INDYCAR To Salute California Wildfire First Responders at Long Beach
INDYCAR
INDYCAR will honor first responders who bravely fought the Southern California wildfires in January during the 50th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend.
Multiple salutes will take place on the streets of Long Beach during a special anniversary weekend for one of the most prestigious events in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Honors include: All 27 cars in the starting field of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will feature LA Strong decals, increasing awareness and support of first responders fighting wildfires. The honorary starter of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 13 will be Los Angeles City Fire Captain Erik Scott. Pasadena Fire Department Chief Anthony James also will be recognized during pre-race ceremonies, and County of Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Malcolm Dicks will serve as the honorary starter of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race Saturday. Twenty-seven first responders from various departments will ride in the back of pickup trucks, one with each of the 27 NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers in the field, during pre-race ceremonies. A special-edition LA Strong shirt featuring the same logo as the decal on the race cars is available now online at the INDYCAR store and on site at Long Beach. Just over 200 shirts will be available, a ceremonial run of merchandise allowing members of the INDYCAR community to share in the weekend's theme.
INDYCAR will make a special contribution to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation to aid its continued service to the community. Proceeds from the T-shirt sale will not contribute directly to this donation.
'The first responders performed heroic duty during a very difficult and challenging time in Los Angeles,' said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, LLC. 'They rose to the occasion and worked tirelessly to protect people's lives and property. We are delighted to have the opportunity to recognize their efforts by honoring them prior to the start of both the IMSA and INDYCAR races.'
The LA Strong effort continues salutes to Southern California first responders during the buildup to the event weekend. Andretti Global driver and 2021 Long Beach winner Colton Herta, a Southern California native, was part of a group that recently honored Long Beach firefighters Captain Brian Sher and Engineer Tyler Vanderstelt – both of whom fought the wildfires on the front lines – with a helmet swap at Fire Station 1 in downtown Long Beach.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach starts at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, April 13, with live coverage on FOX, FOX Sports Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
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