NASCAR Will NOT Be Buying Long Beach Grand Prix

What’s Happening?

NASCAR’s dreams of a race on the streets of Long Beach have seemingly been dashed. In a statement to Marshall Pruett of RACER.com, Gerald Forsythe, the current owner of a 50% stake in the Long Beach Grand Prix, said that he will be purchasing the remaining stake from the estate of the late Kevin Kalkhoven. Forsythe told other series who wants to race at Long Beach to, “Look elsewhere. This [is] an IndyCar event, and it will be into the future.”

• Pruett reported earlier this week that NASCAR was interested in buying the late Kalkhoven’s stake in the race. It was also reported that Penske Entertainment, owned by Roger Penske, was looking at blocking the sale. Penske Entertainment got what they wanted, but, it wasn’t said how much, if any, influence they had in this news.
• With the news of Long Beach, NASCAR will have to look elsewhere for their next Southern California race. The Auto Club Speedway short track is still a possibility, but, that project is heading into “I’ll believe it when I see it territory”.
• Some fans are relieved to see this news, as this is a popular IndyCar event. However, there was. some excitement and intrigue about NASCAR potentially racing in Long Beach.

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