Business & Tech

Celeb Drivers Announced for Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

The list of entertainment and sports stars taking the wheel is of interest to businesses from downtown to Belmont Shore that benefit from the yearly three-day race crowd.

Last year's champion celebrity driver Brian Austin Green tops the list of entertainment and sports stars who will take the wheel this April in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Grand Prix charity race, it was announced Monday.

The celebrity race April 15, which benefits charity, kicks off the three-day surge of competitors, crews and spectators into coastal Long Beach. The annual street race, the largest in the U.S., is a welcome source of income for many downtown and Belmont Shore businesses. They say the steady crowds descending on downtown Long Beach spill from the grandstands and sidelines into outlying communities.

"We do pretty well with the Grand Prix," Ellen Wilkerson, whose family owns the 47-year-old Hermann's Shoes on Second Street, said Monday night. "It trickles down to us here."

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In addition to Green, known for his roles in Beverly Hills 90210, One Tree Hill and as husband to actress Megan Fox---the other drivers introduced Monday by organizers are:

  • Academy Award-winner Djimon Hounsou from Amistad, Gladiator and Blood Diamond
  • Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band
  • Anthony Anderson of Law and Order
  • Former Ralph Lauren model and Make Me a Supermodel judge Tyson Beckford
  • Eddie Cibrian, actor formerly of CSI: Miami
  • Kim Coates, actor best known for Sons of Anarchy, Resident Evil: Afterlife and Pearl Harbor
  • Actor Stephen Moyer of True Blood
  • Musician Kevin Eubanks of the The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
  • Actor Dennis Haysbert of The Unit, 24 and Jarhead
  • Stephen Moyer of True Blood
  • Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band
  • UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz
  • Megyn Price from Rules of Engagement
  • Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons
  • TV host Jillian Barbiere of Good Day L.A.

Also driving among the pros will be "drifting'' champion Kenshiro Gushi, top import drag-racing professional and founder of World Motorsports Christian Radio and USAC National midget car series champion Kody Swanson.

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"As the crown jewel of celebrity race events for more than three decades, the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race has managed to transform dozens of celebrities into high-speed racers, while also changing the lives of children in need," said Les Unger, Toyota's national motorsports manager, in a prepared statement.

Even celebrities who have driven and raced before must undergo a special driving school program that teaches them how to react in the pressure of a street race. After the races, the day's spectators party in downtown L.B. and in Belmont Shore.

Toyota donates $5,000 per driver to Racing for Kids each year, and another $5,000 to the winning racer's charity of choice. Racing for Kids, a national nonprofit benefiting childrens hospitals, was developed to introduce sick children as fans to their favorite drivers and entertainers.

City News Service contributed to this report.


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