Overheard at Long Beach – Sunday (Update)
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| Big Crowd in Long Beach |
We spoke to Long Beach race boss Jim Michaelian after the race Sunday and although he didn't have all the numbers yet, it was the biggest 3-day crowd in Long Beach history since the late 90s. "Friday was really strong" said Michaelian.
The Long Beach Press Telegram estimated the attendance at 175,000.
04/17/16 A lot of talk about the entry list for the 100th running of the Indy 500. As we speak we hear Conor Daly still has no confirmed sponsor for the Indy 500 (the Jonathan Byrd sponsor he has now moves to the Bryan Clauson car for the Indy 500), but we hear it will happen, nor does Pippa Mann (but we hear it will happen), nor does Luca Filippi (but we hear it will happen).
SPM's 3rd car is still not confirmed, nor is Stefan Wilson at KVSH. Even though this is the 100th running and with all the hoopla, it still looks like they will barely get to 33.
There is talk Michael Shank might field a car the last minute, possibly for Grace Autosport and driver Katherine Legge.
Our Indy 500 Entry List Tally (Italic = Not Confirmed yet)
| Driver | Team | Engine |
| Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi | Chevrolet |
| Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi | Chevrolet |
| Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi | Chevrolet |
| Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi | Chevrolet |
| Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold/Kingdom | Chevrolet |
| Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter | Chevrolet |
| Josef Newgarden | Ed Carpenter | Chevrolet |
| JR Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter | Chevrolet |
| Sebastien Bourdais | KVSH Racing | Chevrolet |
| Stefan Wilson | KVSH Racing | Chevrolet |
| Matt Brabham | KVSH Racing-Team Murray | Chevrolet |
| Buddy Lazier | Lazier Partners | Chevrolet |
| Helio Castroneves | Penske | Chevrolet |
| Will Power | Penske | Chevrolet |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | Penske | Chevrolet |
| Simon Pagenaud | Penske | Chevrolet |
| Total Chevy | 16 | |
| Takuma Sato | AJ Foyt | Honda |
| Jack Hawksworth | AJ Foyt | Honda |
| Alex Tagliani | AJ Foyt | Honda |
| Marco Andretti | Andretti | Honda |
| Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti | Honda |
| Carlos Munoz | Andretti | Honda |
| Townsend Bell | Andretti | Honda |
| Alexander Rossi | Andretti–Herta | Honda |
| Conor Daly | Dale Coyne | Honda |
| Luca Filippi | Dale Coyne | Honda |
| Pippa Mann | Dale Coyne | Honda |
| Bryan Clauson | Dale Coyne | Honda |
| Spencer Pigot | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda |
| Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda |
| Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson | Honda |
| James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson | Honda |
| TBA | Schmidt Peterson | Honda |
| Total Honda | 17 | |
| Grand Total | 33 |
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the place to be today as the stars and cars of the Verizon IndyCar Series mix it up with the stars of Hollywood before the start of the 42nd running of the famed street race.
In addition to boxing legend Oscar de La Hoya, who is serving as grand marshal, and Honorary Starter Taya Kyle, wife of “American Sniper" subject Chris Kyle, the following celebrities will be on hand as guests of the Verizon IndyCar series drivers:
Guests of Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 27 United Fiber & Data/Snapple Honda for Andretti Autosport:
- Larenz Tate, star of the new NBC drama Game of Silence
- Comedian Nick Swardson
- Bridget Marquardt, The Girls Next Door
- Austin Stowell, Bridge of Spies
Guests of Conor Daly, driver of the No. 18 Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality Honda for Dale Coyne Racing
- Topher Grace, That 70s Show, Spider-Man 3
- Tory Belleci, Mythbusters
- Ashley Hinshaw, True Blood, The Pyramid
Guests of Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
- Nathan Kress, iCarly
Guests of Honda Performance Development
- LA Galaxy players Dan Kennedy, Gyasi Zardes, Brian Rowe, Daniel Steres
- Graham Bunn, former contestant on The Bachelor
Spike Feresten, host of ‘Car Matchmaker’ took a ride with Indy car Legend Mario Andretti in Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports, prior to the race on Sunday.
Earlier in the weekend, NFL Pro Bowler Terrell Owens, also took a two-seater ride with Andretti as he hosted the Rich Eisen Show from the pits and paddock, as did Dancing with the Stars professional dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Tony Dovolani.