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Sports Apr 15, 2023
| Photo courtesy of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
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Qualifying will be held Saturday for the featured IndyCar race of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, along with the conclusion of the drifting competition and a concert by the hard rock super group Kings of Chaos.
IMSA SportsCar, Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup and Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks races will also be held Saturday.
Mexican Pato O’Ward posted the fastest practice time among the IndyCar drivers Friday, completing a lap on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in one minute, 6.6999 seconds, 106.219 mph.
Qualifying will be shown on the Peacock streaming service beginning at 12:05 p.m.
The Historic F1 Challenge race of Formula One cars from the 1970s and 1980s, including many that raced in Long Beach when it was part of the Formula 1 circuit from 1976-83, will be held from 11:20-11:40 a.m. A second Historic F1 Challenge race will be held from 10:45-11:05 a.m. Sunday.
The 100-minute IMSA SportsCar Grand Prix of Long Beach will be held from 2-4 p.m. with what are billed as “the most advanced, exotic sports cars on the planet.”
A Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks race is set to begin at 4:30 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, and will start from the pole.
Gordon’s 15-year-old son Max will start third in the field of 12 drivers. The younger Gordon has been racing since he was 8 years old. He was second in the driver series points standings in 2022, three spots ahead of his father.
The race will be streamed on the series’ Facebook and YouTube pages, www.facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks/videos and www.youtube.com/stadiumsupertrucks.
A second truck race will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
A Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup race will be held from 5:15-5:55 p.m. with drivers racing identically prepared road-based Porsche 911 GT3 cup cars. A second Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup race will be held from 4:20-5 p.m. Sunday.
The final round of the two-round Formula Drift Super Drift Challenge will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. American Matt Field was the winner of Friday’s first round after qualifying 27th.
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 Kings of Chaos concert will take place at 6:30 p.m. on the plaza in front of the Long Beach Convention Center’s Terrace Theater and is free to Saturday race ticket holders. Space is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The band’s scheduled lineup consists of vocalists Corey Taylor, Lzzy Hale, Rome and Corey Glover, guitarists Gilby Clarke, Billy Duffy, Vernon Reid, Brent Woods, bass guitarist James LoMenzo and drummer Matt Sorum.
The 48th edition of the Grand Prix concludes Sunday. NBC’s telecast of the IndyCar race is set to begin at noon with the 85-lap race set to start at 12:45 p.m.
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