IndyCar legends Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. to unite as co-grand marshals for the 50th anniversary of Long Beach Grand Prix

The Grand Prix of Long Beach will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the 2025 IndyCar season. To celebrate the momentous occasion, two legends of the sport, Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. have been announced as the co-grand marshals for the weekend. Long Beach is arguably the most famous and historical street course on the IndyCar calendar and the golden jubilee race is all set to take place in April next year.

A Grand Marshall is the public leader and the ceremonial Marshall for an event, in this instance, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 2025. Andretti and Al Unser Jr. will be the ones giving commands to the drivers to report to the cars during the ceremonies that precede the race. Both Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. achieved a fair bit of success at Long Beach and spoke about the opportunity to become co-grand marshals.

Mario Andretti said (via IndyCar.com):

I’m happy to be serving as co-grand marshal for the 50th anniversary. I participated in the first-ever race in Long Beach in 1975. The Formula 5000 race was hugely successful, paving the way for Formula One officials to place Long Beach on the 1976 schedule just six months after the inaugural race.”

“The fondest memories I have racing on the streets of Long Beach are my victories. And for my son Michael, Long Beach has the distinction of being his first career INDYCAR win (1986) and his final victory as a driver, his 42nd and final career INDYCAR win (2002),” he added.

Al Unser Jr said:

"I’m extremely honored to be co-grand marshal at Long Beach with Mario Andretti. It’s always been one of my most favorite races, and certainly, it’s the most popular race on the circuit next to the Indianapolis 500. I always tried hard to do well at Long Beach, and while we were often very fast there, it was also a lucky track for me – the ball ‘bounced my way’ a lot over the years. We were always so excited to win in Long Beach.”

The Grand Prix of Long Island is the longest-running street race in North America. Acura bought the naming rights to the event in 2019 and since then it's been called the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Bruce Flanders has been the official announcer of the Long Beach event since the 1978 F1 race and will be joined by Andretti and Unser Jr. this year.

IndyCar legends Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr’s records at the Long Beach Grand Prix

Mario Andretti (#5) and Al Unser (#51) at the Inaugural Grand Prix of Long Beach 1975 - Source: Getty

Both Mario and Michael Andretti were successful at Long Beach. The former won the 1977 F1 race at Long Beach with the Lotus 78. Long Beach was then added to the IndyCar calendar in 1984.

Mario Andretti won 3 of the four races held between 1984 and 1988, with his son Michael winning the 1986 race. Andretti Jr. would go on to win the race again in 2002, which eventually became his final win in the IndyCar series.

On the other hand, Al Unser Jr. is the most successful driver around the streets of Long Beach. Unser Jr. won six races around the 1.96-mile circuit, including four back-to-back wins from 1988 to 1991. The other two victories came in 1994 and 1995.

In the last four years, four different drivers have won the Long Beach Grand Prix. Colton Herta (2021), Josef Newgarden (2022), Kyle Kirkwood (2023), and Scott Dixon (2024) are the latest winners.