INDIANAPOLIS – NTT IndyCar Series officials have announced that the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has been rescheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the move creates a three-race, three-weekend west coast swing to complete the championship. Beginning at Portland Int’l Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 12, the homestretch continues at, what would be the finale under normal conditions, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, Sept. 19, before finishing on the historic streets of Long Beach.
“It is important to have Long Beach rescheduled to continue the history and tradition for one of the series’ hallmark events in one of the nation’s premier media markets,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Further, it’s a tremendous opportunity to wrap up the season with three-straight iconic venues for what we believe will be our most exciting season yet. As we did during the 2020 season, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and maintain flexibility across our schedule. We are committed to an action-packed and exhilarating 2021 NTT IndyCar Series.”
The September race weekend at Long Beach becomes the first since the event’s inception in 1975. It will mark the 37th time the NTT IndyCar Series has raced on Southern California’s legendary street circuit. The familiar sights and sounds make for the longest running event on the schedule outside of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
“I want to thank all of the officials at IndyCar for their assistance in rescheduling the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to September,” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian said. “We believe that this move will afford us the best opportunity to provide our guests with a fun and exciting experience in a safe and unrestricted environment. It will be a welcome sight to see the NTT IndyCar Series cars and stars back on the downtown streets of Long Beach in the fall.”
As part of the announcement, officials from IMSA also confirmed a change to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams were initially scheduled to travel north from Southern California to the Monterey Peninsula this coming April. Instead, the 2021 West Coast trip will begin at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on the weekend of Sept. 10-12, followed by the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach two weekends later on Sept. 24-26.
“The West Coast audience is extremely valuable to all of our stakeholders, and this necessary shift provides the best opportunity to serve our many IMSA race fans in California,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “Likewise, it is important to our WeatherTech Championship teams to have both California races back-to-back on the schedule. We’re grateful to our partners at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the Grand Prix Ass’n of Long Beach and all involved for their flexibility.”