LA Chargers coach steps back into IndyCar spotlight at Long Beach GP

The head coach of the NFL outfit Los Angeles Charges, Jim Harbaugh, was seen at IndyCar's Long Beach Grand Prix. The American football coach was a guest with Arrow McLaren.

IndyCar's Instagram account, with Arrow McLaren as a collaborator, posted a carousel of pictures of Harbaugh. He posed alongside his kids and spouse with Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward and team principal Tony Kanaan. In one of the slides, O'Ward was explaining his steering wheel and talking to his guests.

The post was captioned:

"Who's got it better than us ? Nobody! Football icon @jimharbaugh is back in the #INDYCAR paddock "

Harbaugh had a close connection with IndyCar before becoming an NFL coach. When he was a quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts (1994-97), he was invited to the Indy 500, and he was fascinated with the sport. A few years later, he became a stakeholder at the new IndyCar team in 1998 at Panther Racing with now-president of Indianapolis Motorspeedway, Dough Boles, and three others.

The duo was part of a successful Panther Racing team. They won the series championship twice and 15 races with drivers like Sam Hornish Jr and Scott Goodyear. Goodyear helped them win in the second season at Phoenix Raceway on March 28, 1999.

Pathers Racing was dissolved in 2013, and everyone went their own way. Harbaugh still keeps an eye on the Indy 500. He revealed how he was happy to see Boles take the greatest spectacle of racing to another level. Harbaugh told Eric Smith in 2024:

“I watch the Indianapolis 500, and it is back. It is back to where it was in the 70s, at least from my vantage point.”

On some days, Harbaugh also helped in the pitlane, either changing tires or holding up signboards for the drivers.

IndyCar fans swarm Pato O'Ward's Garage ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix

Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward's garage had a crowd of IndyCar fans before the Long Beach Grand Prix began. Micheal Pruett, a Motorsports journalist, uploaded a video of it on X on Sunday, April 13.

As the mechanics rushed to set up O'Ward's #5 car, the fans lined up outside the garage to catch a glimpse of the Arrow McLaren driver.

"Pato O'Ward Mania is real here at the @GPLongBeach," Pruett captioned the post.

O'Ward is arguably the most famous driver among the fans on the grid, with over 800k followers on Instagram. The 25-year-old's season is off to a great start as he sits in P2 behind three-time champion Alex Palou.