Long Beach Street Circuit

The Long Beach Street Circuit is a temporary street course laid out on the public roads of downtown Long Beach, California, running along Shoreline Drive and the waterfront. The current configuration measures 1.968 miles with 11 turns, blending fast straights with tight 90-degree corners, concrete walls, and a signature hairpin that leaves no margin for error. As a street circuit, it rewards precision, commitment, and clean lines over raw horsepower, making it one of the most respected proving grounds in American motorsport.

First opened in September 1975, the track hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix West from 1976 to 1983 before evolving into a marquee stop for American open-wheel racing. Today the Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the longest-running and most prestigious street races in North America, anchoring the IndyCar Series calendar and sharing its weekend with the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Stadium Super Trucks, and Formula Drift.

For drivers, Long Beach is a benchmark in car control and discipline. The walls are close, the braking zones demand exact timing, and a single mistake ends a lap or a race. Mastering its rhythm teaches the kind of focus and accuracy that transfers directly to any road or race course, which is why street-circuit experience like Long Beach remains a valuable goal for students developing their craft.