The Grand Prix of Long Beach has been rescheduled for Sept. 26 due the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legendary street course race was originally scheduled for April 18, but the new date will make it the NTT IndyCar Series season finale. It also creates a three-race, three weekend west coast swing to conclude the season.
That starts at Portland on Sept. 12, Laguna Seca on Sept. 19 and then 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 a press release. “As we did during the 2020 season, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and maintain flexibility across our schedule.”
The southern California region is currently under a stay-at-home order that bans private gatherings between households, lower capacities for commercial businesses, discourages hotels for tourism purposes and prevents dine-in opportunities.
“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,” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach president and CEO Jim Michaelian said in a press release. “It will be a welcome sight to see the INDYCAR series cars and stars back on the downtown streets of Long Beach in the fall.”
The season is scheduled to begin on March 7 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida followed by April 11 at Barber Motorsports Park and a doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway on May 1-2.
UPDATED INDYCAR SCHEDULE
April 11 – Barber Motorsports Park (NBCSN)
May 1-2 – Texas Motor Speedway doubleheader (NBCSN)
May 15 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (NBC)
May 30 – Indianapolis 500 (NBC)
June 12-13 – Detroit Belle Isle GP doubleheader (NBC)
June 20 – Road America (NBCSN)
July 4 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (NBC)
July 11 – Streets of Toronto (NBCSN)
Aug. 8 – Streets of Nashville (NBCSN)
Aug. 14 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway GP 2 (NBCSN)
Aug. 21 – World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (NBCSN)}
Sept. 12 – Portland International Raceway (NBC)
Sept. 19 – WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway (NBC)
Sept. 26 – Streets of Long Beach (NBC)
CONCORD, NC., Dec. 16, 2020 – One month after helping more than 250 families in need in Detroit with turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner, NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan and her Ford F-150 are back on the road again.
This time, however, Deegan has teamed up with fellow Ford driver and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano of Middletown, CT onto help families in need in North Carolina by delivering 350 hams for holiday dinner tables.
Working through the Joey Logano Foundation, “Hailie’s Holiday Haul” started in Statesville, NC, at the Children’s Hope Alliance, where an enthusiastic crowd of supporters welcomed the two drivers with cheers and handmade signs. The duo dropped off 200 hams at the organization’s headquarters before getting in a 2021 Ford F-150 and driving the remaining 150 hams to Caterpillar Ministries and the Huntington Green neighborhood in Huntersville, NC. In all, more than 3,300 pounds of ham were dropped off at the two locations.
“I think it’s so important to give back to the community, especially if you have great people like Ford behind you who are on the same path and have the same motives. I think if you can both work together, you can make some great things happen and put some smiles on people’s faces,” said Deegan, who will be running a full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2021 with DGR-Crosley.. “There are a lot of families that don’t get to experience the holidays fully with the resources they have, so to be able to give them a chance to have the fullest potential of those holidays means a lot.”
In addition to the hams, JLF also donated 5,000 Ford facemasks to Children’s Hope Alliance as part of a collaboration with the Ford Motor Company Fund, and will eventually distribute a total of 27,000 face coverings in the weeks ahead. It’s all part of Ford and the Ford Fund’s 100 million mask donation to communities and nonprofits across the United States.
“When Hailie came to us and said she wanted to know where to go to give away some holiday hams it was a no-brainer,” said Logano. “We all kind of get stuck in our own little world, especially in times like this, but Christmas is a great time to show the need that is here. Unfortunately, this need is here every day, Covid or not, and the goal is to help these kids become a contributing member of society.”
Children’s Hope Alliance provides hope, health and healing for generations. The organization transforms the lives of children, youth and families by focusing on three main areas: a safe home through foster care and adoption programs; a healthy start through educational, prevention and developmental programs; and healing the hurt for children and families who are troubled, abused or neglected through therapy and counseling.
Caterpillar Ministries was started in 2007 as a partner with the Huntington Green neighborhood in Huntersville, NC. Caterpillar strives to support the well-being of families as well as nurture and strengthen homes. Programs for the neighborhood include fun for preschoolers, small groups for teens, along with ESL classes and job training for adults.
About Ford Performance
Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series), IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars, Formula Drift, and NHRA Funny Car and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit http://www.fordperformance.com,
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 202,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit http://www.corporate.ford.com.
