A swapping of helmets. A sign of mutual appreciation. Ahead of the official start of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, race car drivers Colton Herta and Colin Braun swapped their helmets with two members of the Long Beach Fire Department who were on the front lines of the catastrophic wildfires th at swept through the Los Angeles area at the start of the year. From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun and LBFD Capt. Brian Sher converse during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun and LBFD Capt. Brian Sher exchange helmets at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Grand Prix Drivers Colin Braun and Colton Herta try on LBFD helmets during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 in Long Beach on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach honors first responders on the frontlines of the Palisades fire with a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan, LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun, LB Grand Prix Driver Colton Herta, LBFD Engineer Tyler Vanderstelt, LBFD Capt. Brian Sher and Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President Jim Michaelian pose for a photograph at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colton Herta, LBFD Engineer Tyler Vanderstelt, LBFD Capt. Brian Sher and LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun pose for a photograph during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun and LBFD Capt. Brian Sher converse during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colton Herta and LBFD Engineer Tyler Vanderstelt exchange helmets during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 8From left, LB Grand Prix Driver Colin Braun and LBFD Capt. Brian Sher converse during a helmet swap at LB Fire Station 1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Expand Herta, a Santa Clarita native who is racing with No. 26 for the Andretti IndyCar team, traded his racing helmet for fire engineer Tyler Vanderstelt’s helmet on Tuesday, April 1. Vanderstelt is a fire engineer for the Long Beach Fire Department, serving on the Urban Search and Rescue Speciality Station. A member of the department since 2018, Vanderstelt was assigned to the Eaton fire in Altadena in January. Braun, who drives the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing car in the IMSA series, and Capt. Brian Sher also traded helmets on Tuesday. Sher has been with the Urban Search and Rescue Specialty team for 29 years and worked both the Eaton fire and the Palisades fire. After exchanging helmets and posing for quite a few photos, the drivers got the opportunity to hop into a different vehicle: Long Beach’s Fire Engine 6. Herta turned on the truck, started the lights and roared the siren, and then the racers relinquished the driver’s seat to the firefighters. Out onto Magnolia Avenue they went. The Grand Prix of Long Beach officially kicks off on Friday, April 11. The IMSA SportsCar Grand Prix, round three of the 2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will commence on Saturday, April 12, and the NTT IndyCar race will roar through Long Beach on Sunday, April 13. Related Articles At the Grand Prix of Long Beach, a motorsports fan lives the dream of riding in a race car Colton Herta would love a normal Grand Prix of Long Beach win Get a glimpse of Grand Prix of Long Beach history, for free Here’s how you can get free tickets to Day 1 of the Grand Prix of Long Beach ...read more read less