It hasn’t been quite the start that second year NTT IndyCar Series driver Matheus Leist had hoped for. Through three races into the season, the Brazilian driver sits 23rd in the standings.

But, as we turn our sights on one of the more scenic places on the schedule, Leist has some confidence building.

While his best finish may only be 17th, we’re heading to a track to where Leist says suits his driving style. He finished 14th in last year’s race on the streets of Long Beach. Now, he’s hoping to improve upon that and is very excited for Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (4 p.m. ET/NBCSN/IndyCar Radio Network)

“I’m excited to go to Long Beach,” said the AJ Foyt Racing driver. “Personally, the street courses are the circuits that attract me the most and are the places where I feel most comfortable driving the car, so I’m happy to get back there. What I like about them is that they are intimidating and you have no room for mistakes. You have to be a hundred percent right and you have to be a hundred percent focused on what you’re doing, you can’t have any distractions.

“Last year, we had a solid race at Long Beach and I think we might have a great setup. Tony (Kanaan, Leist’s teammate) qualified in the top 12, so we’ll see if we can keep up the pace from last year and improve a little bit.”

The last time AJ Foyt Racing has even won a race was at this very track back in 2013 with Takuma Sato. What a better place to end that drought than the one where they last tasted this much success.