QUALIFYING NOTES – Streets of Long Beach

QUALIFYING POSITIONS

16th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 21 Liquid Science Arctic Freeze Chevrolet

18th: ALEXANDER ROSSI No. 20 Liquid Science Orange Chevrolet

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

BROADCAST: Sunday – 2:30 p.m. PT (FOX)

OF NOTE: 


• Alexander Rossi has qualified for his 10th Grand Prix of Long Beach and will start from the 18th position. Two days ago, Rossi was 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. 

• 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.

• 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

OF NOTE:

• Christian Rasmussen will be competing in his third Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend. During his opening qualifying run on alternate red Firestone Firehawks, Rasmussen brushed the wall. The No. 21 Liquid Science Arctic Freeze Chevrolet crew worked at lightning speed to replace a damaged suspension piece, quick enough that Rasmussen was able to turn one more lap and improve his time. He will start tomorrow’s 90-lap race from the 16th position.

• 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.

• 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. He joined the ranks of NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners at the close of last season when he earned his first career victory at the Milwaukee Mile.