Image courtesy of Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
UPDATE | Two-time Toyota Pro/Celebrity race winner Sean Patrick Flanery will join the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’s celebrity race, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and Toyota announced Tuesday.
Flanery is known for his roles in Boondock Saints, Powder and Saw 3D: the Final Chapter.
According to the announcement, Flanery’s addition makes this year’s field of celebrity participants the largest ever for the Grand Prix. The race is set to take place on April 16 on the 1.97-mile street course in downtown Long Beach, as part of the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend.
Flanery joins actors Stephen Baldwin, Frankie Muniz, Brian Austin Green and last year’s overall winner, Alfonso Ribeiro, among 21 other participants from film, television and sports for this year’s race.
PREVIOUSLY: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Announces Celebrity Lineup for 40th and Last Pro/Celebrity Race
On 03/15/16 at 11:47AM | Actors Stephen Baldwin, Frankie Muniz, Brian Austin Green and last year’s overall winner, Alfonso Ribeiro, among 21 other participants from film, television and sports, will return to compete in the 40th Anniversary of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and Toyota announced Wednesday.
“This should be a thrilling race with so many of the participants past winners here at Long Beach,” stated Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “It will be interesting to see who best recalls the racing technique that will enable them to once again stand on top of the podium.”
The announcement trumpets the 40th and final edition of the longest-running corporate-sponsored charity race in the US, set to take place on Saturday, April 16 on the 1.97 mile course in downtown Long Beach. Participants will race 210-horsepower Scion FR-S race-prepped cars for “Racing for Kids,” an organization supporting children’s hospitals throughout the nation.
“At Toyota, we wanted to do something unique for this final race,” stated Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. “By hosting a field comprised mostly of past Toyota Pro/Celebrity winners, we anticipate this to be the most competitive race in the event’s history with a diverse field of celebrity and professional drivers.”
Provided by the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and Toyota, the following list of competitive personalities is placed in order of their first win in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race and the years they participated:
Al Unser, Jr.: 1985, 2009 and 2014
Pro/ Overall winner in 1985, 2009, Pro winner in 2014. Dubbed “King of the Beach,” as the winningest driver in Long Beach, with six Indy Car wins and three Pro/Celebrity wins. Also a two-time Indy 500 winner, and two-time IndyCar Champion.
Ricky Schroder: 1989 and 1996
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 1989. Most recently starred in Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Golden Globe winning actor best-known for roles in Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue and Get Him to the Greek.
Stephen Baldwin: 1990
Celebrity winner in 1990. He has starred in film, television and radio. Best-known for his roles in The Usual Suspects and The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas. He also appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and Celebrity Fear Factor.
Eddie Lawson: 1993
Pro/ Overall winner in 1993. Motorcycle Hall of Famer and four-time 500cc World Champion. He also earned back-to-back AMA 250 Grand Prix Series, AMA Superbike Series Championships, won the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race, and was a two-time winner of the Daytona 200.
Alfonso Ribeiro: 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2015
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 1994 & 1995, Pro/ Overall winner in 2015. Currently the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos on ABC and Unwrapped 2.0 on the Cooking Channel. Known for his iconic role of Carlton on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and in 2014, he took home the coveted Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing With the Stars.
Rod Millen: 1992 and 1995
Pro winner in 1995. Winner of three-consecutive Grand National Sport Truck titles, 5-time Toyota Pikes Peak Unlimited class winner, and 3-time Toyota off-road stadium truck champion.
Dara Torres: 2002, 2004 and 2015
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 2002. 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer, who was named as one of the “Top Female Athletes of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated. In 2002, she was the first woman to win the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race.
Max Papis: 2004
Pro/ Overall winner in 2004. “Mad Max,” a stock car race driver has competed in many top-level motorsports events including the Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car. He has three Champ Car victories.
Chris McDonald: 2001, 2004 and 2005
Celebrity winner in 2004. Currently co-starring in HBO’s Ballers, after a stint on CBS’s The Good Wife. He has starred in over 100 movies, but is best-known for playing ‘Shooter McGavin’ in Happy Gilmore.
Frankie Muniz: 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011
Celebrity winner in 2005. Starred in Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, and best-known for his role in Malcolm in the Middle. His diverse resume also includes race car driver, drummer of pop-rock group’s Kingsfoil, and Ambassador for the Armed Forces Foundation.
Mike Skinner: 2007 and 2008
Pro winner in 2007 & 2008. 1995 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, and the 1997 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He has competed in over 550 races in NASCAR’s top three divisions.
Doug Fregin: 2009, 2012 and 2014
Charity auction winner in 2009, 2012 & 2014. He has donated over $320,000 to “Racing For Kids.” Co-Founder of Research in Motion (now Blackberry) and Quantum Valley Investments Fund.
Brian Austin Green: 1997, 2010 and 2011
Celebrity winner in 2010. An actor, director, and producer, who came to fame on Beverly Hills, 90210, recently starred on Anger Management on FX. He’s also known for roles in Desperate Housewives, Smallville and Las Vegas.
Jimmy Vasser: 2010
Pro/ Overall winner in 2010. Former Toyota Atlantic Series and IndyCar driver. 1996 IndyCar World Series Champion. He is an IndyCar team owner, and owns three Toyota dealerships.
Ken Gushi: 2011
Pro winner in 2011. He was once the youngest, most successful drift competitor in Japan, and in the U.S. With numerous Top 3 finishes in national and international drifting competitions, his racing career has just begun.
William Fichtner: 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2012
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 2011. A television, theater and film star, he will be seen in the June releases of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Independence Day: Resurgence.
Adam Carolla: 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 2012, Pro winner in 2013. He is best known as a comedian, actor, radio personality, television host and New York Times bestselling author. He can be heard daily on his podcast The Adam Carolla Show.
Rutledge Wood: 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 2013. A NASCAR analyst for NBC Sports, he can also be seen in History Channel’s Lost In Transmission, and as co-host of Top Gear USA, which just finished filming its sixth season.
Brett Davern: 2013, 2014 and 2015
Celebrity/ Overall winner in 2014. Actor who stars as ‘Jake Rosati’ in MTV’s hit series Awkward. He recently appeared in the Beach Boys bio-pic Love & Mercy and The Stanford Prison Experiment.
Dave Pasant: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2013 and 2015
Celebrity winner in 2015, and 7-time charity auction winner. A retired insurance executive, he has participated in this race six times, donating a total of $417,000 to “Racing For Kids.” He is also an executive producer of “Road Hard,” starring Adam Carolla.
Bob Carter
Carter is the Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
Since 1991, Toyota has donated more than $2.3 million to the “Racing for Kids” organization on behalf of this race and its participants.
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