The 49th edition of the Grand Prix of Long Beach will see drivers from both series take to the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit that has undergone some slight improvements.
Among the notable changes are improvements to the curbing in Turn 5. Significant work was done to allow the longer bolts that are attached to the curbs to withstand the pounding from the sports cars.
There was also work done to the painted portion of the curb (not raised, painted only) in Turn 8, which has been moved back to the apex of the turn instead of the previous location that was 10 feet from the wall.
Asphalt grinding has also taken place in Turn 8 to smooth out the surface.
Similar to IndyCar’s season-opening round on the Streets of St. Petersburg, all of the tire barriers have also been covered by a conveyer belt material instead of signage that occupied the same space previously.
When the decision for the belt material to be utilized in St. Petersburg, the thought behind that was to minimize the chances of a car being stuck in the barrier. In turn, that would provide a benefit to the AMR IndyCar Safety Team working on the scene, along with helping minimize damage for the race team.
The confirmation of the track changes came courtesy of IndyCar during IMSA’s opening practice on Friday morning.
IndyCar will have its first practice session of the weekend later this afternoon, scheduled for 5:50 p.m. ET and streaming on Peacock.
IMSA’s second practice will start at 3:50 p.m. ET, with its qualifying – that will be also be streamed on Peacock – concluding the day’s festivities at 7:55 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
The GTP and GTD classes for IMSA will contest its 100-minute race on Saturday, April 20 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The IndyCar Series will have its second points-paying round of 2024 in an 85-lap battle set for Sunday, April 21 at 3:30pm ET.