2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

February 2025 Motor race held in Long Beach, California USA Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach Street Circuit IndyCar.svg Map of the Long Beach Street Circuit April 14 2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 2 19 CART Long Beach Street Circuit, Long Beach, California, United States Temporary street circuit 1.968 3.167 90 177.120 285.030 Partly cloudy, cool Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 1:07.742 USA Bruno Junqueira Chip Ganassi Racing 1:08.981 51 BRA Michael Andretti Team Motorola USA Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal USA Max Papis Sigma Autosport ITA 2001 2003 The 2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) open-wheel race that was held on April 14, 2002 at a temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California. Contested over 90 laps, it was the second round of the 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series and the 28th running of the event (19th under CART sanctioning). Michael Andretti of Team Motorola won the race from the 15th starting position. Team Rahal's Jimmy Vasser finished second and Max Papis finished third for Sigma Autosport. Vasser lapped the fastest time of Saturday's qualifying session and won his first pole position since 1999. Championship points leader Cristiano da Matta, who was quickest in qualifications on Friday, out-braked Vasser in the first turn and held the lead for 30 of the first 31 laps until a pit road collision with Adrián Fernández kept him out of contention for the win. Andretti, hoping to gain positions with his alternative pit strategy, assumed the lead until he made his mandatory stop on the 47th lap. Andretti's strategy proved effective when a caution flag was flown on lap 63, and he had built such a large gap over the rest of the field that he ducked in and out of pit road without losing the lead to Vasser. He then pulled away from Vasser after the final restart to earn the win. The race had six cautions and eight lead changes among four different drivers. It marked Andretti's 42nd and final win in CART before retiring from full-time American open-wheel car racing competition in 2003. Despite being relegated to eighth place in the finishing order, da Matta still held the Drivers' Championship lead, as did Lola in the Constructors' Cup standings, while Honda claimed the first position in the Manufacturers' Cup standings with 17 races left in the season. Background 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series#Drivers and teamsleft|thumb|250x250px|The streets of Long Beach (pictured in 2009), where the race was held. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the second of 19 scheduled races for the 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series, the 28th annual edition of the event dating back to 1975, and the 19th edition under Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) sanctioning.April 10, 2002 CART Long Beach Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3033 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231125752/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3033 December 31, 2002 December 16, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams It was held on April 14, 2002, in Long Beach, California, United States, at a temporary eleven-turn 1.968 mi km on street circuit and was contested over 90 laps and 177.120 mi km out.2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2002_Toyota_Grand_Prix_of_Long_Beach/R/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210428052008/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2002_Toyota_Grand_Prix_of_Long_Beach/R/ April 28, 2021 December 16, 2025 Racing-Reference.info NASCAR Digital Media As per CART's rules, every driver was required to make a pit stop after completing no more than 29 laps. Bridgestone, the series' lone tire supplier, brought seven sets of slick tires and four sets of wet-weather tires per car to Long Beach.April 11, 2002 Bridgestone Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3036 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428111505/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3036 April 28, 2003 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams After winning the season-opening Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix,Miller Robin March 10, 2002 Da Matta Repeats! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2931 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030424194047/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2931 April 24, 2003 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta led the Drivers' Championship with 21 points, five more than Dario Franchitti in second and seven more than teammate Christian Fittipaldi in third. Michel Jourdain Jr. and Alex Tagliani rounded out the top-five with 12 and 10 points, respectively.March 11, 2002 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Race Report https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/release-5f707d76f6f407f75f6c2f004c34c74c-tecate-telmex-monterrey-grand-prix-race-report live https://web.archive.org/web/20251216111952/https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/release-5f707d76f6f407f75f6c2f004c34c74c-tecate-telmex-monterrey-grand-prix-race-report December 16, 2025 December 16, 2025 Honda In the Constructors' Cup standings, Lola led with 22 points while Reynard was second with 16. Toyota led the Manufacturers' Cup standings on 21 points, with Honda trailing by four points in second and Ford-Cosworth a further five points adrift in third.Standings after Tecate Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix http://www.cart.com/Standings.asp?EventID=410 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021219062124/http://www.cart.com/Standings.asp?EventID=410 December 19, 2002 December 16, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Much of the media's attention was placed on da Matta heading into the event, as he had won the past three CART races dating back to the 2001 Honda Indy 300 and had a chance to become the third driver in series history to win four consecutive races.April 9, 2002 Long Beach: Da Matta aims for record https://www.autosport.com/general/news/long-beach-da-matta-aims-for-record-5044091/5044091/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260403220719/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/long-beach-da-matta-aims-for-record-5044091/5044091/ April 3, 2026 April 3, 2026 Autosport Da Matta spoke on the difficulties of creating a suitable racing setup for Long Beach and likened it to the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit because of its hard braking areas and long straightaways.April 8, 2002 Newman/Haas Racing Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3019 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231131204/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3019 December 31, 2002 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Franchitti hoped to earn his first win of the season following a second-place finish in Fundidora Park and Team Green teammate Paul Tracy was also confident in his ability to win at Long Beach a third time.April 8, 2002 Team KOOL Green Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030309182612/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3016 March 9, 2003 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams For the first time, the Grand Prix of Long Beach was headed by Jim Michaelian, who was previously the chief operating officer of the event from 1998 to 2001.Jim Michaelian https://rrdc.org/member/jim-michaelian/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250720130204/https://rrdc.org/member/jim-michaelian/ July 20, 2025 December 16, 2025 rrdc.org Road Racing Drivers Club Michaelian replaced Chris Pook, the event's founder, as he took on the role of CART's president and CEO in December 2001.December 19, 2001 CART Names Chris Pook New President and CEO http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2581 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030225013345/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2581 February 25, 2003 December 16, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Michaelian was disappointed that Pook left his role, but lauded many of his decisions since becoming the series' president and CEO: "I hated to see Chris go, but his assuming the leadership of CART was the best thing that could have happened to the series."Oreovicz John April 7, 2002 Long Beach After Pook http://cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030611082430/http://cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3013 June 11, 2003 December 16, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Pook was proud of how successful the Grand Prix of Long Beach had become, saying that "the venue is bigger than the show and you can't say that about every track."Miller Robin April 11, 2002 Long Beach is more than just a race https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/0411/1366606.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20241227172546/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/0411/1366606.html December 27, 2024 December 16, 2025 ESPN Practice and qualifying There were two practice sessions that preceded the race on Sunday; the first session on Friday morning lasted for 90 minutes and the second session on Saturday morning ran for 75 minutes.2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Event Schedule https://speedcenter.com/archive/races02/02longbeach/schedule.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20251217022328/https://speedcenter.com/archive/races02/02longbeach/schedule.html December 17, 2025 December 17, 2025 Speedcenter.com Fittipaldi lapped the fastest time of the first practice session at 1 minute and 9.478 seconds, one tenth of a second quicker than da Matta in second and two tenths better than Tora Takagi in third, with Kenny Bräck and Oriol Servià in the fourth and fifth positions.2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Practice 1 Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=533 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306093543/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=533 March 6, 2003 December 17, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Held under cloudy weather, Shinji Nakano and Tracy caused two red flags in the session when they spun off in the ninth and first corners, respectively, and stalled their engines.April 12, 2002 Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach Friday Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3062 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306130640/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3062 March 6, 2003 December 17, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams thumb|200x200px|Cristiano da Matta (pictured in 2006) was fastest in Friday's qualifying session and qualified second overall. Qualifying was split into two 60-minute sessions, one on Friday afternoon and one on Saturday afternoon. Each driver was permitted to complete up to 15 timed laps in each session, and the starting order would be determined by their fastest times. The fastest driver(s) of both sessions would earn one championship point and were guaranteed to start on the grid's front row for Sunday's race. If a driver were to cause a red flag or attempt a 16th lap, their fastest time would not be counted towards their starting position, and if a driver ran 17 or more laps, all of their times would be disallowed.Miller Robin March 4, 2002 New Look For Qualifying http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2825 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231124028/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2825 December 31, 2002 December 17, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Because of the qualifying procedure, no drivers completed a single lap throughout the first fifteen minutes of the first qualifying session, as they planned to optimize their speed towards the end of the session.Mauk Eric April 12, 2002 Da Matta Takes Long Beach Provisional Pole http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=969 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030105043941/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=969 January 5, 2003 December 18, 2025 Speed Channel Long Beach, California With less than two minutes left in the session, da Matta posted a lap of 1 minute and 9.092 seconds, which was enough for him to take the provisional pole position.April 13, 2002 Qualifying 1: da Matta fastest https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-1-da-matta-fastest-5043986/5043986/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20251218013320/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-1-da-matta-fastest-5043986/5043986/ December 18, 2025 December 18, 2025 Autosport Fittipaldi qualified second with a lap that was 0.128 seconds slower than da Matta's, and Jimmy Vasser, who held the pole position until da Matta's lap, fell to third.CHAMPCAR/CART: Da Matta on provisional pole at Long Beach https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-da-matta-on-provisional-pole-at-long-beach/1967949/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20251218021455/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-da-matta-on-provisional-pole-at-long-beach/1967949/ December 18, 2025 December 18, 2025 Motorsport.com Vasser's Team Rahal teammate Jourdain Jr. had his quickest time barred for completing 16 laps, but his second-fastest time still placed him fourth on the provisional grid.Oreovicz John April 12, 2002 Long Beach Friday Notebook http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3057 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306130656/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3057 March 6, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Despite Bruno Junqueira's struggles with handling, he qualified fifth,April 12, 2002 Lola Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3050 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231060719/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3050 December 31, 2002 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams with Tony Kanaan starting sixth.2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Qualifying 1 Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=534 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306093509/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=534 March 6, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Tagliani occupied seventh, though he made contact with the turn-ten wall and damaged the nose of his car during his last lap, which he felt could have improved his position up to third had he not crashed.April 12, 2002 Team Player's Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3056 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231125959/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3056 December 31, 2002 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Bräck, Tracy, and Takagi rounded out the top ten, while Patrick Carpentier, Townsend Bell, Servià, Franchitti, Adrián Fernández, Michael Andretti, Mario Domínguez, and Nakano took the next eight positions. Max Papis spun into the tire barriers in turn eight, and was dropped to 19th place for prompting the only stoppage of the session.April 12, 2002 Sigma Autosport Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3053 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428111646/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3053 April 28, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Scott Dixon complained of issues with his differentials, which left him 20th in the provisional starting order.April 12, 2002 PWR Championship Racing Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3059 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231130208/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3059 December 31, 2002 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Junqueira led Saturday morning's practice session, the last of the weekend, with a 1 minute and 8.006 second-lap, besting second-placed Vasser by 0.122 seconds. Fittipaldi, da Matta, and Bräck were third- through fifth-fastest.April 13, 2002 Junqueira Tops Practice! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3067 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428112540/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3067 April 28, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Practice 2 Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=535 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428123545/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=535 April 28, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Three red flags were issued in the session; the first was for Jourdain Jr. spinning and stalling in the fourth turn, the second for Dixon skidding off-course in turn eleven, and the third for Nakano losing control of his car in the eighth corner.April 13, 2002 Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach Saturday Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3070 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306131337/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3070 March 6, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams "It takes a little bit of luck to get a pole position. Shell guys did a great job all week along. Both of our cars have been good, like I said yesterday. Good to finally get a point in the season. Hopefully we'll have a clean race tomorrow." Jimmy Vasser, after the second qualifying session.April 13, 2002 CART Post-Qualifying Press Conference http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3092 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306134421/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3092 March 6, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams left 30% Overcast conditions returned for the second qualifying session, though the clouds partially subsided as the session progressed. After Vasser experienced an oil leak in his car during the second practice session, he resorted to a backup car for qualifying.Hailbery Andy April 13, 2002 Jimmy Vasser Breaks Three-Year Pole Drought http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=991 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030105042623/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=991 January 5, 2003 December 19, 2025 Speed Channel He went on to clinch the eighth pole position of his career, and his first since the 1999 U.S. 500, with a time of 1 minute and 7.742 seconds.Vasser steals pole from Da Matta/Toyota. https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/14814/1/vasser-steals-pole-from-da-mattatoyota live https://web.archive.org/web/20221207162058/https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/14814/1/vasser-steals-pole-from-da-mattatoyota December 7, 2022 December 18, 2025 Crash.net Vasser recorded his fastest time with five minutes and 30 seconds remaining, beating da Matta by 0.003 seconds.April 14, 2002 Qualifying 2: Vasser edges to pole https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-2-vasser-edges-to-pole-5043938/5043938/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20251218225101/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-2-vasser-edges-to-pole-5043938/5043938/ December 18, 2025 December 18, 2025 Autosport Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Junqueira and Bräck occupied the next two positions and Bell took fifth in what was the best qualifying effort of his career thus far.April 13, 2002 Toyota Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3078 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428111857/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3078 April 28, 2003 December 18, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Kanaan stayed in sixth,2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Qualifying 2 Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=536 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306094226/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=536 March 6, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams ahead of seventh-placed Fernández, who felt that the red flags hindered him from posting a better time.April 13, 2002 Fernandez Racing Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3087 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231125802/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3087 December 31, 2002 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Tracy qualified eighth, though he made contact with the turn-ten wall and punctured his right-rear tire late in the session.April 13, 2002 Team KOOL Green Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3088 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20020611062959/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3088 June 11, 2002 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Fittipaldi caused one of three stoppages in the session when he spun and stalled in the ninth turn, leaving him ninth on the grid.April 13, 2002 Newman/Haas Racing Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3086 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428111257/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3086 April 28, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Jourdain Jr., Tagliani, Takagi, Servià, and Nakano took the 10th through 14th positions. Andretti was left to start 15th after crashing into the turn-nine tire barriers as the session concluded.April 13, 2002 Team Motorola Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3076 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021213080044/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3076 December 13, 2002 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Franchitti and Domínguez both complained of ill-handling cars and took the 16th and 17th spots,April 13, 2002 Herdez Competition Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3075 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030302020014/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3075 March 2, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams while a malfunctioning gearbox prevented Papis from qualifying higher than 18th.April 13, 2002 Sigma Autosport Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3082 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030710193400/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3082 July 10, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Dixon started 19th and Carpentier completed the grid in 20th after driving over rumble strips in turn one and sliding into the outside wall. Qualifying classification The fastest lap in each of the two sessions is denoted in bold. Pos. PositionNo. Car numberDriverTeamTimeGrid Final starting grid position for raceQ1Q2 1 8 USA Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 1:09.373 1:07.742 1 2 6 BRA Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing 1:09.092 1:07.745 2 3 4 BRA Bruno Junqueira Chip Ganassi Racing 1:09.549 1:08.097 3 4 12 SWE Kenny Bräck Chip Ganassi Racing 1:09.677 1:08.126 4 5 20 USA Townsend Bell Patrick Racing 1:10.004 1:08.267 5 6 10 BRA Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing 1:09.554 1:08.411 6 7 51 MEX Adrian Fernández Fernández Racing 1:10.480 1:08.448 7 8 26 CAN Paul Tracy Team Green 1:09.825 1:08.484 8 9 11 BRA Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing 1:09.220 1:08.637 9 10 9 MEX Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal 1:09.548 1:08.647 10 11 33 CAN Alex Tagliani Forsythe Racing 1:09.611 1:08.720 11 12 5 JAP Toranosuke Takagi Walker Racing 1:09.866 1:08.754 12 13 17 ESP Oriol Servià PWR Championship Racing 1:10.092 1:08.778 13 14 52 JAP Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing 1:10.679 1:08.817 14 15 39 USA Michael Andretti Team Motorola 1:10.544 1:08.856 15 16 27 GBR Dario Franchitti Team Green 1:10.107 1:08.915 16 17 16 MEX Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 1:10.580 1:09.212 17 18 22 ITA 1946 Max Papis Sigma Autosport 1:10.751 1:09.212 18 19 7 NZL Scott Dixon PWR Championship Racing 1:11.142 1:09.613 19 20 32 CAN Patrick Carpentier Forsythe Racing 1:09.883 1:09.890 20 Sources:CHAMPCAR/CART: Long Beach starting line-up https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-long-beach-starting-line-up-2008-03-27/1968317/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20251219210130/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-long-beach-starting-line-up-2008-03-27/1968317/ December 19, 2025 December 19, 2025 Motorsport.com Warm-up The drivers took to the track early Sunday morning for a half-hour warmup session in dry and cloudy weather.April 14, 2002 Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach Sunday Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3097 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030419104611/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3097 April 19, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams Dixon was the fastest driver of the session at 1 minute and 9.198 seconds, 0.028 seconds quicker than Kanaan in second place. Da Matta, Bräck, and Tagliani followed in the third through fifth positions.April 14, 2002 Dixon Tops Warm-up http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3095 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030419103319/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3095 April 19, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Warm-Up Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=537 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306095407/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=537 March 6, 2003 December 19, 2025 Championship Auto Racing Teams The lone red flag was necessitated one minute into the session, when Vasser made contact with Nakano as the two drivers raced side-by-side and expelled debris from his car; Franchitti also sustained damage to his front wing after hitting some of the debris. Race Weather conditions towards the beginning of the race remained overcast;Oreovicz John April 14, 2002 Long Beach Sunday Notebook http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3111 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021213132709/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3111 December 13, 2002 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams air temperatures were recorded at 69 to 74 F on C and track temperatures ranged from 75 to 82 F on C.April 14, 2002 Bridgestone Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3107 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428113157/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3107 April 28, 2003 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams In the United States, live television coverage of the race was provided by Fox for the first time in series history, with Bob Varsha and Scott Pruett taking the roles of play-by-play commentators.March 18, 2002 FOX To Offer Live Coverage Of Long Beach GP http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2958 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030219095440/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2958 February 19, 2003 April 3, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams The race was reportedly attended by around 100,000 people.Zimmermann John April 15, 2002 Commentary: Long Beach Puts CART's Best Foot Forward http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1032 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030105045635/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1032 January 5, 2003 April 5, 2026 Speed Channel During the warm-up laps, Carpentier spun into the turn-five wall due to a malfunctioning traction control system and was pushed to the garage.April 14, 2002 Team Player's Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3108 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428110945/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3108 April 28, 2003 April 4, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams The green flag was waved by CART starter Jim Swintal at 12:43 p.m. local time (UTC−08:00) to mark the beginning of the race, and da Matta promptly swerved to the right-hand side of Vasser to overtake him in the first turn.April 14, 2002 CART Long Beach Race Summary http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3116 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030419104522/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3116 April 19, 2003 April 4, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Tracy had also improved from eighth to fourth place,CART on Fox April 14, 2002 Varsha Bob Bob Varsha Pruett Scott Scott Pruett Television production en Fox Broadcasting Company Long Beach, California while Kanaan took fifth place.April 14, 2002 Mo Nunn Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3101 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030306134235/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3101 March 6, 2003 April 4, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams A local caution flag was waved in the tenth corner to signal that Carpentier had rejoined the race. On the fourth lap, Franchitti, Dixon, and Tagliani made their first pit stops in accordance with their race strategies; Dixon's stop was lengthened as his crew had trouble changing his left-rear tire. By lap nine, da Matta had extended his gap over Vasser to as much as 3.2 seconds, but lapped traffic helped Vasser trim the gap to 2.9 seconds three laps later. The attrition rate began to build on the 13th lap, as Dixon contacted the barrier exiting turn three; two laps later, Nakano briefly skidded into a run-off area in turn eight and continued. The first full-course caution flag was issued on lap 17, when Kanaan's car suffered an electrical failure and was parked in the third turn. All of the leaders made their stops under the caution period, and da Matta retained the first position ahead of the restart on lap 20, with Vasser, Bräck, Tracy, and Junqueira rounding out the top-five positions. On the 22nd lap, Junqueira was handed a drive-through penalty for a safety violation on pit road and drove to a runoff area in turn eight, while Carpentier retired at the turn-six runoff with a faulty gearbox. left|thumb|268x268px|Michael Andretti (pictured in 2015) earned his 42nd and final career win with an alternate pit stop strategy. Da Matta held a 3.6-second lead over Vasser until Dixon pulled over his car with a blown engine at the exit of pit road on lap 31, necessitating the race's second caution flag. During pit stop cycles, Fernández accidentally swerved into da Matta as he attempted to enter his pit stall, costing da Matta the lead. The collision also knocked one of Nakano's tires into his chief mechanic Steve Ragan, though Ragan was unhurt. By the time da Matta's car was restarted, he dropped to 16th in the running order. Meanwhile, Andretti—utilizing an alternative strategy—remained on the circuit and assumed the lead for the lap-37 restart, ahead of Papis, Vasser, Bräck, and Tracy.April 14, 2002 Race: Andretti's shock victory https://www.autosport.com/general/news/race-andrettis-shock-victory-5043900/5043900/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260403225514/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/race-andrettis-shock-victory-5043900/5043900/ April 3, 2026 April 3, 2026 Autosport Tagliani spun in the eleventh turn and managed to continue. On the 46th lap, Papis entered pit road for his mandatory stop, as did leader Andretti the following lap, allowing Vasser and Bräck to take the first two positions. Andretti rejoined the race in the 13th position. On lap 52, the third caution was flown for Junqueira, who locked up his brakes and crashed into the tire barriers in the first corner. None of the top-12 drivers pitted under caution because they already stopped on lap 32 and were planning to make their final stop on lap 61, the limit of their pit interval. Vasser led the field on the lap-56 restart, with Bräck in second, Fittipaldi in third, Jourdain Jr. in fourth, and Tracy in fifth. Behind them, Tagliani lost several positions and collided with Bell in between the second and third turns; the contact sent Bell's rear tires into the air. Tagliani was left in the middle of the course, and the race's fourth caution was flown as a result. Because Tagliani's car was quickly towed off-course, the green flag was waved again on the 59th lap with Vasser leading. All of the leaders made their mandatory final stops on lap 61, and Andretti stayed on-course and reclaimed the lead. The following lap, Fernández spun in turn two and quickly refired his car, while Fittipaldi was penalized for running over an air hose. On lap 63, Domínguez slid into the turn-one tire barriers from 11th place,April 14, 2002 Herdez Competition Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3106 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231055959/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3106 December 31, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams which brought out the fifth caution of the race. Andretti and Papis had garnered a 34-second advantage over Vasser, who was driving on colder tires, which helped the two drivers maintain their positions under caution even after making their last stops of the race.Crask Andrew April 14, 2002 Michael Andretti Is King of the Beach http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030105045915/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1006 January 5, 2003 April 5, 2026 Speed Channel Long Beach, California During the restart on lap 66, Andretti quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Before Fittipaldi was able to serve his penalty, his car stopped near the entrance of pit road due to a gearbox failure, forcing him to retire.April 14, 2002 Newman/Haas Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3115 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231131320/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3115 December 31, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Vasser, meanwhile, was held up by Papis until he overtook him on lap 73, by which point Andretti held a four-second lead. Vasser began closing in on Andretti over the next eight laps, diminishing the gap between them to less than seven tenths of a second. The sixth (and final) caution of the race was issued on the 81st lap, when Servià suffered a mechanical issue in the sixth and seventh corners. Servià's car was removed from the course shortly thereafter and racing resumed on lap 83. Andretti was able to get up to speed faster than Vasser and held the lead for the remaining eight laps to earn his 42nd CART victory and his first at Long Beach since his inaugural win in the series in 1986.April 14, 2002 Team Motorola Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3121 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021213075739/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3121 December 13, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Vasser's second-place finish, 0.466 seconds behind Andretti, marked the first 1–2 finish for American drivers in the series since the 1996 Molson Indy Vancouver.Phillips David April 15, 2002 Yanks Take ’The Beach’ http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3122 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428112109/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3122 April 28, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Papis finished third, ahead of Bräck in fourth and Jourdain Jr. in fifth; Takagi, Tracy, da Matta, Franchitti, and Fernández were the last of the classified finishers.2002 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - Race Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=538 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030219014906/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=538 February 19, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams The lead was changed eight times between four different drivers during the course of the race. Andretti led twice for a total of 43 laps, more than any other driver. Post-race Andretti appeared in victory lane and later on the podium with Vasser and Papis to celebrate his win, which earned him $100,000. Andretti had tears in his eyes during victory lane celebrations;Eubanks Michael April 14, 2020 April 14 in Motorsports History: Michael Andretti’s final win https://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/april-14-in-motorsports-history-michael-andretti-final-win-alexander-rossi-al-unser-jr-jimmy-vasser-gil-de-ferran live https://web.archive.org/web/20231209185843/https://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/april-14-in-motorsports-history-michael-andretti-final-win-alexander-rossi-al-unser-jr-jimmy-vasser-gil-de-ferran December 9, 2023 April 5, 2026 NBC Sports during a press conference, he expressed slight shock due to his poor performance throughout the weekend and admitted that he was "a little lucky" to have won. The win was not without controversy, however, as Team Motorola were later fined $20,000 for failing to meet CART's minimum height requirement for the underbody of Andretti's car, though the win and the points he earned withstood.Mauk Eric April 15, 2002 Andretti Fined $20K After Failing Technical Inspection http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1033 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030105050618/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=1033 January 5, 2003 April 5, 2026 Speed Channel It ended up being the last win of Andretti's premier American open-wheel car racing career before he became a co-owner of the renamed Andretti Green Racing team in 2003. Second-place finisher Vasser revealed that he was more focused on beating Bräck than Andretti, believing that he would not contend for the win at all. He conceded that he should have driven faster on his out lap.April 14, 2002 Team Rahal Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3118 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231132259/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3118 December 31, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Papis, who finished third, was ecstatic that he earned the first podium finish for Sigma Autosport, equaling it to a win, because of the team's lack of sponsorship compared to others.April 14, 2002 Sigma Autosport Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3119 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021231132310/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3119 December 31, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing TeamsMiller Robin April 16, 2002 One For The Trophy Case http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3124 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428112059/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3124 April 28, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Da Matta was let down with his eighth-place finish and spoke on his pit road collision with Fernández: "It was a big mistake to let this one get away. The car was running strong and the team was strong. I saw Adrian coming in as I was merging in from my pit box. I didn't expect him to brake and turn in so quickly. I don't blame him and I also don't think I did anything wrong." Fernández seemed to place the blame on his team's mistimed communication for the crash, commenting: "They called da Matta out when I was coming in and I was already ahead of him. They just threw him right in front of me."April 14, 2002 Fernandez Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3105 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225213041/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3105 December 25, 2002 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Tagliani, who wrecked on the 56th lap with Bell, was disappointed by the accident and stated that Bell "should have been more patient." Despite Servià's mechanical failure on lap 79, he still looked forward to the first oval race of the season, the Bridgestone Potenza 500 at Twin Ring Motegi, in order to find the team's overall weak spots.April 14, 2002 PWR Championship Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3102 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030419103357/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=3102 April 19, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Media reception to the race was largely positive. Towards the end of the Fox broadcast of the race, which earned a 1.0 rating and a share of two,Mauk Eric April 19, 2002 TV - Who Watched What, April 13-14 http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=27&id=1086 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030113041353/http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=27&id=1086 January 13, 2003 April 5, 2026 Speed Channel Scott Pruett said the race was "the essence of CART." John Zimmermann of the Speed Channel wrote: "The race had everything anyone with an appreciation for the finer aspects of the sport could want—whether or not there were too many full-course yellows." He also contrasted the attendance rates of this race and the Indy Racing League-sanctioned Yamaha Indy 400, also held in California a month prior, which only mustered about 15,000 spectators. In a poll hosted by CART at the end of the year, fans voted the Long Beach race as the fifth-best race of the season.Oreovicz John December 8, 2002 Survey: Fans Favor Fontana http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5304 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030302020133/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5304 March 2, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams The final result meant that da Matta continued to hold the Drivers' Championship lead with 27 points, while Andretti's victory tied him with Jourdain Jr. for second place in the standings on 22 points. Franchitti improved to fourth with 20 points, two more than Papis in fifth. Lola remained the leader of the Constructors' Cup with 39 points, though their gap over Reynard diminished to two points. Honda advanced to the lead for the Manufacturers' Cup on 38 points, with Toyota trailing by five points and Ford-Cosworth by nine points as 17 races remained in the season.Standings after Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach http://www.cart.com/Results/Standings.asp?EventID=411 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030301123709/http://www.cart.com/Results/Standings.asp?EventID=411 March 1, 2003 April 5, 2026 Championship Auto Racing Teams Race classification Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold. Pos PositionNo. Car NumberDriverTeamLaps Laps completedTime/RetiredGrid Final starting grid positionPoints 1 39 USA Michael Andretti Team Motorola 90 2:02:14.542 15 211 1 2 8 USA Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 90 +0.466 1 172 2 3 22 ITA Max Papis Sigma Autosport 90 +4.698 18 14 4 12 SWE Kenny Bräck Chip Ganassi Racing 90 +5.250 4 12 5 9 MEX Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal 90 +7.488 10 10 6 5 JAP Toranosuke Takagi Walker Racing 90 +8.330 12 8 7 26 CAN Paul Tracy Team Green 90 +10.129 8 6 8 6 BRA Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing 90 +10.823 2 63 3 9 27 GBR Dario Franchitti Team Green 90 +11.460 16 4 10 51 MEX Adrian Fernández Fernández Racing 90 +35.789 7 3 11 17 ESP Oriol Servià PWR Championship Racing 79 Turbocharger 13 2 12 52 JAP Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing 73 Fuel pressure 14 1 13 11 BRA Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing 67 Gearbox 9 14 16 MEX Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 62 Accident 17 15 20 USA Townsend Bell Patrick Racing 57 Accident 5 16 33 CAN Alex Tagliani Forsythe Racing 55 Accident 11 17 4 BRA Bruno Junqueira Chip Ganassi Racing 51 Accident 3 18 7 NZL Scott Dixon PWR Championship Racing 30 Engine 19 19 32 CAN Patrick Carpentier Forsythe Racing 20 Gearbox 20 20 10 BRA Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing 16 Electrical 6 Sources: Notes 1 1 — Includes one bonus point for leading the most laps.Points Systems https://www.champcarstats.com/points.htm live https://web.archive.org/web/20250916165835/http://www.champcarstats.com/points.htm September 16, 2025 April 3, 2026 ChampCarStats.com 2 2 — Includes one bonus point for recording the quickest time of Saturday's qualifying session. 3 3 — Includes one bonus point for recording the quickest time of Friday's qualifying session. Standings after the race + Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Position Driver Points10px|alt=Unchanged1BRA Cristiano da Matta2710px|alt=Unchanged 112USA Michael Andretti22 (–5)10px|alt=Unchanged 13MEX Michel Jourdain Jr.22 (–5)10px|alt=Unchanged 24GBR Dario Franchitti20 (–7)10px|alt=Unchanged 45ITA Max Papis18 (–9) Sources: + Constructors' Cup standings Pos. Position Constructor Points 10px 1GBR Lola 39 10px 2GBR Reynard 37 (–2) Source: + Manufacturers' Cup standings Pos. Position Manufacturer Points 10px 1 1JPN Honda 38 10px 1 2JPN Toyota 33 (–5) 10px 3GBR Ford-Cosworth 29 (–9) Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for the Drivers' Championship standings. References Grand Prix of Long Beach 2002 2002 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix 2002 Bridgestone Potenza 500 2001 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 2003 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach Category:Grand Prix of Long Beach Toyota Grand