STREETS OF LONG BEACH PREVIEW
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 – SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2026
RACE: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
TRACK: Streets of Long Beach
LOCATION: Long Beach, California, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit
RACE LENGTH: 90 laps
PRACTICE: Friday – 3-4:30 p.m. PT (FS1)
Saturday – 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. PT (FS2)
Sunday – 10-11 a.m. PT (FS1)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 3:30-5 p.m. PT (FS1)
RACE: Sunday – 2:30 p.m. PT (FOX
LIQUID SCIENCE CHEVROLETS
- Both of ECR’s Chevrolet-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars will switch to special edition Liquid Science paint schemes for this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
- Known as the “Science of Hydration,” Liquid Science is scientifically formulated for rapid hydration with a balanced blend of electrolytes and vitamins. Each portable, single-use pod is designed to be poured into 8–16 ounces of cold or sparkling water, creating a quick, easy, delicious, and sugar-free hydration solution.
- Christian Rasmussen’s No. 21 Chevrolet will incorporate the blue from Liquid Science’s Arctic Freeze flavor, featuring a berry taste. Liquid Science Orange will be showcased on Alexander Rossi’s No. 20 Chevrolet.
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 LIQUID SCIENCE
ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Liquid Science Orange Chevrolet: “Racing in Long Beach is one of the things I look forward to the most each season! The event has an amazing atmosphere, and the track is awesome to drive. To top it off, being from California, this is a pseudo-home race for me, so it’s really great to be able to put on a show for friends and family.”
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1991
HOMETOWN: Nevada City, CA
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
LONG BEACH STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 9
TOP 5 FINISHES: 2
TOP 10 FINISHES: 5
BEST START: 1st (2018, 2019)BEST FINISH: 1st (2018, 2019)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 11th
STARTS: 168
WINS: 8
POLES: 7
TOP 5 FINISHES: 52
TOP 10 FINISHES: 99
OF NOTE:
- The 2026 season marks Rossi’s 11th as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver and his second with ECR. Heading into the fifth event of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Alexander Rossi sits at 99 career Top 10 finishes. At the short oval of Phoenix Raceway, Rossi both qualified and finished 6th. One week later, at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, Rossi not only started inside the Top 10 for the second race in a row, he also earned a Top 10 result for the second race in a row.
- Tomorrow morning, Thursday, April 16, Rossi will be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. He is a back-to-back winner in Long Beach, earning victories from the pole position in both 2018 and 2019. Over those two years, Rossi led 151 of the possible 170 laps. He has competed in the event nine times, with five of his last seven starts yielding Top 10 finishes.
- Rossi is an eight-time winner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, highlighted by his victory in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016. The Nevada City, California native was the first American rookie to win the race since 1928. Rossi’s career has also taken him worldwide, with wins in Formula 2, World Series by Renault, and the 24 Hours of Daytona, along with starts in Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Baja 1000, and the Bathurst 1000.
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 LIQUID SCIENCE
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Liquid Science Arctic Freeze Chevrolet: “We’ve shown strong pace to start the season, we just haven’t been able to put together the results yet. Long Beach feels like the perfect place to change that! It’s such a historic and iconic event, and I’m excited to be back in the Liquid Science car and ready for a strong weekend.” (Image Courtesy INDYCAR Photo)
BIRTHDAY: June 29, 2000
HOMETOWN:
Copenhagen, Denmark
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
LONG BEACH STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 2
BEST START: 18th (2025)
BEST FINISH: 23rd (2025)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 3rd
STARTS: 35
WINS: 1
TOP 5 FINISHES: 2
TOP 10 FINISHES: 7
OF NOTE:
- Christian Rasmussen will be competing in his third Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend. The first four races of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season took place in the span of a month, with Rasmussen and the No. 21 Chevrolet showing pace and potential in each event. At Phoenix Raceway, the first oval race of the year, Rasmussen was the class of the field. He charged from 21st to the front of the field and led 69 laps. Late-race contact with another competitor pushed his car into the wall and caused heavy suspension damage, but Rasmussen skillfully held the lead until eight laps to go. At the most recent street course event, the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, Rasmussen delivered the best street course qualifying performance of his career to date and started 8th.
- The 2026 season marks the 25-year-old’s third in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, all with ECR. During his sophomore campaign, Rasmussen established himself as formidable opponent on ovals and recorded a sixth-place finish in his second Indianapolis 500 and his first career podium at WWT Raceway. One year after making his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on a short oval at the Milwaukee Mile, he earned his first career victory.
- Rasmussen began racing at just nine years old, claiming his first karting championship in Denmark. He arrived in the United States in 2018 and joined the Road to Indy the following year. He is only the second driver in history to earn a championship in each division that currently feeds the NTT INDYCAR SERIES — USF2000 (2020), USF Pro 2000 (2021), and INDY NXT (2023). After an impressive rookie season, including being the highest rookie finisher in the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Rasmussen was named driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet beginning in 2025 as part of a multi-year deal.
