Clauson makes Grand Prix of Long Beach debut

Bryan Clauson, a two-time USAC National champion, turned his first laps on a street course in Long Beach in the Toyota Pro Celebrity race.

He’ll make his first trip to the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Clauson, an open-wheel racer backed in part by K&N, ran into a tire barrier midway through the Toyota Pro Celebrity race during the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He didn’t complete the entire 10 laps of the race, but he said racing at Long Beach was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer to get the opportunity to be with super people and the personalities and everybody that’s in this group is phenomenal,” Clauson said. “To get the opportunity to be a part of it and to spend some time with these people has been amazing. You learn a lot about how to be successful in life when you’re around successful people. It’s been a lot of fun and we definitely had a great time.”

J.R. Hildebrand wins Indy Lights race at Long Beach

J.R. Hildebrand, a driver from Sausalito, Calif., won the Firestone Indy Lights race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was his first Indy Lights win in nearly a year and his first at Long Beach.
Hildebrand won the pole and led every lap of the race. None of the other drivers mounted much of a challenge.
For more on the Indy Lights race, click here.

Team Drift Alliance wins Formula Drift competition at Long Beach

Team Drift Alliance with drivers Chris Forsberg, Justin Pawlak and John Russakoff won the Formula Drift exhibition at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday.
To read about their winning runs through the streets of Long Beach, click here.

Hildebrand wins Indy Lights pole; Bomarito wins confidence

J.R. Hildebrand won the pole for the Firestone Indy Lights race by .0003 seconds for today's race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Jonathan Bomarito will start alongside Hildebrand on the front row. Bomarito, a driver from Monterey, didn't find out he was racing at Long Beach until Wednesday. He is making his first Indy Lights start after spending the past three years in the Atlantic Series.
For more on Indy Lights qualifying and Bomarito's journey from Atlantic Series veteran to Indy Lights rookie, click here.

Formula Drfit drivers forced to forge alliance

Formula Drift drivers Michael Essa and Dan Pina were searching for a driver. Cody Parkhouse's teammates crashed in practice on Friday. The three formed a last-minute partnership to compete in today's Formula Drift exhibition at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
For more on their newly formed alliance, click here.

Grand Prix of Long Beach media lunch

The big names -- Penske, Ganassi, Andretti -- are back at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Unfortunately, very few of them or their drivers showed up to the media lunch at The Laugh Factory on Wednesday.
Gil de Ferran was there, proudly displaying his American Le Mans Series team's colors. Will Power from Team Penske made an appearance, as did Robert Doornbos, a driver from Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing.
Power won the Champ Car World Series race at Long Beach last year. It was the last race for the Champ Car World Series. The Indy Racing League IndyCar Series teams and drivers will take the streets this year.
But no drivers from Andretti Green Racing or Target Chip Ganassi Racing were there. That meant no Danica Patrick, no Scott Dixon, no Marco Andretti, no Dario Franchitti.
Among the drivers who were there: Davey Hamilton and Scott Sharp. Sharp apparently is going to announce that he is returning to race in the Indianapolis 500. Details are pending. For the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Sharp, like de Ferran, is racing in the American Le Mans Series.

Formula Drift drivers

After spending the day in Long Beach, and learning that I will be covering the Formula Drift event for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, I had lunch with Samuel Hubinette and Tanner Foust. Both are top Formula Drifters. Hubinette, from Newport Beach, is second in the Formula Drift Professional Championship standings after the event in Long Beach last weekend. He trails Ryan Tuerck by 12 points. Foust,a driver from Dana Point, is third in the standings.
Hubinete and Foust explained how the drifting competition will work this weekend in Long Beach. It's more of an exhibtion than an competition. The drivers will compete in three-car teams and won't go head-to-head, as was done during the Streets of Long Beach event.