Jim Michaelian, longtime president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, has been part of making the iconic street race happen since the very beginning — and has been its driving force since 2001.
Many in the Long Beach and sports car racing communities say that Michaelian has been the “heart and soul” of the event.
But the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, that Michaelian would step down from his role and assume a new one within Penske Entertainment, which now owns the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
From the beginning of working with the city to allow street racing, to transitioning from the race featuring Formula 5000, Formula One, CART, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, to its current format led by the NTT INDYCAR Series – Michaelian, 82, has navigated Long Beach’s major event through several changes and challenges. Throughout it all, his and the team’s focus was to create an experience for not only racing enthusiasts like himself but also for the entire family.
Here is Jim Michaelian’s journey with the Grand Prix of Long Beach and other iconic racing events throughout the years:
1975: An original employee of the association, a 32-year-old Michaelian joined founder Chris Pook in the vision to bring a motorsports event to Long Beach. He was the event’s first controller, but also served in a number of functional areas, including finance, operations and marketing.
1977: The Grand Prix of Long Beach earned its first relevance when Mario Andretti won the race, the first and only Formula One victory for an American driver in the U.S.
1984: The Long Beach street race pivoted to the IndyCar Series.
1992: Michaelian’s first pro race in the 1992 Firestone Firehawk at Sebring, Florida.
1998: Michaelian takes on the role of chief operating officer for the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.
2001: Michaelian takes on the role as president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, taking over from Pook.
2015: Michaelian participated in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. He was part of the Muehlner Motorport team that competed in a Porsche 911 GT American in the GT Daytona class. It marked his 16th appearance on the 3.56-mile road course located inside Daytona International Speedway.
2018: Toyota ended its 44-year partnership with the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Toyota Motor North America had been part of the race since it began.
2019: Acura became the title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Long Beach for the 45th iteration of the street race.
2020: The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michaelian guided the association through taking down the track, which was about two-thirds set up when shutdowns occurred in mid-March, and the association had to refund sponsorships and tickets.
2021: The Long Beach street race returned for its 46th iteration in September — its first time taking place outside of April since 1975 — because of pandemic-related challenges.
2024: Penske Entertainment purchased the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach from Forsythe and the late Kalkhoven’s estate.
2025: The Grand Prix of Long Beach celebrated its 50th anniversary. Michaelian was inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame.