This year's Long Beach Grand Prix will likely be bittersweet for drivers and fans alike. That's because it’s the last time for the forseeable future that the turbocharged single-seater formula generically known as Champ Car will race in anger.
When the LBGP dropped Formula One in exchange for CART Champ Cars in 1984, organizers worried that attendance would suffer. But within a couple of years, the Long Beach crowds were bigger than ever, peaking in the early-90s when Al Unser, Jr. won the classic street race six times in an eight-year period.
The 2004 Long Beach Grand Prix was the first race run under the Champ Car World Series owner group comprised of Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and minority partners. It was also the very first Champ Car race for several drivers in the series.
“It’s quite fitting that the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which was the first Champ Car race for many of us, will be the last Champ Car event ever,” said Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s Justin Wilson. “We’re going to have fun there and look to score points and you can be sure there is going to be plenty of action.”
Paul Tracy, Champ Car’s  2003 champion, is without a full-time ride this season and was not expected to compete at Long Beach. However, less than a week before the race, Tracy was confirmed to drive a car entered by Forsythe-Petit Racing.  Tracy is embroiled in a contract dispute with Forsythe and has not been permitted to race for another team.
“He said he would not be running Long Beach, much to my surprise,” said IRL founder Tony George prior to learning Tracy would be in the Long Beach line-up. “It is kind of unfortunate — some would say a travesty — that he’s been sort of left on the sidelines.”
— John Oreovicz