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File photo by De’Niro Pankey.

Tickets are now on sale for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, with the “bigger, better, bolder” 44th annual event set to return April 13-15, it was announced.

Headlined by the third round of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series, defending series champion Josef Newgarden and 2017 Long Beach winner James Hinchcliffe are expected to return to the course, along with past Long Beach winners Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Fans can also keep an eye out for Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal going head to head on the famed 1.97-mile, 11-turn seaside circuit through downtown.

The grand prix will also feature the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, featuring prototype and GT sports cars, the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge, Robby Gordon’s SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks, the Pirelli World Challenge, and new this year, the Historic Trans Am Challenge featuring American muscle cars from the 60s and 70s.

 

On-and off-track activities will include free Friday and Saturday night concerts, a Lifestyle Expo featuring a Family Fun Zone with racing simulators, kids’ racing cars, computer games and action sports, in addition to driver autograph sessions, special events and exhibits showcasing the grand prix’s history, the Food Truck Experience and Sunday’s Mothers Exotic Car Paddock.

“We are excited about our lineup of family entertainment for the 2018 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach,” Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, said in a statement. “With America’s #1 street race, the concerts, Lifestyle Expo and all that the City of Long Beach has to offer, the Grand Prix remains the best entertainment value in Southern California.”

Ticket prices for the three-day event range from $33 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $147 for a three-day ticket that includes Saturday and Sunday reserved seating in grandstand upper levels. Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, Verizon IndyCar Series Paddock access passes, Super Photo tickets and an array of VIP Club packages.

For tickets, visit the website here or call (888) 827-7333, and keep up to date with grand prix-related happenings via Facebook and Twitter. 

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].