Practice 1 of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Ended with Mixed Results for Rahal, Foster and Schumacher

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Round 5 of 18 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES

PRACTICE NOTES / QUOTES – Friday, April 17, 2026

Practice 1 of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Ended with Mixed Results for Rahal, Foster and Schumacher

1) Will Power 1:07.6053 / 104.797 mph

14) Graham Rahal 1:08.6737 / 103.166 mph

23) Louis Foster 1:09.2958 / 102.240 mph

25) Mick Schumacher 1:23.3246 / 85.027 mph

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 One Cure Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a tough session for me. I just felt like I was never really in the hunt. On the blacks at the start, we were P11, and it wasn’t that bad; only one-tenth (of a second) separated six of us. But I felt like the car didn’t get any better after than. It didn’t feel good on the reds (Alternate tires) in particular.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his 19th Champ/Indy car race here and 20th overall. His best IndyCar start here is fifth in 2007 and best finish is second place in 2013. In 2025, he started 16th and finished 22nd. On his second of three pit stops, there was a false read on the fuel level and he returned to the track four gallons short of the intended fuel amount. In 2024, he started 12th and pit from fifth place on an alternate strategy for his second stop and a fueling issue added an additional 12 seconds, which dropped him four spots at the time and cost valuable track position. A top-10 finish was in sight, but he had to settle for 17th place. In 2023, he started 24th and finished 12th and in 2022, he started 13th and finished seventh. He ran as high as second place two times in 2021 and led four laps by utilizing an alternate strategy after starting 19th but the timing of a caution for contact between teammate Askew and Daly while he was on his in-lap for his final pit stop dropped him to 20th. He came back to finish 16th… Has SIX IndyCar Series wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and FIVE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street; 2024 IMS road course 2, Portland) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015. He finished third in the previous race in Barber.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a decent session. It’s hard to tell because we didn’t really get a run on the reds (alternate tires) so it was a bit of a waste there honestly. I need to look and see where we stacked up. There is definitely (lap) time to find in the car.”

FAST FACTS: Although he has been racing in the US for years, Foster will compete in only his second race in Long Beach this year. In his debut at the track last year, he started 20th and finished 16th. The Los Angeles area is one of his favorite places to visit in the US after having lived there while attending college. His highest start of the season so far is ninth place on the streets of St. Pete, which is also the team’s best start on a street course this year, and Foster is hoping to build upon that.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 Liquid Death Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “On the first lap I told them team that something felt weird. We ran another lap and then the car just stopped. Overall, it is not ideal. I am now for sure the only one that has not driven this track and that’s not a good starting point for the weekend. I have two more sets of tires than most people would and now we’ve just got to make sure we use those in a smart way to still try to get the most out of the weekend.”

FAST FACTS: After only two laps, Schumacher’s car came to a stop after the fountain area in the first practice session. The team is changing the engine tonight… This will be his first time to race on the streets of Long Beach and third street race of the season. His highest start and finish this season has come on the Phoenix oval of fourth and 18th, respectively.

3 POLES, 6 PODIUMS FOR RLL IN 26 INDY CAR RACES AT LONG BEACH: The 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (AGPLB) marks the 26th time for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) to compete in the event. In total, the team won three poles (Herta 1998, Vasser 2002, Jourdain, Jr. 2003); made five front row starts including an all-Team Rahal front row in 1998 (2nd – Rahal 1998, Brack 2001); earned their best finish of second place four times (Rahal 1992-1993, Vasser 2002, G. Rahal 2013) and earned six podiums here (2nd – Rahal 1992-1993, Vasser 2002 & G. Rahal 2013; 3rd – Herta 1998-1999).

NEXT UP: Practice 2 will take place Saturday morning from 10:35 – 11:55 a.m. PDT and qualifying will take place from 3:35 – 5:00 PM PDT. FS2 will carry live coverage of Practice 2 and FS1 will carry live coverage of qualifying. Timing and Scoring information is available for all sessions from www.indycar.com. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be televised live on FOX beginning at 4:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 13.