Long Beach, Calif. — The Sept. 24-26 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale and will air live on NBC Sports Network at noon PT (3 p.m. ET).
In making the move, GPALB President and CEO Jim Michaelian cited the current status of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made it doubtful that the organization could conduct the Acura Grand Prix as originally intended in April. Michaelian made the decision to move the date in coordination with all the GPALB’s racing series partners and Long Beach officials in anticipation that the event will be able to run in September with full fan participation.
“We are very grateful to all of our fans, sponsors and exhibitors for their extraordinary loyalty and support over the past year,” said Michaelian. “We want all of our attendees to fully experience all of the joy and excitement of the event in a safe and welcoming environment and we believe that this move to a fall date will afford us that opportunity. We want to thank all those who were of assistance in facilitating this rescheduling and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the streets of Long Beach in September.”
“It is important to have Long Beach rescheduled to continue the history and tradition for one of the series’ hallmark events in one of the nation’s premier media markets,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Further, it’s a tremendous opportunity to wrap up the season with three-straight iconic venues for what we believe will be our most exciting season yet. As we did during the 2020 season, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and maintain flexibility across our schedule. We are committed to an action-packed and exhilarating 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”
It will be the first time the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has run in September since the event’s inaugural Formula 5000 race, which took place Sept. 28, 1975.
In addition to INDYCAR, the Acura Grand Prix will feature on-track action from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Formula Drift, Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks and the Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge. Additional on-track activities, as well as off-track attractions, will be announced in the coming months along with a more detailed event schedule.
Tickets for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach are expected to go on sale in mid-2021, with ticket prices and options to be announced. Fans that chose to credit their 2020 Grand Prix tickets to 2021 will get priority placement in their seating before 2021 tickets go on sale to the general public.
For the latest news and information on the Acura Grand Prix, visit gplb.com or follow us on Facebook at GrandPrixLB, Twitter @GPLongBeach and Instagram at GPLongBeach.
The announcement was made along with NBC Sports’ and INDYCAR’s release of the full 2021 INDYCAR SERIES telecast schedule, featuring a record nine races on broadcast network NBC.
Six of the first eight races of the season will air on NBC, including the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 18, at noon PT/3 p.m. ET.
The 17-race season, which will be exclusively presented across NBC Sports, also features the inaugural presentation of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Highlights of NBC Sports’ 2021 INDYCAR schedule, which features a mix of ovals, road and street courses, include:
- The 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30, with coverage on NBC beginning at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET;
- Six of the first eight races of the season will air on NBC, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (April 25), the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (May 15) and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear doubleheader (June 12-13);
- The inaugural presentation of the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN;
- Return of the INDYCAR-NASCAR doubleheader at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, headlining a revamped Brickyard Weekend on Aug. 14-15, with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Saturday, Aug. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN;
- The record nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on NBC also include INDYCAR’s race at Mid-Ohio on July 4 and the season ending West Coast swing in Portland (Sunday, Sept. 12) and Laguna Seca (Sunday, Sept. 19);
- The season concludes with one of INDYCAR’s longest-running events – the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Following is NBC Sports’ 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES race schedule (all times Eastern):
| Date | Race/Track | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sun., April 18 | Barber Motorsports Park | NBC | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., April 25 | Streets of St. Petersburg | NBC | 12 p.m. |
| Sat., May 1 | Texas Motor Speedway – Race 1 | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., May 2 | Texas Motor Speedway – Race 2 | NBCSN | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., May 15 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course) | NBC | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sun., May 30 | The 105th Indianapolis 500 | NBC | 11 a.m. |
| Sat., June 12 | Raceway at Belle Isle Park/Detroit – Race 1 | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., June 13 | Raceway at Belle Isle Park/Detroit – Race 2 | NBC | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., June 20 | Road America | NBCSN | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., July 4 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | NBC | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., July 11 | Streets of Toronto | NBCSN | 12 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 8 | Streets of Nashville | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 14 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course) | NBCSN | 12:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 21 | World Wide Technology Raceway | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 12 | Portland International Raceway | NBC | 3 p.m. |
| Sun, Sept. 19 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | NBC | 3 p.m. |
| Sun, Sept. 26 | Streets of Long Beach | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
Source: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach