The Grand Prix d’Acura de Long Beach established a record for attending all time in 2024, and with the city center event swollen last weekend for its 50th anniversary, another record should be set.
“We are still waiting to obtain the final count on ticket sales without an appointment, but we expect the number to exceed the 194,000 people record that we had last year for the 49th,” said the president of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Jim Michaelian, to Racer.
The 50th race was also the first for the Grand Prix under its new owners in Penske Entertainment, which bought the rights of the famous street race at the end of last year. With new information on how the event is led by the Michaelian team, which has been kept by Penske, and the depths of entertainment it offers via Indycar, IMSA, SRO, Stadium Super Trucks, Formula Drift and Historic Racing, President of Penske Corporation, Bud Denker
“It’s my 19th year there, and now it’s very different from a promoter’s point of view for me,” said Denker to Racer. “To see people aligned themselves along the fence in front of the stands, three or four depths, just illustrated … They were along the fence because the general admission tickets were all that was left; They could not get a seat because each seat was sold.
“Demographic data too, the youngest audience, manifestly transgenerational, but also in all ethnic groups, with a strong Hispanic presence, that the market represents.
Denker de Penske Entertainment sees opportunities for events like Detroit to incorporate some of the Long Beach Festival style elements. Chris Owens / IMS Photo
“I thought that maybe they had too many things on this track. Every minute, there is something that fills the track. But it works there, because it just works this subculture; car crops and drift every night. It was incredible. I have never seen the party. The Grandsands are full.”
Denker was responsible for directing the Detroit Grand Prix of Penske and is involved in the central way in the same way with the double header of Iowa Speedway and the next Arlington Grand Prix in 2026. The party on the three -day beach that he has just experienced should influence what some of the other breeds of Penske care will look like.
“They created this major festival event,” said Denker. “There is music, DJs in front of the Congress Center, people dancing around, and each junction, there was something going on to create things to do. All these little bars they have, and food trucks, and the nature of the festival you always want.
“The other part for Detroit is, well, long beach has five or six different series that are in competition there. Detroit. “”
With the purchase of November from the Grand Prix and the preparations for 2025 well in progress, Penske Entertainment left the 50th anniversary event in the hands of Michaelian. Given a full year to apply some of the Polis and Penske improvements, Denker expects the 51st race for the Grand Prix of Long Beach to present the same high -level monitoring of the GPALB team as well as new looks on the site.
“He has an excellent base. It’s really there, and we have some ideas there,” he said. “We will invest in some regions. The last thing I was going to do is jump into their world and upset it. And the fan with Jim and everyone has been transparent. For next year, I hope to help him more by investing in some of the fields, and we will do this because, guy, they have always said that Long Beach is this gemm, it’s true.”