2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was an IndyCar Series motor race held at the streets of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on April 20, 2008. It was the third round of the 2008 IndyCar Series, for teams who competed in the Champ Car World Series in 2007. This was because the 2008 Indy Japan 300 occurred on the same weekend and there was no way of changing dates to avoid the clash. KV Racing Technology driver Will Power led all but two laps and won the race. Franck Montagny, driving for Forsythe/Pettit Racing, finished second, and Mario Domínguez finished third for Pacific Coast Motorsports.
Due to the reunification of IndyCar and Champ Car, this was the final race held under Champ Car sanctioning. The race was run under 2007 Champ Car rules, which included the standing start, option tires, two-day qualifying format, and was run based on time rather than a set number of laps. he contingent of former Champ Car teams produced a 20-car field, all utilizing the turbocharged Panoz DP01-Cosworth for the final time. Every participant who elected to run other races in the IndyCar season was awarded championship points towards IndyCar. The option tire rule was adopted by the IRL for 2009, as well as standing starts for selected road and street course races in 2013 and 2014 only to be abandoned in 2015 due to safety concerns.
Several IRL staff and team personnel had flown back from Japan Sunday afternoon and saw at least part of the race, including Motegi winner Danica Patrick, who had scored her historic win the previous evening.