Plainfield, IL (Wednesday, April 6, 2022) – With the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returning to a street circuit this weekend, Sato is looking to pick up where he left off at the season opening round on the streets of St. Petersburg when he takes on the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend aboard his #51 Nurtec ODT entry. Sato was the biggest mover in the first race of the season on his way to his best finish so far in 2022.
- Sato’s best finish at the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit was also his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win in 2013.
- He will be making his 12th start on the streets of Long Beach this weekend.
- He has a best starting position of fourth in Long Beach, also in 2013.
- In addition to his win, he has four other top 10 finishes at the famed street circuit, including his last two visits in 2019 (8th) and 2021 (9th), the series didn’t compete in Long Beach in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- In two races in 2022, Sato has a best finish of 10th on the streets of St. Petersburg and a best start of third at Texas Motor Speedway.
Takuma Sato #51 Nurtec ODT Honda – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
“Long Beach is one of the iconic events in motorsport. It has a great history in racing, such an atmosphere with fans from all over the world with a large Japanese community on the west coast and fantastic restaurants, bars and so on. In addition, it’s a special place for me too as I achieved my first IndyCar win back in 2013 with the unforgettable A.J.Foyt’s #14 car, so I always very much look forward to going back to Long Beach. In general, street courses are always fun to drive, and they provide an exciting race and Long Beach has never failed those expectations. A heavy braking into turn 1 after a long straight provides us with a great opportunity for overtaking, the combination of both high speeds and complex sections are always challenging.
“We had a solid result at our first race in St.Petersburg, Florida, on a street course, where we were the biggest mover of the day, and we had a very competitive weekend at the last race in Texas too. Although technically the car is very different, we carry great momentum as a team and there is no reason why we cannot be competitive at Long Beach as well.”
Race Info:
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race 3 of 17
Track length: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit
Race Distance: 85 laps
Schedule (all times local)
Friday, April 8, 2022
Practice 1: 3:15pm – 4:15pm (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Saturday, April 9, 2022
Practice 2: 8:45am – 9:45am (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Qualifying: 12:05pm – 1:20pm (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Warmup: 9:00am – 9:30am (Peacock & INDYCAR Radio)
Race broadcast: Noon – 3pm (NBC & INDYCAR Radio)
Green Flag: 12:45pm
dalecoyneracing.com 