With the latest Clash at the L.A. Coliseum ending NASCAR’s agreement with the venue to hold races, rumors have been floating around that the infamous Long Beach street circuit might be on the cards as a future race location. Cup Series star Denny Hamlin, however, isn’t a big fan of the idea of changing things up from the way they are now.
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According to Racer, NASCAR has been pursuing the opportunity to purchase a 50% stake in Southern California’s Long Beach race. The street race has been a regular fixture on the IndyCar Series schedule since 1984 and was made available for sale last year. While neither NASCAR nor the Long Beach Grand Prix president, Jim Michaelian, have confirmed anything, word of a potential deal has been spreading.
When the same was put forward in front of Denny Hamlin in Richmond on Saturday, he expressed that he’d like to keep things the way they are as opposed to adding a new street circuit on the calendar. He said, “I personally like the balance now. I don’t know what it costs for the infrastructure of us, building like a Chicago [Street Course]. Surely it was a lot.”
“It almost seems like you could build a short track just about anywhere as well… So, I would like to see us stick to what we are versus going to too many road courses.” Hamlin heads to Richmond already having won a short track race this season.
What does NASCAR stand with the purchase of the Long Beach Grand Prix?
When Racer approached NASCAR for comments on the rumors of it purchasing an ownership stake in the Grand Prix, the promotion refused to offer any concrete details. However, the Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy, Ben Kennedy, did confirm that the hope is to return to Southern California every season.
“The Southern California market is extremely important to NASCAR,” he said. “We have explored several different options in the area and will continue to do so. I won’t speak specifically to any particular racetrack in Southern California, but will say that if we had our druthers, we would have a race in Southern California every year.”
Reportedly, Roger Penske has put himself into the mix to buy the 50% stake for himself. As drama rules, the story could take a few more turns before coming to a halt.
