5 IndyCar drivers who registered their first win at the Long Beach GP

The IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach is arguably one of the most iconic races on the calendar. The race has been on the IndyCar calendar since 1984 and was on the F1 calendar from 1976 to 1983. The race is the longest-running street race in North America, and is a cherished venue amongst many drivers.

In the four decade history of Long Beach on the IndyCar calendar, there have been five drivers who won their first American open-wheel racing series race at the street circuit in California. Let's have a look at the driver and their first IndyCar win around the 1.968-mile circuit.

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#5 Paul Tracy - 1993

Paul Tracy won his first IndyCar race in 1993 at Long Beach a couple of years after making his debut in 1991. Tracy drove for Penske Racing (now Team Penske) in the #12 cars. The 1993 season was the Canadian's first-ever full-time season in the series.

United States - Indycar - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Source: Getty

The Long Beach Grand Prix was the third race of the season. Nigel Mansell, in his debut season, started the race in pole position but finished P3, while Tracy made his way through the grid to take the win.

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#4 Mike Conway - 2011

Mike Conway joined Andretti Autosport (now Andretti Global) in 2011. The Briton in the #27 cars had a dismal season, finishing 17th in the championship. He retired from seven races and failed to qualify for the Indy 500. The highlight of the season for Conway was the win at Long Beach after starting in P3.

The Briton moved to AJ Foyt Racing for the 2012 season.

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#3 Kyle Kirkwood - 2023

Kyle Kirkwood is the most recent driver to get his first win at Long Beach. The 26-year-old made his debut in 2022 with AJ Foyt Racing and signed with Andretti Global for the 2023 season.

AUTO: JUN 22 NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

After disappointing results in the first two races, Kirkwood came through to dominate the race at Long Beach. The Andretti driver started on pole position, led 53 laps, and took his first-ever victory in the series.

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#2 Juan Pablo Montoya - 1999

Juan Pablo Montoya made his debut in 1999 with Chip Ganassi Racing and won the championship in his debut season. He won seven races during the season on his way to the title, with the first one being the Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Columbian started in P5 and made his way up the field to win the race and also set the fastest lap time.

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#1 Michael Andretti - 1986

The second-generation Andretti driver Michael made his American open-wheel racing series debut in 1983 and only won his first race in 1986 at Long Beach. Mario Andretti won the opening two CART races at the venue followed by Michael winning his first race at Long Beach. Surprisingly, Michael Andretti also won his last race at the street circuit in California.