Paddock Buzz: Long Beach Boss Jim Michaelian Fondly Remembered

The gates opened Friday for the 51st annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend.

Sun-filled skies and temperatures in the mid-70s greeted thousands of race fans entering the famed street circuit. But for the first time since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES event began in 1984, fans weren’t greeted by a familiar face.

Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, died unexpectedly March 21 at age 83.

“I got up really early this morning and just spent time walking around and thinking about Jim because he cared so much about this event,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Walking through the customer experience and the places I’ve interacted with Jim.

“Obviously, a great event. It just feels a little hollow without him here, and I know he’s here in spirit.”

Michaelian was a founding staff member of the race. Chris Pook spearheaded the event, with Michaelian serving as controller. He later became chief operating officer and succeeded Pook as president and CEO in December 2001.

A UCLA graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree, Michaelian helped grow the event into one of the most prestigious races in the world.

Under his leadership, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach evolved into a cultural festival while continuing to expand. The 2024 race drew a then-record 194,000 spectators, a figure that grew to 200,000 last year.

Many NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers expressed gratitude for Michaelian’s efforts Friday in Long Beach, recalling how they would often see him walking through the paddock and sharing a laugh.

“Jim will be missed,” Graham Rahal said. “He did it the right way all the time. The promotion and vibe behind the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach was second to none. The energy and notoriety the race has had over the years is unbelievable.

“I just saw Jim recently, so it was a shock to hear about his passing. We appreciate everything he did for our sport. He’s a legend.”

Cars are carrying a decal to honor Michaelian (photo, top) during this weekend.

Power Chasing Emotional First Win With Andretti

Will Power makes his 20th Long Beach start Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls), the most of any driver in event history.

Power (photo, above) led the way in Friday’s opening practice session with a lap of 1 minute, 7.6053 seconds in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda, setting the early pace for the weekend.

Whether that translates into his 46th career INDYCAR SERIES victory remains to be seen, but a win would carry added meaning.

“That would be very emotional,” Power said. “It’d be a big deal. If I could win, I have a chance because the cars are great.”

Power is in his first season with Andretti Global after 16 full-time seasons with Team Penske, where he won two championships and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

He enters the weekend 13th in points with one top-10 finish after a challenging start that has included qualifying crashes at St. Petersburg, Phoenix Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park, along with race contact at St. Petersburg and Phoenix.

Power is a two-time Long Beach winner and has seven consecutive top-10 finishes on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile street circuit. Andretti Global had three cars in the top six of the timing chart with points leader Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com) third and Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Allegra Honda) sixth.

Kirkwood is the defending winner and won two of the last three Long Beach races.

Rossi Inducted Into Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame

Alexander Rossi and late Long Beach Mayor Robert “Bob” Foster were inducted Thursday into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.

Rossi admitted Friday morning that being honored while still an active driver felt unusual.

“A little bit weird, yeah,” Rossi said. “But it’s still an honor.”

The Walk of Fame, a joint project of the City of Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, was created in 2006 to honor key contributors to the sport. Dan Gurney and Phil Hill were the inaugural honorees. Scott Dixon and Michaelian were inducted last year.

Two of Rossi’s eight NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come at Long Beach, in 2018 and 2019. The Nevada City, California, native led a combined 151 of 170 laps in those races, both with Andretti Global, and won the pole each year.

He is in his second season driving the No. 20 Liquid Science Orange Chevrolet for ECR and makes his 10th Long Beach start Sunday. He has an average finish of 11.3 with five top-10 finishes.

Rossi Has New Engineer

Rossi (photo, above) confirmed a change within his engineering group, with Jack Russell replacing Quentin Montigaud as race engineer.

Montigaud, who joined ECR this offseason from Formula E, moved into the role after Matt Barnes was promoted to vice president of competition.

“To be clear, this was not my decision,” Rossi said. “I was part of the discussion, but it’s an internal change. Quentin is still a very important part of the organization.

“Jack was my assistant engineer, so it’s a pretty easy transition. I work very closely with him, anyway, so it’s probably more of an adjustment for him than for me.”

Rossi enters Long Beach 11th in points with three top-11 finishes in four races, including a season-best sixth at Phoenix Raceway. He was 11th quickest (1:08.4703) Friday.

While a change atop the timing stand can bring uncertainty, Rossi emphasized the team’s collaborative approach.

“I think people would be surprised by how much it’s not just one individual influencing the engineering direction of a race car,” he said. “I often refer to it as engineering by committee. There’s a lot of input from different directions. One person makes the final decision, but there are a lot of resources within the team.”

Wintersteen Reunites With Penske

As part of Team Penske’s 60th anniversary celebration this season, George Wintersteen is attending this event this weekend, his first time seeing Roger Penske since the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

Wintersteen was part of Penske’s first race-winning lineup at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona.

“Roger and I hugged,” Wintersteen said. “I’m not a hugger, but Roger was.”

Wintersteen doesn’t give himself as much credit as he should for being the first winner in Team Penske history, but he’s in awe of what his former boss has built since.

“It’s marvelous to see,” Wintersteen said. “He’s built this empire and that’s he’s still on top of the game.”

Team Penske owns 44 driver championships across all forms of motorsports, including 17 in the INDYCAR SERIES. His teams have amassed 247 INDYCAR SERIES wins, including 20 victories in the Indianapolis 500.

CGR Revives Trading Cards

Chip Ganassi Racing announced April 8 the return of its trading card program.

Proceeds benefit DonorsChoose, supporting public school classrooms. The program raised more than $20,000 in 2025.

Cards are available for preorder at chipganassiracing.com/cgrcards.

Odds and Ends

• Christian Rasmussen’s No. 21 Liquid Science Arctic Freeze pit crew for ECR won the $10,000 prize in the Thursday Thunder Pit Stop Competition on Shoreline Drive. Rasmussen’s crew defeated Rahal’s No. 15 One Cure Rahal Letterman Lanigan crew in the opening round and Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing) in the championship. VeeKay topped Ericsson in the second semifinal.

• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced partnerships this week with i2c Inc. and MSC Industrial Supply Co. i2c serves as the team’s payment processing partner and an associate sponsor on Rahal’s No. 15 Honda. MSC will be a primary sponsor for RLL at the Road America race June 21 and serve as an associate sponsor in a multiyear deal. Both are first time INDYCAR SERIES sponsors.

• Edwards Lifesciences launched “Stay in the Race,” a national awareness initiative with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing focused on early detection of heart valve disease in adults 65 and older.

• Arrow McLaren added ScanSource as an official partner in a multiyear agreement. The company’s branding debuts this weekend and returns after its involvement in the team’s 2019 Indianapolis 500 entry driven by Fernando Alonso.

• Aidan Schuh, a downhill mountain biker, joined AJ Foyt Racing and Crosslink Motorsports to compete in the 2026 FR Americas Championship. The season began last weekend NOLA Motorsports Park. He finished 11th in the third race of the tripleheader weekend.