LONG BEACH — With Scott Dixon in the lead, and Josef Newgarden breathing down his neck at the end of the NTT IndyCar Series race at Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the outcome was determined by a bump and run by Colton Herta.
Herta, running in third place, ran into the back of Newgarden’s car in the hairpin turn of the 1.97-mile street course with eight laps to go in the race. Herta moved up to second place. Newgarden dropped to fourth and fell out of contention.
Herta said after the race he misjudged the turn. Newgarden and Herta exchanged words and the blame fell squarely on Herta’s shoulders.
Newgarden was closing in fast on Dixon and was on pace to pass him as the race wound down. The contact with Herta cost him a chance to challenge Dixon for the lead, even though Newgarden said he wasn’t confident he could pass Dixon. But Newgarden would have liked the chance and he said Herta should have been penalized
“I’m not sure how lifting someone two feet in the air isn’t a penalty,” Newgarden said.
Herta admitted after the race he made a mistake.
“I wouldn’t be happy if it went down that way for me,” Herta said. “I apologized to him. He wasn’t happy.”
As for being penalized for running into Newgarden, Herta said, “It was borderline.”
He would be surprised if he was issued a drive-through penalty, but he would not have been surprised if he was forced behind Newgarden after making contact.
No penalty was issued and Newgarden lost two spots in the closing laps.
Newgarden, Herta and Dixon were in a group of drivers taking a different pit strategy than some of the other drivers in the field. After the first caution on lap 15, the race leaders pitted early, gambling that a late race caution would play in their favor with fuel and tire strategy.
Newgarden and Herta stayed out, valuing track position over fuel strategy.
When they pitted for the first time around lap 30, Dixon was in the lead, followed by Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood in third.
Newgarden took the lead after pit stops on lap 51 and had enough fuel to finish the race without stopping again. Dixon was in 10th and Herta was in second.
Herta pitted for the last time on lap 61 and Dixon took the lead. Newgarden and Dixon battled for the lead for the next 15 laps until Herta ran into Newgarden, who crossed the finish line in fourth place.
“It was a tough race,” Herta said. “Sometimes you need a little bit more than speed in IndyCar racing and we saw that today.”
It was the 13th podium finish of Herta’s career and his first since finishing second in Toronto in 2022. Herta won the Grand Prix of Long Beach race in 2021.
SRO GT America Series
CRP/Daskalos driver Jason Daskalos in a Mercedes AMG won the SRO3 class in the SRO GT America Series race for the second day in a row Sunday.
Lonestar Racing driver Dan Knox was a repeat winner as well in the GT2 race in a Mercedes AMG. He was also the pole winner in the GT2 race.
Rotek Racing driver Isaac Sherman won the GT4 race in a Porsche 718 Cayman for the second straight day too.
Historic Indy Car Challenge
Tim DeSilva of Rancho Palos Verdes won the Historic Indy Car Challenge race in a 1995 Lola T9500 for the second day in a row. After the race, he talked about coming to the Grand Prix of Long Beach as a kid with his father. He never thought that one day he would be racing in it.
“This event is special to me because I grew up 20 minutes away as a kid,” he said.
Jordan Roddy from Australia driving a 1005 Lola B05/00 was second.
Stefan Johansson from New York in a 1981 Eagle was third.
The Swedish-born driver raced in Formula One and the CART series. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997 and was the CART Rookie of the Year in 1992.
“The whole experience has been phenomenal, really,” Johansson said. “It’s been fun. The experience has been really amazing.”
