IndyCar: Acura to serve as title sponsor for Grand Prix of Long Beach

Acura is set to serve as the title sponsor for the fourth race of the 2019 IndyCar season, the 45th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The IndyCar race at the iconic 11-turn, 1.968-mile (3.167-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California is set to have a new title sponsor beginning in the 2019 season.

Acura, the luxury automotive brand from Honda, is set to become the title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Long Beach after Toyota had served as the race’s title sponsor in each of the last 35 years.

Honda drivers have won the last two Grands Prix of Long Beach, as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe won the race in the 2017 season and Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi won it in the 2018 season.

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Prior to Hinchcliffe’s victory in this race in the 2017 season, the most recent Honda driver to win this race was Takuma Sato, who won it in the 2013 season when he drove for A.J. Foyt Enterprises.

This year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is the 45th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach, and it the 36th IndyCar race at the track, as the first Grand Prix of Long Beach was a Formula 5000 race and the next eight Grands Prix of Long Beach were Formula 1 races. Thus, it is the first IndyCar race at the track for which Toyota will not serve as the title sponsor.

Here is what Acura vice president and general manager Jon Ikeda had to say about the company becoming the title sponsor of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, according to IndyCar.

"“With our U.S. headquarters nearby in Torrance, this is a true ‘home’ event for the Acura brand. The Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of North America’s premier motorsports events and an institution in Southern California. Acura is delighted and proud to be associated with the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”"

Here is what Grand Prix Association of Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian had to say about the matter, according to IndyCar.

"“This is truly the start of a new era in the history of the grand prix. As we enter our 45th year of conducting America’s No. 1 street race, we are looking forward with great enthusiasm to this new partnership with a premium luxury brand like Acura. Together, we will explore new ways to elevate the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to greater heights in the coming years.”"

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Be sure to tune in to NBC at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 14 for the live broadcast of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach from the streets of Long Beach, California. This race is the fourth race on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, which you can see here.