Toyota sponsors America’s premier road race

Toyota has been a major part of the Grand Prix of Long Beach since providing the pace car for the inaugural event in 1975. That first race was a Formula 5000 event, and the prestigious Formula One series added Long Beach to its schedule the following year. CART took over the race in 1984.

Long Beach is home to the first Toyota manufacturing plant in America.

"Toyota is the very essence of what a sponsor should be," said race President Jim Michaelian. "We're delighted to maintain a relationship with them, as Toyota has been very instrumental in what we like to call America's premier road race."