Canceled at the last minute in 2020 and delayed into the fall of this year, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach returns this weekend and, for the first time, concludes the IndyCar championship series.
After much of the infrastructure was already in place for the March 2020 race, officials scrapped plans due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
As the virus continued to plague the country and time wore on with new waves and variants, things began to look shaky for the race returning in April of 2021. So it was delayed until the fall.
“I think everyone knows that the city looks incredible this weekend every single year,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “This year’s been a little different; of course, we couldn’t have the race when we normally have it, but where it’s at today, this weekend, its impact on the city on the economy is really important for us in our community.”
Due to the delay and for the first time, the NTT IndyCar championship race will take place in Long Beach.
In 2019, the event attracted nearly 200,000 attendees throughout the weekend. This year there are stricter COVID-19 safety protocols than many other events in the state. All attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event. The Long Beach Health Department will also run rapid testing sites near major entry points.
“The next three days will be the safest mega-event in the state of California,” said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President Jim Michaelian during a press conference Thursday.
The event will have races starting Friday, Sept. 24 and conclude Sunday, Sept. 26. Residents should expect significant traffic delays and road closures throughout the downtown area, particularly around Shoreline Drive and the Shoreline Marina area.
Among the events are the NTT IndyCar Series, Formula D Super Drift Challenge, Stadium Super Trucks Race, Global Time Attack Competition, IMSA SportsCar race, Formula Atlantic Challenge Race, a Vince Neil concert on Saturday and the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series championship race.
A full breakdown of the schedule can be found on the Grand Prix’s website.
Additionally, for anyone who isn’t interested in the races, there will also be a family fun zone, a food truck experience and a lifestyle expo.
Along Pine Avenue, people can see the two newest inductees to the Long Beach Motorsports walk-of-fame, Oriol Servia and Willy T. Ribbs.
If all goes according to plan the race will also be coming back to its regular weekend in April of 2022 just seven months from now.