Photo courtesy American Le Mans Series
9:35am | The 36th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach is primed and ready for its weekend close-up, and as we get closer to Race Day it’s time to take a look at what will be going on.
First off, since we’re in the racing spirit, click on over to this article on LBPOSTSports.com, previewing Saturday’s American Le Mans Series race with familiar names like Corvette and Porsche gunning for the podium.
Things will officially kick off today when racing legends Michael Andretti and Danny Sullivan are inducted as the newest members of the Long Beach Motorsports Hall of Fame. For their career accomplishments, particularly success in Long Beach, each will receive a star sidewalk plaque with their name and image engraved on it, placed on the Pine Avenue walkway just in front of the Convention Center. The ceremony begins at 11:00am today.
Tonight, the sun goes down and the heat gets turned up for Thunder Thursday, the annual starter pistol for race weekend. The street will be shut down to traffic as visitors can walk right up to some of the cars that will be competing all weekend. Racing pit crews (like Corvette Racing in the photo above) will compete in a pit stop competition that demonstrates just how-in-the-world four tires can be changed in less than eight seconds. There will also be high-flying BMX and motocross daredevil stunts and the Miss Grand Prix of Long Beach pageant.
Check out our videos below from last year’s Miss Grand Prix Pageant and the other festivities of Thunder Thursday. Admission is free tonight so we’ll see you out there!
Disclosure: Downtown Long Beach Associates and Thunder Thursday are advertisers of the lbpost.com.