Notes & Quotes: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Jonathan Ghormley joined AJ Foyt Racing this season as a front-end mechanic on the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. A master fabricator, Ghormley was born and raised in San Pedro, Calif. "Right across the harbor from Long Beach." He started out studying Large Scale Sculpture and Installation at CSU Monterey Bay but then switched to Jim Russell's Mechanic Training Program after venturing to Laguna Seca while in college. We asked him a few questions...

How did you become interested in motorsports?

JG: "Going to college in Monterey I could hear the cars at Laguna Seca from my dorm room. One day we decided to go check it out and ended up getting to sit on the pit wall during an ALMS practice session. That was the coolest thing I had ever seen, and I had to be a part of it."

Where/when was the first race you attended?

JG: "The story goes, I attended sprint car races at Ascot Raceway when I was in diapers but, I have no memory of it. The first race I can remember was also sprint cars at Paris Auto Speedway."

When and where did you start your professional career in racing? When did you realize you could make a career out of it? 

JG: "I attended Russell in 2005 and went right from there into the Formula Atlantic series as a full time second mechanic."

Have you ever raced cars yourself?

JG: "I did get to compete in the six-race series in the Russell cars, but nothing serious. I'm a mechanic not a driver. I'm much more interested in building and creating mechanical things than I am in piloting them." 

Please list the major series you've worked in.

JG: "I was fortunate to start my career right when the new 016 Atlantic car came out in 2006. I was a second and then lead mechanic with U.S. Racetronics until the series folded in 2009. I worked with the Pro Mazda team GDT for the 2010 season winning the Master's Class. In 2011, I was the only full time mechanic for 11 Spec Racer Fords with MBI Racing, winning the regional SCCA championship. That year I also flew in for Core Autosport winning the Team and Driver Championships in the LMPC class of the ALMS series. In 2012, I moved to Indianapolis to work for HVM in the Indycar series.

Ghormley works on an Indy Lights (now INDY NXT) car.

"I spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons doing Indy Lights (now INDY NXT by Firestone) at Andretti Autosport. I then spent 2015-2019 working for Belardi Auto Racing as a lead mechanic winning the Team championship in 2017. In 2020, I moved into the sports car world with Bryan Herta Autosport running Hyundai Elantras in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, winning multiple team championships and the driver Championship in 2023.  

What is your most significant achievement to date?

JG: "One of the coolest projects I've gotten to be a part of was building and developing Hand Controls for paraplegic drivers in the Elantra. Working with the engineers at Herta I got to design and machine parts for several different versions of hand controls culminating in winning a Team and Driver Championship against a field of regular non-disabled drivers."

Ghormley's masterful fabrication of hand controls saw his team win a championship title against a field of non-disabled drivers. He counts it as one of his most significant achievement in motorsports.

How did you come to work for AJ Foyt Racing? 

JG: "I decided it was time to get back to formula cars and joined AJ Foyt racing this Fall. I'd worked with a few of the managers here in the past and am happy to be working with them again."

What is your job on the team? 

JG: "I'm a Front-End Mechanic on the #14 and I do lots of fabrication and machining in the shop."

What do you enjoy most about working in the INDYCAR Series?

JG: "Obviously, it's pretty cool to be a part of the 500, there's no race like it in the world."

What is your favorite track and why?  

JG: "This is a tough question! I'm not sure if there is a specific track but street courses are the best. Setting up a racetrack in the middle of a city gives such a cool atmosphere and creates better racing than you find anywhere else."

Tell us about your family.

JG: "My wife Jo is a therapist, and we have two awesome boys. Miles is seven and Arlo just turned five. We have two dogs, Jimmy and Sissy, and a pair of grey tiger cats named Barbara and Fancy. "

 What interests/hobbies do you have outside of racing?  

JG: "In the last few years I've gotten into woodworking, turning my tiny, detached, one car garage into a workshop. I've been making small things like boxes and toy trains for the kids and a few larger things like a front gate for our house."

Taking up woodworking, Ghormley made the gate on his front porch.

What are the top 3 things on your bucket list?   

JG: "I don't really have a bucket list. I've gotten to do a lot of cool things in my life and I'm just happy to discover what else it has in store for me."

Jonathan with his "crew" of Miles (7) and Arlo (5).

What is the best advice you've ever received (and from whom)?

JG: "Don't worry about it." - Anonymous

 Santino Ferrucci entered his third season with AJ Foyt Racing as the driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. In the first two races of the season, Ferrucci finished 14th. Ferrucci is coming off a strong 2024 season where he finished a career-best ninth in the final driver rankings after posting 11 top-10 finishes and winning the NTT P1 Award at Portland, Ore.

“Very excited to get back on the streets of Long Beach. Feeling very good about our race car and the direction our team is heading. Definitely have our sights set on that first win as I know Long Beach was the team‘s last win over a decade ago. Hopefully, we can channel some of that success for this upcoming event.”

Ferrucci Fast Facts: Age 26...Born in Woodbury, CT...Lives in Dallas, Texas...Married Renay Moore in January, 2024...Began racing karts at age 5, moved to cars in 2013...Competed in Formula 2000, British Formula 3, GP3 finishing third at Spa Francorchamps as a rookie, was development driver for Haas F1 team for three years (2016-2018), moved to Formula 2 in 2018...made his INDYCAR debut in Detroit in 2018...moved to NTT INDYCAR Series fulltime in 2019 finishing 13th in standings for Dale Coyne and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing seventh...13th in standings again with fourth place finish in the 500...drove part-time in 2021-22 but maintained top-10 streak in Indy 500 with finishes of sixth (RLL Racing) and 10th (Dreyer Reinbold Racing)...Scored career-best finish to date with his 3rd place finish in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 to continue his string of consecutive top-10 finishes in the 500...Competed part-time in NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021-22. Earned 2025 NTT P1 Award at Portland, Ore....posted 11 Top-10 finishes for career-best to finish 9th in the NTT INDYCAR Series driver standings, his highest ranking to date. The Foyt team finished in the top-10 in the points standings for the first time since 2002.

David Malukas joined AJ Foyt Racing as driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet this year. Last year, he missed the first six races of the season when he injured his wrist in an off-road accident. His best finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is 2nd at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022. In the first two races of this season, he finished 13th and 18th. He will be making his third start at Long Beach where his best finish was 20th in 2023.

"Really excited to get back on track at Long Beach! Had some time off to look through the data after Thermal and a test at Indy GP and we made some good progress towards finding a setup I like. Can't wait to see the gains we found with the car at a track where the fan show up is unreal."

Malukas Fast Facts: Age 23...Born in Chicago...Lives in Indianapolis...Single...First generation Lithuanian American...Father gave him his first go kart launching his multi-time championship karting career including the 2015 IAME International Final World Championship (Junior division) in LeMans, France...Scored poles and victories in the USF2000 and Pro Mazda series before becoming Vice-Champion in the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone series...Joined Dale Coyne Racing with HMD to advance to the 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series scoring a 2nd place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR)...Came back with Coyne in 2023 and scored another podium at WWTR finishing 3rd...In 2024, a wrist injury in a dirt-biking accident in the off-season led to a partial 10-race season with Meyer-Shank Racing where he posted two Top-10s and qualified in the Firestone Fast 6 five times.

The No. 14 Chevrolet will feature the Alazheimer's Association logo atop its sidepods as the team's partnership with the non-profit organization launches this weekend. There are nearly 7 million Americans living with the disease, and it is estimated that more than half of all Americans know someone with the disease.. More than 11 million family members and friends are serving as their caregivers. The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. This partnership stems from the enduring relationship between Princess Yasmin Aga Khan and Marlyne Sexton, along with her daughter Nicole. Sexton Properties, a long-time sponsor of AJ Foyt Racing’s No. 14 Indy car, has provided the opportunity to celebrate Princess Yasmin's philanthropic efforts, particularly her unwavering support for the Alzheimer's Association in tribute to her mother, the legendary actress Rita Hayworth. For over 40 years, Princess Yasmin’s dedication has helped raise millions of dollars to support research and provide care for individuals impacted by the disease. For more information about Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Association, or how to get involved, visit alz.org.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on FOX this Sunday afternoon starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. The qualifying and practice sessions will be featured on FS1.