Storylines Abound as Grand Prix Track Festivities Begin Today

Although rain is expected to put a damper on Friday festivites, the world's fastest beach party figures to be plenty intriguing.

The 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach begins on-course action today as the community gets to partake in the IZOD IndyCar Series' marquee street event.

At a media luncheon Thursday, series president Randy Bernard called the Long Beach event the second-most important on the schedule—behind the Indianapolis 500, obviously.

This year's race features three engine manufacturers, and a newly designed car that was largely developed by the late Dan Wheldon, who suffered a fatal crash in the season-ending race at Las Vegas last year. There will also be new rules, including open pits during full-course caution periods, which means there won't be a bunching up of cars that enter the pits at the same time; that rule, being used for the first time in Sunday's IndyCar race, should mean there are fewer laps run under caution.

All told, there are 85 laps around the 11-turn, 1.97-mile circuit.

Also notable this weekend is that teams using the Chevrolet engines—including Roger Penske's Helio Castroneves and Will Power—will be forced to drop 10 places on the starting grid following qualifying that takes place Saturday. That's because Chevrolet had all its teams participate in .

In the first two races of the season, Castroneves and Power were the two winners, and the Chevrolet has proven to be the strongest. Michael Andretti's team will also be hampered by the engine switch, but it should provide an advantage for Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon—who finished second in the first two races—and Dario Franchitti, who has won the last two series championships. They are among the cars powered by Honda.

A third manufacturer, Lotus, is clearly in the underdog role but has two of the series' best drivers, Sebastien Bourdais and Oriol Servia. Bourdais won four consecutive open wheel championships under Champ Car/CART sanctioning, and he won three consecutive races at Long Beach from 2005-07 driving for the team owned by Carl Haas and actor Paul Newman.

In the last race, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Bourdais gave Lotus its first top 10 finish, and Servia moved up 13 positions to finish 13th after starting last because of an unauthorized engine change.

Bourdais and Servia will both be penalized 10 starting positions this week, too, just like the Chevy drivers.

Servia, who once raced for a team based in Rancho Santa Margarita, currently lives in Santa Monica.

This will also mark the first time former Formula One driver Rubens Barrichelo has raced on the streets of Long Beach. 

The Indycars won't be the only ones racing down Shoreline Drive and Seaside Way.

The American Le Mans Series highlights racing on Saturday, which also includes the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. The Indy Lights, the feeder series for the Indycars, will race on Sunday morning. The Team Drifting Challenge will be featured all three days, and the Pirelli Tires World Challenge closes the weekend with a one-hour race Sunday following the Indycars.

Weekend Schedule for the Grand Prix of Long Beach

Friday

7 a.m. - Gates open
7:15 a.m. - Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series (ALMS) practice
9:35 a.m. - Team Drifting Challenge
10 a.m. - IZOD IndyCar Series Practice
11:15 a.m. - Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race Practice
12 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights (FIL) Practice
2:15 p.m. - IndyCar Practice
3:30 p.m. - Toyota Pro/Celebrity Qualifying
4 p.m. - IZOD IndyCar Series Autograph Session (IndyCar Paddock - FREE to all race ticket holders)
4:15 p.m. - Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) Practice
5 p.m. - ALMS Qualifying
6:30 p.m. - Tecate Light Fiesta Friday Concert Starring Belanova

Saturday

7 a.m. - Gates open
7:15 a.m. - PWC Practice
8 a.m. - FIL Practice
8:55 a.m. - Team Drifting Challenge
10:25 a.m. - IndyCar Practice
11:40 a.m. - Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
12:30 p.m. - ALMS Driver Autograph Session in Lifestyle Expo
12:55 p.m. - FIL Qualifying
2 p.m. - IndyCar Qualifying and Firestone Fast Six
3:55 p.m. - ALMS Pre-Race
4:30 p.m. - Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series Race (2 hours)
6:45 p.m. - Tecate Light Rock-N-Roar Concert Starring Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Sunday

7 a.m. - Gates open
8 a.m. - FIL Practice
8:25 a.m. - PWC Qualifying
9:15 a.m. - IndyCar Practice
10:45 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights Race
12:30 p.m. - IndyCar Pre-Race Ceremonies
1:15 p.m. (Approx.) - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IZOD IndyCar Series Race (85 laps)
3:40 p.m. - Team Drifting Challenge
4:15 p.m. - Pirelli World Challenge Race (1 hour)