Champ Car World Series to race in Long Beach for last time
The 34th Toyota Grand Prix will be the curtain call for the series, which was absorbed into the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series this year.
Winning the 34th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will either mean valuable points, a special place in auto racing history or both, depending on the driver.
The race through the city's downtown streets Sunday will be the last hurrah of the Champ Car World Series, which was absorbed into the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series earlier this year.
Several Champ Car drivers and teams migrated to the IndyCar Series, and the newly merged circuit already has held the first two races of its season. But because of a scheduling conflict, Champ Car will again race by itself one last time in Long Beach while the IndyCar Series competes Sunday in Motegi, Japan. The Long Beach race will be added to the IndyCar schedule starting next year.
For those drivers who have joined the IndyCar Series, such as last week's winner Graham Rahal, their Long Beach results will count toward their IndyCar Series championship points.
But for those drivers who did not join the combined series, Long Beach could be their last taste of big league open-wheel racing, at least for now.
"Right now I don't have another open-wheel ride, it's looking like sports cars for me next, so [the race] is just huge," said Alex Figge, 27, who drives for Pacific Coast Motorsports. "To do well here this weekend would mean a tremendous amount to me."
Rahal, his teammate Justin Wilson and Australian Will Power are among the Champ Car drivers who moved to the IndyCar Series and are hungry for more IndyCar points. Power, who started on the front row in Long Beach last year and finished third, said, "I'd love to win this weekend not only because it's the last Champ Car race but also for the points."
Three other drivers -- Enrique Bernoldi, Nelson Philippe and E.J. Viso -- arrived in Long Beach on Tuesday and promptly drove to Staples Center to watch the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings. The drivers also met soccer star David Beckham and other celebrities.
The grand prix Sunday culminates a weekend of racing on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn Long Beach layout that includes a long stretch of Shoreline Drive. Saturday's schedule includes a celebrity race, a drifting challenge and an American Le Mans Series race.
On Sunday, the main grand prix will be followed by another drifting event and an SCCA Speed GT race.
The American Le Mans Series starts practicing Thursday, and all of the series will be practicing or qualifying Friday.
latimes.com.