Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Tickets

Adding to the week-long festival atmosphere surrounding the April 8-10 NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway, Vault350, Long Beach's new entertainment hot spot, has signed a sponsorship agreement with the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway. The venue is planning major live concert events with internationally known acts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights of NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway week. The concerts will take place later in the evenings. On Friday and Saturday nights, the shows will start after the Tecate Fiesta Friday and Rock-N-Roar concerts in front of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center have ended. Thursday night's concert will be presented as the "grand finale" to the annual Tecate Thursday Thunder on Pine street festival event on Pine Avenue between Broadway and 4th streets in downtown Long Beach.

The headlining acts for all three concerts will be announced soon. "What an honor to be in a partnership with California's most distinguished, successful and longest-running NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway event," said Mitchell Stewart, owner of Vault350. "Like the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway we pride ourselves on presenting the best entertainment in Southern California." Some of the world-class performers who have appeared at the Vault350 include B.B. King, Chris Issak, Joe Walsh, Leon Russell, Marilyn Manson, Keith Sweat, Cheap Trick, Three Dog Night, the B-52s, Sinbad, Merle Haggard and Little Feat. The Vault350 is an upscale yet intimate concert venue, located in a historic 1920s, renovated bank building. Inside, Vault350 offers 28,000 square feet on three levels with a mezzanine and VIP Lounge overlooking the giant stage. The 110,000 watt, state-of-the-art sound system is considered by many audiophiles and engineers to be the finest in Southern California. There are two 50-foot projection screens on either side of the stage for "larger than life" close-ups that greatly heighten the sense of intimacy.

"In a short period of time, the Vault 350 has had a major impact on the entertainment scene in downtown Long Beach," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway Tickets is an Association of Long Beach. "We are looking forward to working with Mitchell and his team in adding to the fun and musical experience that our many fans can enjoy during race week." For more information on Vault350, visit vault350.com or call toll-free, (888) 80-VAULT. Tickets for the 31st Annual NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway, which will run April 8-10, 2005, are on sale now. The Champ Car World Series will again be the headline racing event. Tickets can be ordered via credit card by using the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at longbeachgp.com, in person at the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway ticket office (3000 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90806).

Ticket prices range from $32 for a Friday/Saturday-only general admission ticket to $114 for a three-day ticket, which includes Saturday and Sunday reserved seating on upper levels of the grandstands. Limited pre-paid parking packages are available and can be purchased when ordering tickets. Handicapped seating, Bosch Champ Car Garage passes, hospitality club packages and super photo tickets are also available for purchase. For up-to-date ticket information, descriptions of the various club ticket packages, or for announcements of special NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway event activities, visit the official NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway Web site at longbeachgp.com. It's never too early to starting thinking about the Rites of Spring! Specifically, Southern California's "Official Spring Brake," the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway. Tickets for the 31st Annual edition of America's premier street race, April 8-10, 2005 are now on sale.

The 2005 NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway Tickets will again feature the cars and stars of the Champ Car World Series, expected to be led by four-time Long Beach winner Paul Tracy, Southern California favorite Michel Jourdain Jr., Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. "Following up on our very successful 30th anniversary celebration, we are already making plans to include several features at next year's race that will make it even more attractive," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway Association of Long Beach. "With the new stability of Champ Car and the added development in downtown Long Beach, the 31st edition of the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway Tickets should be something special." Also scheduled for the action-packed weekend is the always-entertaining Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, now in its 29th year, as well as the Toyota Atlantic Championship showcasing young driving talent. There will be additional races announced in the coming weeks.

As always, the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway will feature much more than top-notch racing. There will once again be a variety of family-oriented activities throughout the weekend, including the Automobile Club of Southern California Lifestyle Expo, free to all race ticket holders. Every year the Lifestyle Expo features the latest high-tech products and services, racecars, games, and simulators. For the younger crowd, extreme sports demonstrations will return, as will the Kids' Fun Zone. Evening activities include the Tecate Fiesta Friday concert - featuring the hottest Latin bands - and Saturday Rock-N-Roar concert featuring internationally known acts like Third Eye Blind, Everclear and the Goo Goo Dolls in the past. For the sixth consecutive year, the 1.97-mile, 11-turn race circuit configuration on the downtown streets of Long Beach encompassing the Aquarium of the Pacific, Pike at Rainbow Harbor and Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is unchanged. Nineteen grandstands line the circuit, which include reserved seats, limited general admission seats and seating for various club ticket packages.

Ticket prices for the three-day event range from $32 for a Friday/Saturday general admission ticket to $114 for a three-day ticket that includes Saturday and Sunday reserved seating in upper levels of the grandstands. Pre-paid parking packages are available and can be purchased when ordering tickets through the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway ticket office. Credit card orders for the 2005 event can be placed by calling the ticket hotline toll-free at (888) 82-SPEED. A ticket brochure for the NASCAR Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Speedway can also be obtained by calling the ticket hotline. The ticket brochure includes a circuit map with grandstand and parking locations as well as ticket prices and a ticket order form. Handicapped seating, Bosch Champ Car Garage passes, super photo tickets and several hospitality club packages are also available.