IndyCar has confirmed that its 2021 Long Beach GP will take place in September rather than April, serving as a provisional season finale.
The race will complete a set of triple header of the 2021 IndyCar season’s westernmost races, following up rounds at Portland International Raceway (September 12), and Laguna Seca (September 19). The race’s original date of April 18th had long been considered under threat on account of stringent COVID-19 regulations in the state of California.
The race is among the series’ longest-running, second only to the Indy500 – an event which had its first edition in 1911. Long Beach held its first race in 1975, and has since never held a race in September.
As is tradition, though, the IndyCar race will be aligned with an IMSA race at the same venue as IMSA, too, reworks its 2021 schedule accordingly. In 2020, Long Beach was absent from both of the aforementioned series’ respective calendars due to COVID-19.
Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles said of the date change, “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.
“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,” Miles said.
It will be the second consecutive year in which a street race will be act as the finale, with St. Petersburg holding 2020’s title decider to great reviews from fans and pundits alike. It replaces the Laguna Seca road course, which was also a popular venue when it held the 2019 finale.
Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian added, “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.
“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.”
Here’s FormulaRapida.net’s recap of the 2020 IndyCar season
