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Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Photos: The well-oiled chaos that is the Long Beach Grand Prix

Scenes of speeding cars, flying trucks and more from the third and final day of race weekend.

Brandon Richardson

Brandon Richardson

— 7 min read
Photos: The well-oiled chaos that is the Long Beach Grand Prix
McLaren Racing mechanics work on the team's three cars ahead of the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

If you’ve ever been to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, you know it's pure chaos. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to Downtown, the smell of burning rubber and high-octane gasoline fills the air and the beer flows like wine.

Wrecks, wins and losses, family fun and memories to last a lifetime — it's chaos but it's well orchestrated chaos that runs smoother than the IndyCars themselves.

This year was no different in terms of production, but it was bittersweet following the death of longtime Grand Prix Association of Long Beach CEO Jim Michaelian after a heart attack one month ago.

But, as GPALB spokesperson Chris Esslinger said before race weekend, Michaelian would have wanted the show to go on as normal. And it did.

A man holds up a finger as he is showered in colorful confetti.
Álex Palou is showered in confetti after winning the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Palou drives for Chip Ganassi Racing. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

Álex Palou won for the first time in Long Beach. Felix Rosenqvist and Scott Dixon finished second and third, respectively.

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Brandon Richardson is an editor, photographer and reporter for the Watchdog. If this work is important to you, please thank him.
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Soaring through the air, Stadium Super Trucks wowed the estimated record-breaking crowd of more than 200,000 people — and they didn’t even need a spectacular crash to do it (though it couldn’t have hurt).

The Watchdog was only able to make it out Sunday for the main event and, while other newsrooms and agencies had full teams of photographers out there covering the event, we only had one. So we did miss a couple things (Porsche Carrera Cup and the exotic car parade, specifically), but we did still manage snap nearly 2,400 photos.

Here are the ones we liked best:

A yellow and orange truck rides on two wheels on a race track.
Robby Gordon drives the track on two wheels after placing second in the final Stadium Super Trucks race of the weekend at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A red, white and blue race car sits parked in front of an old apartment building.
Santino Ferrucci drives past the historic Villa Riviera during practice ahead of the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
An adult holds a child up in front of a chain link fence.
Denver Guzman, 4, watches IndyCars warm up in Downtown ahead of the big race at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Two people push a red and white car.
A safety crew pushes a car out of harms way after it broke down during the Historic Motor Sports Association race on the final day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Three men drink from very large champagne bottles.
From left: Álex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and Scott Dixon drink champagne after placing first, second and third, respectively, in the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A blue race car speeds down a race track.
A fan sits in the back of a two-seater IndyCar as it speeds through the streets of Downtown ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A parachutist leaves a wispy pink corkscrew of smoke on a clear blue sky.
The U.S. Army Golden Knights does a spiral as they parachute toward the track at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A man in a cowboy hat poses for a photo in front of a wall covered in toy cars.
Warren Morelli has his picture taken in front of a massive Hot Wheels display inside the Lifestyle Expo at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Three trucks speed along a race truck.
Stadium Super Trucks fly through the air during their final race of the weekend at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A red and white sports car speeds on a race track.
A historic race car speeds around Downtown on the final day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A person in a straw hat waves at race cars.
A fan waves to drivers at the start of NTT IndyCar Series race at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A girl in a small blue car drives on a small race track.
Shylah Bowman, 7, races around a kids track inside the Family Fun Zone area of the Lifestyle Expo at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A blue truck kicks up a lot of smoke on a race track.
Bill Hynes holds his steering wheel out the window as he does donuts after finishing seventh in the final Stadium Super Trucks race of the weekend during at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A man struggles with a pair of pliers next to a chain link fence.
A worker struggles to unplug a piece of equipment during the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Three race cars line up on a race track.
IndyCar drivers speed past palm tree shadows during the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A blurry yellow race car speeds along a race track on a clear day.
A historic race car speeds around Downtown on the final day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A man wearing glasses and a yellow hat studies a race car engine.
Krag Oglesby, a mechanic for McLaren Racing, examines the engine of Pato O'Ward's car ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A child sits on an adults shoulders in a large crowd.
A young race fan sits on the shoulders of their dad as they walk through the crowd at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A blurry person takes a photo of a yellow race car.
A camerama gets footage of IndyCars driving near the Aquarium of the Pacific during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Two parachutists leave pink wispy smoke as they float down.
The U.S. Army parachute team, known as the Golden Knights, wowed race-goers ahead of NTT IndyCar Series race at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Colorful trucks race along a race track.
Stadium Super Truck drivers jockey for position in their final race of the weekend at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
The backs of three men as they pose for a camera selfie.
From left: Álex Palou takes a selfie with Scott Dixon, left, and Felix Rosenqvist, center, after winning the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Rosenqvist and Dixon finished second and third, respectively. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Fans behind a chain link fence watch a race car round a corner.
Race fans gather at a small cut-out during the NTT IndyCar Series race at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A man works on a race car wheel.
Tim Harper wipes down tire rims for the Chip Ganassi Racing team ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
People stand along the top of a building.
Race fans line the top level of the Pike Outlets parking structure to watch IndyCars race around Downtown during the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A blue and green race car turns a corner with a blurry background.
Felix Rosenqvist takes the hairpin turn during practice ahead of the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Rosenqvist went on to finish second in the race. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
People watch race cars speed along a track.
A couple watches IndyCars race around a corner from atop the Pike Outlets parking structure during the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Race cars run along a twisting track.
IndyCar drivers speed along the streets of Downtown during the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
A yellow and orange truck drives on two wheels.
Robby Gordon drives the track on two wheels after placing second in the final Stadium Super Trucks race of the weekend at the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Three men spray freshly opened champagne into the air.
From left: Felix Rosenqvist, Álex Palou and Scott Dixon spray each other with champagne after placing second, first and third, respectively, in the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday April 19, 2026. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

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