The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to California this weekend for the 50th anniversary edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the 41st INDYCAR SERIES race. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR race in 1984 with six-time series champion Scott Dixon, driver of the No.9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, the defending race winner. The Iceman wants to extend his streak of consecutive INDYCAR SERIES race starts to 342.
Dixon hopes his next top-ten finish, which he hopes will come on Sunday with victory in Long Beach, will be the New Zealander’s 300th top-ten finish. Elsewhere, championship leader and defending series champion Alex Palou will look to become only the fourth driver in INDYCAR SERIES history to win the opening three races in a row.
The last driver to complete this feat was Scott Dixon in 2020. Sebastien Bourdais won the first four ChampCar races of the 2006 season driving the No.33 McDonald’s Newman Haas Racing entry.
Paul Tracy won the opening three races of the 2003 CART championship season. All of the drivers mentioned went on to win those respective championships that year.
Marcus Ericsson in the No.28 Bryant Andretti Global Honda will make his 100th INDYCAR SERIES race start. Home favorite, Alexander Rossi, will make his 150th career start.