From Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13, 2025, INDYCAR honored first responders who courageously battled the January community conflagrations during the 50th Acura Grand Prix held in the City of Long Beach.
First responder acknowledgments were visible throughout the weekend of racing. The County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD) Air Operations Section was honored to join the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD), CAL FIRE, the Los Angeles Police Department, and Long Beach Police Department in a flyover at the start of the race on Saturday, April 12.
Additionally, with each of the 27 racing cars in the starting field featuring LA Strong decals, first responders, including three LACoFD firefighters were thrilled to take a lap with INDYCAR drivers that would soon be going as fast as 185 miles per hour to reach first place at the end of the race. And that is not all.
LACoFD Fire Captain Malcolm Dicks was honored to be selected to serve as the Grand Marshal for the Grand Prix event for his efforts in risking his own life to save a resident and their dog stranded during the Palisades wildfire. Captain Erik Scott, Public Information Officer for the LAFD, joined Captain Dicks as the honorary starter of the main event on Sunday, April 13.
The LACoFD commends all first responders for their efforts in battling the January wildfires and expresses gratitude to INDYCAR for saluting and recognizing all first responders and impacted residents as we continue to recover and rebuild together.
