{"id":234137,"date":"2026-03-24T14:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234137\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T14:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:07:30","slug":"jim-michaelian-long-beach-grand-prix-founder-dies-at-83","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234137\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Michaelian, Long Beach Grand Prix Founder, Dies at 83"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

Jim Michaelian, one of the founders of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and its longtime president, has died at the age of 83. Michaelian joined the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in 1975 and grew the event into a major motorsports festival that draws thousands of race fans and generates tens of millions in economic activity for the city.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Michaelian’s vision and leadership were instrumental in establishing the Long Beach Grand Prix as a premier racing event and a beloved community tradition. His passing marks the end of an era for the iconic street race, which has been a fixture in Southern California for over 50 years.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Michaelian, a competitive sports car racer for over 25 years, joined the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in 1975 when the event was still a fledgling race. Under his leadership as president and CEO, Michaelian transformed the Grand Prix into one of the most popular street racing events in the world, featuring IndyCar, sports car, and truck races as well as a variety of concerts, expos, and other fan activities.<\/p>\n

Michaelian joined the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in 1975.Michaelian was appointed president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association in 2001.Michaelian was still racing sports cars at the age of 76 in 2019.Michaelian was inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame last year.This year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for April 17-19, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Jim Michaelian<\/p>\n

One of the founders of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and its longtime president, who helped grow the event into a major motorsports festival.<\/p>\n

Roger Penske<\/p>\n

Chairman of Penske Corporation, which acquired the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach in 2024.<\/p>\n

John Doonan<\/p>\n

President of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cJim was a leader of a small, passionate group who believed in the concept of bringing elite open-wheel competition to Long Beach in the 1970s. His vision and energy surrounding this great event remained boundless for 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Roger Penske, Penske Corporation Chairman<\/p>\n

\u201cJim was a racer’s racer and a dear friend to IMSA and the motorsports community at large. We will sorely miss his presence at Long Beach and racetracks everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 John Doonan, IMSA President<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled to take place on April 17-19, marking the first edition of the event since the passing of its longtime leader, Jim Michaelian.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Michaelian’s unwavering dedication and vision transformed the Long Beach Grand Prix from a fledgling race into one of the most iconic and beloved motorsports festivals in the world, cementing its status as a must-attend event for racing enthusiasts and the broader community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Jim Michaelian, one of the founders of the Acura Grand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215575,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-234137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}