The coronavirus has devastated the whole world and in these times of uncertainty the United States economy has come almost to stand still. With the situation of social distancing and the economic problems we all face the world of auto racing has been put on hold. Schedules have been revised and many events have been cancelled. The Grand Prix of Long Beach’s IndyCar series race was one of the victims of cancellation.

With that said, here is a brief history of an idea for an auto race through the streets of Long Beach and how the great Dan Gurney’s involvement helped that dream become a reality.

In 1973 a Long Beach travel agent named Chris Pook thought up the idea for a street race through the streets of downtown Long Beach. The problem was he had no credibility with the city of Long Beach or the racing community. He made a phone call to All American Racers and asked for its’ owner, Dan Gurney.

Obviously, Dan Gurney did not know of Chris Pook, but when Chris informed him of his dream Gurney invited him over to discuss it. Gurney agreed that it was a wild idea, but he liked the concept and agreed to go with Pook to a meeting with the Convention Bureau. 

The members of the Convention Bureau were Gurney fans and the idea was accepted. Gurney then called Les Richter, who ran Riverside Raceway. Richter found a guy named Jim Kaser who drew up plans for the racing circuit.

Pook and Gurney then applied for a sanction from the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS) which is an umbrella organization of auto racing sanctioning bodies in the United States. It is the official liaison of the United States sanctioning bodies to the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) the world wide sanctioning body for auto racing.

They were turned down, but Gurney said he would call Tom Binford, who was the chief steward of the Indianapolis 500 and was a member of the FIA and ACCUS board. They would by pass the ACCUS to get their application approved.

The manager of the FIA’s circuit committee, Tom Binford, Chris Pook, Dan Gurney and race drivers Phil Hill, Richie Ginther and Denny Hulme attended a meeting with the city engineer to discuss the layout of the circuit. The plan was to use Ocean Boulevard with concrete barriers. City Hall liked the plans and gave their approval.

Next, they had to get a permit from the California Coastal Commission. Pook and Gurney met with a young man who had a large “Dan Gurney for President” poster on his wall. He was a Dan Gurney fan and he said he would give them a strong recommendation for approval. 

The first race was a Formula 5000 race held in September of 1975 and drew 30,000 fans. In 1976 it became a Formula One race and The United States Grand Prix West was created. It remained a Formula One race until 1983, but it was not a financially successful event. Pook convinced the city leaders to change it to a CART/Champ Car race in 1984 and was a CART/ Champ Car race until 2008. From 2009 to the present it has been an IndyCar Series race.

In the mid 1970’s Long Beach was known as a mostly depressed and run down port city. The race was used to promote the city and it has been credited with the huge change in the city itself. Many old and condemned buildings have been replaced by high rise hotels and tourist attractions. Today the race is one of the premier events of the IndyCar series and draws huge crowds to downtown Long Beach.

Chris Pook said the change in the city from 1973 until today has been amazing and he gives a huge amount of credit to Dan Gurney. He said Dan Gurney was an amazing man and there wouldn’t be a Grand Prix of Long Beach if there hadn’t been a Dan Gurney.

Guest Post By Jim Smith – Historian Columnist for Race Review Online