Potential Favorites for 2026 Acura Grand Prix

Long Beach residents can expect a whole lot of high-speed excitement, as the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (GPLB) is set to return in less than a month. The annual open street racing event will be celebrating its 51st year, as the city officially began construction of the historic racetrack in late February.

“We’re coming off a very successful 50th anniversary celebration last year and we are planning to build on that success,” said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian in an official press release. “This is always a great day because the moment we begin building the racetrack is when it all truly comes to life. You can feel the energy start to build across the city as our team transforms the streets of Long Beach into a world-class racing venue. It’s a powerful reminder that we’re not just preparing for a race – we’re setting the stage for a memorable weekend in our beautiful community.”

As always, the three-day event will play host to a multitude of different motorsport competitions, including that of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Robby Gordon’s SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks, and the IMSA Sportscar Grand Prix – all leading up to the GPLB’s headlining competition: the NTT IndyCar Series.

While there’s no way of officially knowing who will make it down the finish line first, there are some drivers that IndyCar enthusiasts may expect to be the favorites to win:

Kyle Kirkwood

One person fans and spectators of the GPLB may want to look out for during the big race is driver of the No. 27 Honda, Kyle Kirkwood. Entering his fifth year in the NTT IndyCar Series, Kirkwood drives for Andretti Global racing team, along with his teammates Marcus Ericsson and Will Power.

Prior to the upcoming 2026 GPLB, Kirkwood has found major success on the Long Beach track, obtaining First Place Finishes in both 2023 and 2025. During the 2025 season, Kirkwood also won back-to-back races at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

As this year’s season rolls along, Kirkwood has had a strong start, finishing fourth at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (GP St. Pete), finishing second at the Good Ranchers 250 (GR250), finishing first at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. If things go his way this season, perhaps Kirkwood will find himself winning on the streets of Long Beach once more.

Alex Palou

Another contender in the GPLB to keep an eye on would most likely be Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. Driver of the No. 10 Honda, Palou enters the 2026 season with what some may call a dominant performance.

In 2025, Palou won eight races, more than any driver that year, including that of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. In that same year, Palou also earned his third consecutive, and fourth overall, IndyCar Series Championship (2021, 2023-2025). And as of the 2026 season, Palou won the first race of the year, at the GP St. Pete, followed in second and third positions by Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard.

But despite his many accolades and achievements, Palou has yet to obtain a First Place Finish at the GPLB. In 2025, he finished second behind Kyle Kirkwood on the Long Beach track. And with the impressive display he’s put on in past competitions, there’s a good chance spectators may see Palou leading the front at the GPLB.

Josef Newgarden

Readers with an interest in IndyCar will likely recognize this next person on the list: Driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden. Much like Kyle Kirkwood, Newgarden has had past success on the streets of Long Beach. In 2022, the 15-year IndyCar veteran won the GPLB for the first time in his career, holding a late lead against fellow drivers Romain Grosjean and Alex Palou.

Newgarden enters 2026 with an early win into the season, finishing first at the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix, AZ. His win on the Phoenix Raceway comes after what can be described as a rocky 2025 season. Ending the season 12th overall in terms of points, Newgarden was only able to obtain a single First Place Finish at the 2025 Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix.

No doubt that Newgarden is looking to get back into winning ways this year. If the driver can maintain his momentum from Phoenix all the way to Long Beach in April, there’s a good chance Newgarden can find himself on the podium.

Pato O’Ward

The last driver to be highlighted as a potential favorite to win this year’s GPLB is one that’s probably looking to finally break through on the streets of Long Beach: Driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, Pato O’Ward. Currently racing for Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, O’Ward debuted in the IndyCar Series in 2018, and very quickly cemented himself as a driver to remember.

During the span of his IndyCar career, O’Ward has obtained 9 wins, including that of both the SNYK 275 and Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto in 2025.

However, when it comes to competing at the GPLB, the driver from Monterrey, Mexico has had a difficult history that was left with mixed results. In 2021, O’Ward was forced to retire from the race during the first lap, after a collision with another driver that ended with the driveshaft of O’Ward’s vehicle being broken. The following year, O’Ward finished the GPLB in fifth place, his best performance on the track so far. And more recently in 2025, O’Ward finished the race in 13th place. Perhaps this year’s race will be O’Ward’s to take home– only time will tell.

Currently, as the IndyCar series makes its way towards Long Beach and beyond, the next stop in the series will be at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. And as of March 15, the top five drivers in the championship standings are:

1.  Kyle Kirkwood
2.  Alex Palou
3.  Pato O’Ward
4.  Josef Newgarden
5.  Scott McLaughlin

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled to take place on April 17-19, with the Grand Prix’s IndyCar race being that Sunday. For more information on the upcoming Grand Prix of Long Beach, including schedule and ticket prices, you can visit their official website at https://gplb.com/