Photo Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is like the Indianapolis 500 of street circuits for Ryan Hunter Reay as many great things have happened for him, including his win in 2010. He is now adding another achievement to his list as well.
Not only will Hunter-Reay be driving the No.28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport in the April 17 race but he will also be racing the day before in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Visit Florida Racing’s Daytona Prototype Corvette.
“It’s a unique opportunity to drive for two great teams,” Hunter-Reay, the 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, told the series website. “I’ve done it before in the past with A.J. Foyt and Level 5 (in 2009 at Homestead-Miami Speedway). Certainly I have (Andretti Autosport owner) Michael Andretti to thank. He looked at it from a driver’s viewpoint first and team owner’s second.”
He has already driven in a pair of endurance races this season in the No.90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette, finishing third at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway and a fifth at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Raceway. He is very optimistic for the upcoming weekend but knows IndyCar is his prime objective and he wouldn’t be doing the other race if he felt it would take away from his championship bid. He also knows that jumping in and out of two very different cars is going to be a test as well as a challenge to keep both cars off the walls which could end the weekend for either very quickly.
“The two driving styles are extremely different,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s a track I love. The hardest point, the prime objective, is to get that last half-second, two-tenths, out of the car; that’s what most difficult.”
Even though he hasn’t finished better than 13th in his last three IndyCar Series races at Long Beach. he still holds the event near and dear to his heart for many other reasons.
“Long Beach is very special to me,” he said. “I met my wife (Beccy) there, we got engaged there and won that race (in 2010). It really solidified and started my career at Andretti Autosport and now I’m in my seventh year with the team. “The winner’s list is full of legends and I’m honored to be on there.” In addition to his 2010 win, Hunter-Reay also has three top-10 finishes there in 10 starts on the 1.968-mile temporary street circuit. After two races this season, he sits fourth in the standings, just 27 points behind leader Simon Pagenaud. While he finished on the podium in third in the season opener on another street course the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He knows that there is still so much work to do deciphering the issues of the 2016 Honda aerodynamic bodywork kit. The biggest task will be “maximizing our potential on the Indy car side,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s a new package for us. Long Beach is different from St. Pete with different setups. We’re learning as we go.”
Practice for the 42nd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with begin on April 15, with qualifications for the Verizon P 1 award with be on April 16. The race will be on April 17 and it will air on NBCSN as well as the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network both beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.
