LONG BEACH, Calif. – Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport is the hometown hero of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was the track that made me fall in love with IndyCar racing because it was the one West Coast race a year I would go to. When Herta drove to victory at Long Beach as a 21-year-old in 2021, he became “The California Kid.” It was his second-straight win in the state of California after driving to victory the previous weekend in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. “This is the biggest race for me outside of Indy,” Herta admitted. “This is the first race I ever was able to come to, being from Santa Clarita. It was the only race I could go to because I was so young, and I couldn’t fly yet. When Herta was a kid, he discovered King Taco – the famed eatery based in Long Beach that is quite popular with its location inside the paddock area at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Once he was there, nobody was going to pass the California Kid as he led the most laps in the race with 43. Honda, Acura, and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach are part of Colton Herta’s DNA. When Herta drove to victory in the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he slowed down and waved to the fans in turn 10. “It’s a super important race for me because it’s my home race.

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