Long Beach: Exciting finish leads to first Porsche 963 victory

Although some teams would play it safe in a race after qualifying more than a second off pace, Porsche Penske isn’t one of those race teams if the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is anything to go by.

Instead of putting on a fresh set of tires during the race's mandatory pit stop, the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963 opted instead to retain the tires the team had been running since the start of the race.

This was a considerable gamble, because, as Porsche Penske driver Nick Tandy pointed out, “What we didn’t know was how the tire was going to end up over the last 40 minutes because nobody had run the tire that long.”

Luckily, the gamble seemed to have paid off, as it was the No. 6 Porsche that crossed the finish line in first after a dramatic battle during the race’s closing laps.

Meanwhile, in GTD Pro, the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 was able to take advantage of a good starting position coupled with a skillful dodge of an early-race GTP incident, giving the team ample room to make its mandatory pit stop without losing position–and thus, a fairly straightforward class win.

A similar result was seen in GTD, with the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3–which started in third place–catapulted itself into first after its mandatory pit stop, a position the car would maintain through the rest of the race. The win also marks the third consecutive win at Long Beach for Paul Miller Racing.

Next on the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship calendar? The 2023 MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N, May 12-14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Click here to view the unofficial race results from the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and visit IMSA.com for more information about upcoming events, race results, current standings and more.

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