IMSA at Long Beach: Start times, entry lists, schedules, TV

IMSA Long Beach start times: The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will hold its shortest race of the season Saturday with a 100-minute sprint around the streets of Southern California in the Acura Grand Prix.

It’s the first IMSA race at the 11-turn, 1.968-mile street course in more than two years after the 2020 race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be 26 cars featured over three divisions as the GTD class returns for the first time at Long Beach since 2017.

With two races remaining in the 2021 DPi season (which will conclude Nov. 13 with the Petit Le Mans), the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 of Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque has a 98-point lead on the No. 31 Action Express Whelen Engineering Cadillac of Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani.

The GT cars have three races left with the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GTE of Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley leading by 27 points on the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R of Zach Robichon and Laurens Vanthoor.

Colin Braun, who races full time in LMP3, will making his first GT start since 2017 when he shares the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 with Daniel Mancinelli at Long Beach

Here are the start times, starting lineup, schedule and TV info for the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (all times are ET):

IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach start times, schedule, TV info

When: Saturday, 5:05 p.m. ET

Race distance: One hour, 40 minutes on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile street course

Forecast: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 77 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the green flag.

Entry list: Click here to see the 26-car field over three divisions for the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

RACE BROADCAST IMSA LONG BEACH

TV: 5 p.m. ET, NBCSN.

TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold Coverage: Live flag to flag beginning at 5 p.m. ET. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and Calvin Fish and pit reporters Kevin Lee and Marty Snider.

Race streaming: NBC Sports App, NBCSports.com and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold

IMSA.com live qualifying stream: Friday, Sept. 24, 7:45 p.m. ET.

IMSA Radio: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. (Sirius 216, XM 202, Internet 992).

DAILY SCHEDULE IMSA LONG BEACH

Here’s a rundown of the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach(all times ET):

Friday, Sept. 24

Noon-12:20 p.m.: Historic Formula Atlanta Challenge practice

12:45-1:45 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice

2:10-2:30 p.m.: Stadium Super Trucks practice

3:35-4 p.m.: Global Time Attack practice

4:20-5:35 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice

6:15-6:45 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series practice

7-7:20 p.m.: Historic Formula Atlanta Challenge qualifying

7:45-8:55 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying

9:15-9:35 p.m.: Super Drift Challenge practice

9:45-11:15 p.m.: Formula D Super Drift Challenge, Race 1

Saturday, Sept. 25

Noon-12:45 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series practice

1:05-1:35 p.m.: Stadium Super Trucks, Race 1

2:05-2:20 p.m.: Global Time Attack, Race 1

3:05-4:20 p.m.: NTT IndyCar Series qualifying

5:05-6:45 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race

7:30-7:50 p.m.: Historic Formula Atlanta Challenge, Race 1

8:30-8:50 p.m.: Super Drift Challenge practice

9-10:30 p.m.:Formula D Super Drift Challenge, Race 2

Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.

Seattle Supercross numbers — *Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports*

For the fifth time in 10 rounds. Sexton, Webb, and Eli Tomac shared the podium in Detroit. Between them, the trio has taken 23 podiums, leaving only seven for the remainder of the field. Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia have two each with Aaron Plessinger scoring the other.

Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.

Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.

Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.

The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.

In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.

Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.

Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.

Last Five Seattle Winners

450s
2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto

250s
2022: Hunter Lawrence
2019: Dylan Ferrandis
2018: Aaron Plessinger
2017: Aaron Plessinger
2014: Cole Seely

By the Numbers

Detroit
Indianapolis
Daytona
Arlington
Oakland
Tampa
Houston
Anaheim 2
San Diego

More SuperMotocross coverage

How to Watch Seattle Supercross
Dylan Ferrandis may return before SX finale
SMX develops “Leader Lights”
Power Rankings after Detroit
Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan
Results and points after Detroit
Chase Sexton wins in Detroit, penalized seven points