If you did not know any better, as you walked around the grounds of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, you might be tricked into thinking it’s a Saturday or even a Sunday. Instead, it was Friday, the first day of the 51st annual event that captivates fans throughout Southern California.  

Race cars were zooming around the city’s downtown streets on this temporary circuit, music was playing, concessionaires were doing a brisk business, souvenirs were being purchased, sponsor booths were drawing attention and people wandered through all parts of the vast facility. Some places, such as along the row of sponsors and food vendors, the flow of people traffic backed up to the point where you literally had to stop and smell not the roses, but food cooking on a grill. Some people could not resist the temptation and peeled off to savor those delights.

Inside, the AAA Lifestyle Expo was buzzing with activity and kids were bouncing around on inflatables at the Family Fun Zone. In fact, the entire Grand Prix was a fun zone for everyone.

Then, as the sunshine turned to dusk and eventually to dark, the scene transformed into one of nighttime vibes with the Formula Drift Challenge and a free-with-your-race-ticket performance by Lupe Fiasco presented by Acura that created an exhilarating Long Beach vibe. And that was just Day 1.

Racing? Yes there was racing. And it blended in seamlessly with all the other activities.

Six different racing series’ saw action on Friday, highlighted by the IMSA WeatherTech qualifying session. This leads into Saturday when its race will take place from 1-3 p.m. Porsche Carrera Cup also qualified on Friday as the first of its two races on the weekend takes place Saturday at 5:15. Also out Friday were the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competitors the SPEED Energy Super Trucks and the vintage sports cars of the Historic Sports Car Challenge.

The green flags wave again on Saturday starting at 8:30 am and lasting until 8:30 pm. That’s 12 hours of activity and action. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines for Day 2 of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.