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Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame

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Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame

Summary

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A ceremony where a retired racing driver receives a plaque from a city official
City of Long Beach City Manager Pat West presenting Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame plaque to Mario Andretti on April 17, 2008

The Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame is a walk of fame located on South Pine Avenue in the downtown waterfront area of Long Beach, California, to recognize those who have made a major contribution to auto racing in Long Beach. The project was conceived in late 2005 through talks between the Economic Development Bureau of the City of Long Beach and officials in order to improve and strengthen the city's ties with the open-wheel car racing event, the Grand Prix of Long Beach. It earned support from elected officials, local government and business and auto racing enthusiasts, and was officially dedicated in a ceremony led by Beverly O'Neill, the Long Beach mayor, on April 6, 2006. The Redevelopment Agency of Long Beach provided development funding for the Walk of Fame, and the project set out to inform the public about Long Beach's contribution to auto racing.

Each year, two or three auto racing figures are inducted following a vote by an informal group of individuals such as local officials and Long Beach Grand Prix Association members. A 22 in bronze medallion plaque, depicting a rendition of each inductee's car and listing their greatest achievements in auto racing, is permanently embedded in the palm-lined concrete sidewalk. The medallions proceed up the sidewalk's center alongside the Grand Prix of Long Beach race circuit in front of the Long Beach Convention Center. Members are inducted at a ceremony held outside the Long Beach Convention Center in the week of the Grand Prix; drivers and their families receive a 6 in and 3 in bronze medallion replica from Long Beach's mayor. Mark Vaughn of Autoweek described it as "a venue somewhat similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame".

A total of 42 people from the world of motorsports have been inducted since 2006. The two inaugural members, Dan Gurney and Phil Hill, were inducted in 2006. All but fifteen inductees are from the United States. In 2019, Sébastien Bourdais and Will Power were the first two active IndyCar Series participants to be added to the Walk of Fame. Only one person has been posthumously inducted, Gary Gabelich, the former world land speed record holder in 2008. Katherine Legge became the first woman to be inducted in 2024. There have been three racing teams added to the Walk of Fame. In 2007, Newman/Haas Racing, who were considered one of the most successful squads in Long Beach Grand Prix history, became the first team added to the Walk of Fame; the two other teams are Chip Ganassi Racing, inducted in 2011, and Galles Racing, who was added the following year. Bruce Flanders, Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, Roger Penske and Christopher Pook are the five non-drivers who are members of the Walk of Fame. The three most recent inductees were two-time Long Beach winner Scott Dixon, former Long Beach mayor Beverly O'Neill, and the President and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach Jim Michaelian.

Inductees

Indicates posthumous induction
InducteeNationalityYearNotesRefsNewman/Haas RacingChip Ganassi RacingGalles Racing
2006Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, and sports car driver and team owner and Grand Prix of Long Beach co-founder
20061961 Formula One World Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring winner
2007One of the most successful teams at the Grand Prix of Long Beach
2007Co-founder of the Grand Prix of Long Beach and Grand Prix Association of Long Beach president and CEO
20071975 Long Beach Grand Prix winner and 13-time Formula One Grand Prix starterlast=Jerglerfirst=Dondate=April 10, 2007title=Motor stars honoredwork=Press-Telegramurl=https://www.proquest.com/docview/382050125url-access=subscriptionaccess-date=February 19, 2021id=archive-date=April 19, 2023archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419090329/https://www.proquest.com/docview/382050125url-status=live}}
2008Formula One, IndyCar, Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach GP and Daytona 500 champion
2008Dragster and stock car driver who set the world land speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1970last=Pearlfirst=Billdate=May 8, 2008title=Gary Gabelich inducted into Motorsports Walk of Fame with other legendswork=Signal Tribuneurl=https://signal-tribune.com/2008/05/08/gary-gabelich-inducted-into-motorsports-walk-of-fame-with-other-legends/url-status=liveaccess-date=February 19, 2021archive-date=February 19, 2021archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219174419/https://signal-tribune.com/2008/05/08/gary-gabelich-inducted-into-motorsports-walk-of-fame-with-other-legends/}}
20081963 Indianapolis 500, midget car, NASCAR, off-road and sprint car winner
2009Indianapolis 500, CART and Sports Car Club of America champion and 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring winner
2009Two-time Indianapolis 500, International Race of Champions, CART champion, Grand Prix of Long Beach and 24 Hours of Daytona winner
20101991 CART champion and two-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner
20101985 Indianapolis 500 winner, 1988 CART champion and 1992 Grand Prix of Long Beach winner
2011Five-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winning teamlast=Feltonfirst=Daviddate=April 15, 2011title=Vasser, Ganassi team join Walk of Famework=Los Angeles Daily Newsurl=https://www.dailynews.com/2011/04/15/vasser-ganassi-team-join-walk-of-fame/url-status=liveaccess-date=February 19, 2021archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531205236/https://www.dailynews.com/2011/04/15/vasser-ganassi-team-join-walk-of-fame/archive-date=May 31, 2021}}
2011Long Beach Grand Prix driver and winner owner, 1996 CART champion and 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race winner in the Pro class
2012Five-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winning team
2012Pruett drove a wide variety of vehicles, and won at Long Beach in each of Trans-Am and Grand-Am
20132009 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach class winner and helped increase Hispanic/Latino presence at the Long Beach Grand Prix
2013Four-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner and 2003 CART champion
2014Won the Long Beach Grand Prix twice and the support Atlantic Championship round four times as a car owner
2014Four-time IndyCar Series champion and winner of both the Long Beach Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500
2014Won the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the 2005 Long Beach Atlantic Championship race as a car ownerlast=Lewandoskifirst=Davedate=April 10, 2014title=Franchitti, Kalkhoven among fame inducteesurl=https://www.indycar.com/News/2014/04/4-10-Franchitti-Kalkhoven-among-walk-of-fame-inducteesurl-status=liveaccess-date=February 19, 2021publisher=IndyCar Seriesarchive-date=April 19, 2016archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419074416/http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/04/4-10-Franchitti-Kalkhoven-among-walk-of-fame-inductees}}
2015Winner in each of IndyCar, NASCAR, sports car and off-road racing
2015Won the 1993 Indy Lights Championship and won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 as a car owner
2016Since 1978, Flanders has announced the Grand Prix of Long Beach and short track events
2016Penske had led Team Penske to 16 Indianapolis 500 wins, 177 race victories, and 13 IndyCar titles at the time of induction
2017Two-time Formula One and Indianapolis 500 champion, and the 1989 CART winner with 40 race wins in both series
2017Sports and stock car driver who won multiple Trans-Am Series Championship titles and the IMSA GTU Series Championship
2018Won the 2001 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Indianapolis 500 three times
2018Clinched the 1999 Grand Prix of Long Beach en route to claiming the 1999 CART tile and won the Indianapolis 500 twice
2019Four-time Champ Car World Series champion and three-time Long Beach race winner
2019Two-time Long Beach Grand Prix winner, and the 2014 IndyCar Series and 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion
20201999 Indy Lights champion and CART, American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am and Formula E driver
2020Formula Atlantic, IMSA, and NASCAR driver who was the first African American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991
2022Two-time class Long Beach sports car race winner who won 63 times in IMSA competition at the time of inductiontitle=Zanardi, Auberlen to be Inducted into Long Beach Walk of Fameurl=https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/zanardi-auberlen-to-be-inducted-into-long-beach-walk-of-fame/work=SportsCar365date=March 4, 2022access-date=March 6, 2022archive-date=March 6, 2022archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306142916/https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/zanardi-auberlen-to-be-inducted-into-long-beach-walk-of-fame/url-status=live}}
2022Two-time CART, Long Beach Grand Prix champion, 15 wins in American open-wheel racing, and Paralympic handcycling champion
2023Won the 2010 Indy Lights race at Long Beach and the 2017 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
2023Winner of the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 2012 IndyCar Series title and the 2014 Indianapolis 500
2024First woman to win a major North American open-wheel car race with her victory in the 2005 Long Beach Atlantic Championship event and was the first female Champ Car race leader in 2006.
2024Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who won the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach, becoming the first Japanese racer to win an IndyCar Series event.
2025Six-time IndyCar Series champion and two-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner in 2015 and 2024last=Moralesfirst=Roberttitle=Scott Dixon, Beverly O'Neill and Jim Michaelian inducted into Motorsports Walk of Fameurl=https://www.presstelegram.com/2025/04/10/scott-dixon-beverly-oneill-and-jim-michaelian-inducted-into-motorsports-walk-of-fame/work=Press Telegramdate=April 10, 2025access-date=June 15, 2025}}
2025President and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach
2025Former mayor of the City of Long Beach from 1994 to 2006

By nationality

NationalityInductees
26
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Notes

References

References

  1. (April 9, 2019). "Power, Bourdais, added to Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame".
  2. "History of the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame". Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.
  3. Herrero, Daniel. (April 10, 2019). "Power, Bourdais to join Long Beach Walk of Fame". [[Speedcafe]].
  4. Fiddler, JJ. (March 21, 2019). "For the first time, 2 active IndyCar drivers to be inducted in Motorsports Walk of Fame". Long Beach Post.
  5. Malsher-Lopez, David. (April 11, 2019). "Bourdais, Power join Long Beach's Motorsports Walk of Fame".
  6. "Motorsports Walk of Fame Past Honorees". Visit Long Beach.
  7. Sanchez, Felix. (April 6, 2006). "Grand Prix kicks into gear". [[Press-Telegram]].
  8. Swayze, Robert. (April 9, 2007). "Actor Race Car Owner Paul Newman, Other Motorsports Legends to be Honored at Walk of Fame in Long Beach". US Fed News Service.
  9. Jergler, Don. (April 10, 2007). "Motor stars honored". [[Press-Telegram]].
  10. Krikorian, Doug. (April 17, 2008). "Racing icons net honor". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
  11. Pearl, Bill. (May 8, 2008). "Gary Gabelich inducted into Motorsports Walk of Fame with other legends". Signal Tribune.
  12. Felton, David. (April 18, 2008). "Cementing their legacies". [[Press-Telegram]].
  13. Sanders, Mike. (April 15, 2009). "Racing Legends Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Jr to be Honored at Motorsports Walk of Fame". US Fed News Service.
  14. Vaughn, Mark. (14 April 2010). "Sullivan, Andretti honored in Long Beach".
  15. Kamlan, Edward. (April 6, 2010). "Racing Legends Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti to be Honored at Motorsports Walk of Fame".
  16. Felton, David. (April 15, 2011). "Vasser, Ganassi team join Walk of Fame". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
  17. Sotero, Ray. (April 15, 2011). "Vasser celebrated in Long Beach". [[The Salinas Californian]].
  18. Felton, David. (April 13, 2012). "Walk of Fame: Galles, Pruett thrived in LBGP". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
  19. Estrada, Chris. (April 19, 2013). "Tracy, Fernandez inducted into Long Beach Walk of Fame". [[NBC Sports]].
  20. McNulty, Dean. (March 6, 2013). "Tracy into the walk of fame". [[The Kingston Whig-Standard]].
  21. Ruiz, Jason. (April 10, 2014). "Three Honored at 2014 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame Induction". Long Beach Post.
  22. Thomas, Jim. (April 10, 2014). "Dario Franchitti speeds onto Long Beach's Motorsports Walk of Fame". [[Orange County Register]].
  23. Lewandoski, Dave. (April 10, 2014). "Franchitti, Kalkhoven among fame inductees". [[IndyCar Series]].
  24. (April 16, 2015). "Motorsports legends Robby Gordon, Bryan Herta to be honored today in Long Beach". [[Press-Telegram]].
  25. (April 11, 2016). "Irwindale Announcer to be Honored at Long Beach".
  26. Rivera, Stephanie. (March 30, 2016). "Announcer Bruce Flanders, Team Penske to be Inducted into Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame". Long Beach Post.
  27. Morales, Robert. (April 7, 2017). "Emerson Fittipaldi, Tommy Kendall enshrined on Walk of Fame". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
  28. Gougis, Michael. (March 27, 2017). "Trans-Am Legend Tommy Kendall Inducted into Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame". Long Beach Business Journal.
  29. Ramirez, Stephen. (April 12, 2018). "Castroneves and Montoya inducted into Long Beach's Walk of Fame". [[Press-Telegram]].
  30. Morales, Robert. (April 11, 2019). "Sebastien Bourdais, Will Power join Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame". [[Press-Telegram]].
  31. Morales, Robert. (September 23, 2021). "Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Servia, Ribbs inducted into Walk of Fame". [[Press-Telegram]].
  32. Lee, Hunter. (February 26, 2020). "Two Long Beach racing veterans to be inducted into Motorsports Walk of Fame". [[Press-Telegram]].
  33. (March 4, 2022). "Zanardi, Auberlen to be Inducted into Long Beach Walk of Fame". SportsCar365.
  34. Fryer, Jenna. (April 7, 2022). "Zanardi honored at Long Beach with Walk of Fame induction". [[Toronto Star]].
  35. Morales, Robert. (April 13, 2023). "Grand Prix of Long Beach: Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe inducted into Walk of Fame". [[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]].
  36. (March 19, 2024). "Sato & Legge To Be Inducted Into Long Beach Walk of Fame". [[Speed Sport]].
  37. Morales, Robert. (April 10, 2025). "Scott Dixon, Beverly O'Neill and Jim Michaelian inducted into Motorsports Walk of Fame". Press Telegram.
  38. Cavin, Curt. (March 31, 2025). "Jim Michaelian Has Done It All in 50 Years at Long Beach". IndyCar Series.
  39. Donegan, John. (April 10, 2025). "On eve of historic Grand Prix, Motorsports Walk of Fame honors beloved mayor Beverly O'Neill". Long Beach Post.
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