IndyCar Monterey Grand Prix

The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is an IndyCar Series race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. The event dates back to 1960, and became an American open wheel race in 1983. The race was part of the CART/Champ Car series from 1983 through 2004. After a fifteen-year hiatus, the event returned in 2019 as part of the IndyCar Series, replacing Sonoma.
Since its inception as an Indy car race in 1983, for nearly it entire existence, it has been held at or very near the end of the season. From 1989 to 1996, it served as the CART season finale. It was once again the season finale when it returned in 2019. Due to its placement near the end of the season, the race has often been pivotal to the points championship. Several drivers have clinched the Indy car title at Laguna Seca. In addition, Laguna Seca was the site of the final Indy car race for legend Mario Andretti, who retired at the end of the 1994 season.
Laguna Seca is perhaps best-remembered as the site of one of the most legendary moments in the history of CART. On the final lap of the 1996 Monterey Grand Prix, Alex Zanardi executed a daring, diving pass inside of Bryan Herta through the difficult "Corkscrew" turns. Zanardi bounced wildly through the dirt and over the curbing, sliding across the track, narrowly missing a collision, and astonishingly made the pass stick for the win. The spectacular overtaking maneuver by Zanardi later became known in racing circles simply as "The Pass".
The driver with the most wins is Bobby Rahal, who won the CART series race four years in a row from 1984 to 1987, and three additional times as an owner (1998, 1999, 2001). Rahal also won the race in 1979 when it was a Can-Am series event.
History.
The event dates back to 1960, and has traditionally been held in the fall (September or October). The event was first held as a USAC Road Racing Championship race, following the success of the SCCA's Pebble Beach Road Races. After USAC's road racing series disbanded in 1962, the race became a non-championship sports car race for three years. The race then joined the Can-Am schedule for 1966–1973. After the demise of Can-Am in 1974, the event shifted to Formula 5000 for two years, then to IMSA for two more years. This race encompasses a separate history from another event at Laguna Seca, the sports car race traditionally held in the spring.
The revived Cam-Am returned from 1978 to 1982, after which time the event became a CART Indy car race. The CART race was held every year from 1983 to 2004. The race continued to be held in the fall with the exception of 2002–2003 when it was briefly moved to June. The final CART/Champ Car race was held in 2004. Its spot on the calendar was shifted to San Jose.
In 1989 and 1991, the Marlboro Challenge all-star exhibition race was part of the CART race weekend. In 1991, Michael Andretti swept the weekend, winning both the Challenge on Saturday and Grand Prix on Sunday.
After a hiatus from 2005 to 2007, the race was set to return as part of the Champ Car World Series in 2008. However, after the 2008 open wheel unification, the race went back on hiatus. With the top-level Indy cars absent, and now competing instead at Sonoma, the Atlantic Championship briefly headlined at the track from 2008–2009. In 2015–2016, the track hosted the Mazda Road to Indy championship weekend. All three lower tiers of INDYCAR – Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and U.S. F2000 participated in a standalone event. However, the top-level IndyCar Series still stayed away, and continued to race at Sonoma.
In 2018, a renewed effort to return Indy car racing to Laguna Seca was spearheaded by Monterey County and track officials. In their favor, the IndyCar races at Sonoma were said to be money-losers. Sonoma, which is also located in the Northern California region, is only about 150 miles north of Monterey by car. Sonoma held a "geographical exclusion" clause which effectively precluded IndyCar races from being held at both venues. In July 2018, it was announced that Sonoma would be removed from the IndyCar schedule after the 2018 season, and Laguna Seca would be added for 2019. The track signed an initial three-year deal and would take over the spot as the IndyCar season finale.
In 1999, driver Gonzalo Rodríguez was fatally injured in a practice crash. Five different drivers have won the Indy car race consecutively, including Bobby Rahal who won four years in a row from 1984 to 1987. Rahal's mark ties a CART series record for most consecutive wins at an individual circuit.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the race was to become a doubleheader, however the pandemic got worse and on July 27, IndyCar officials announced the cancellation of the race for 2020.