Santa Clarita Native Finishes Second In Long Beach Grand Prix

All eyes were on the Grand Prix of Long Beach as the engines revved, the crowd went wild, and the drivers’ hearts raced with adrenaline.

Santa Clarita was not an outsider in this race because second-generation racer and Valencia native Colton Herta represented the valley and Honda Racing .

At 24 years old, Herta finished second in the Grand Prix of Long Beach, just an hour away from where he grew up.

“It’s always so cool to be here at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and to have Honda finish 1-2-3 is even better,” said Herta.

While Herta didn’t finish first, he came in second with some controversy when he attempted a bump and run maneuver.

With seven laps remaining, reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden was in second place, trying to catch up to Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing for the win, when Herta, who had recently caught up to the two leaders, crashed into him at the hairpin of turn 11.

After the collision, Newgarden’s Chevrolet briefly cut power as it entered anti-stall mode. While Herta jumped to second place, Newgarden dropped two spots and found himself behind Alex Palou and Herta.

“I just misjudged it. I carried too much speed into the hairpin and got into the back of him. Which wasn’t terrible, but I think he got anti-stall from his rear tires lifting,” said Herta. “That really killed his run. I feel bad for him, I have a lot of respect for Josef and don’t want to race him that way. But that’s just how it happened today. I’ll definitely keep it in the back of my mind for the future.”

Over the radio, Newgarden asked his team how that wasn’t a penalty.

Following the accident, Herta informed his crew via radio that Newgarden had stopped in the middle of the corner, which caused the crash.

After getting out of their race cars, the two drivers conversed on the pit road.

In response to a question about his thoughts on Newgarden’s remark, Herta said, “I won’t say, other than he wasn’t happy with me.”

“I’m not sure about the Herta deal. They (IndyCar Race Control) need to take a look at it,” said Newgarden. “That seems pretty black and white to me, but I’d ask the question to everybody else. If it were in the reverse, I’d expect to be penalized.”

While neither of them won, it was Herta’s bump and run that allowed Dixon to celebrate in Victory Lane for the 57th time in his IndyCar career.

To learn more about Herta, click here .

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .