It’ll be a star-studded weekend in Long Beach, as pro football star DeSean Jackson, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, and actor Patrick Stewart serve as Grand Marshals for the 41st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Saturday’s Grand Marshal, pro football star DeSean Jackson, is a three-time NFL Pro Bowl selection who prepped at Long Beach Poly High School before going on to stardom at the University of California, Berkeley, and with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.
Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe will wave the green flag as Saturday’s Honorary Starter and will also star later that evening in the “Rock-N-Roar” Concert, free to race ticket holders. On Sunday, Honorary Starter honors fall to long-time open-wheel and sports car driving star Adrian Fernandez, who is enshrined on the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.
Stewart, an acclaimed stage and screen actor best known for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men franchise is also a racing enthusiast who competed in the 2002 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Stewart will serve as Grand Marshal for the featured Verizon IndyCar Series race on Sunday, April 19.
In addition to the three celebrity Grand Marshals, Saturday’s national anthem singer will be Karla Mosley, who has appeared in “Hart of Dixie” and currently is a regular on television’s “The Bold and the Beautiful” and, on Sunday, actor/musician James Maslow, a competitor in Saturday’s Pro/Celebrity Race and the star of the Nickelodeon program, “Big Time Rush,” will sing the anthem before the IndyCar race.
Team Fastrax, a famous skydiving team, will be bringing in the American flag both Saturday and Sunday, courtesy of team members Paul Stanford, Jay Stokes and Hollis Collins.
Sunday’s invocation will be given by Father Glenn O’Conner, Catholic Chaplain with the Verizon IndyCar Ministry. And, our nation’s colors will be presented on both days by Alpha Company, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, California Army National Guard.
Fans can select and pay for their 2015 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach seats, parking and paddock passes online at gplb.com. Ticket orders can also be placed by calling the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 827-7333. Also featured on gplb.com is the latest Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach news, downloadable ticket brochure and racetrack information, photos and ongoing announcements of special race week activities.
Ticket prices range from $30 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $135 for a three-day ticket that includes Sat./Sun. reserved seating in grandstand upper levels. Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, Verizon IndyCar Paddock passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of Hospitality Club packages.
Fans can also follow the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook at GrandPrixLB, Twitter @ToyotaGPLB, Instagram at ToyotaGPLB and Snapchat at ToyotaGPLB.