2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
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1.968 mi / 3.167 km
| Race details | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd (B) round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season | |||||
 | |||||
| Date | April 20, 2008 | ||||
| Official name | Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach | ||||
| Location | Streets of Long Beach | ||||
| Course | Temporary street circuit 1.968 mi / 3.167 km | ||||
| Distance | 83 laps 163.344 mi / 262.877 km | ||||
| Weather | 65 °F (18 °C), Sunny | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver |  Justin Wilson ( Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) | ||||
| Time | 1:06.902[1] | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Antônio Pizzonia ( Rocketsports) | ||||
| Time | 1:08.252 (on lap 68 of 83) | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First |  Will Power ( KV Racing Technology) | ||||
| Second |  Franck Montagny ( Forsythe/Pettit Racing) | ||||
| Third |  Mario Domínguez ( Pacific Coast Motorsports) | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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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 (1 hour, 45 minutes) 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.
As the sole Champ Car event in 2008, the winner of this race would be the de facto champion of the 2008 Champ Car World Series season, similar to the USAC Gold Crown Series from 1984 to 1995. With Will Power winning the race, he is the last Champ Car champion. This fact is often unacknowledged.
Several IRL staff and team personnel had flown back from Japan Sunday afternoon (local time) and saw at least part of the race, including Motegi winner Danica Patrick, who had scored her historic win the previous evening.
