back races at Texas and Long Beach for the second year in a row?
2. It’s not where you start... : With the exception of Rossi’s wins in 2018-19, the pole has not been the place to start at Long Beach. Just five drivers have ever won Long Beach from the top spot, and while pole sitters have scored podium finishes in recent races – Newgarden was second in 2021 –they’ve also finished 15th or worse just as often (Colton Herta – 23rd in 2022, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 20th in 2014, Dario Franchitti – 15th in 2012, and Justin Wilson – 19th in 2008).
3. … It’s where you finish: Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon are the only drivers so far this season to sweep the top five. O’Ward has back-to-back second-place finishes at St. Petersburg and Texas, while Dixon has finishes of third (St. Pete) and fifth (Texas). Keeping that mark could be a challenge for both. O’Ward has only one top-five at Long Beach (third in 2022) in three previous starts while Dixon has six top-five finishes in 15 previous races at Long Beach.