Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame facts for kids

City of Long Beach City Manager Pat West presenting Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame plaque to Mario Andretti on April 17, 2008

The Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame is a special pathway in Long Beach, California. It's like a hall of fame, but on a sidewalk! It honors people who have done amazing things in car racing, especially in Long Beach.

This idea started in late 2005. The city wanted to make its connection with the Grand Prix of Long Beach car race even stronger. Many people supported the idea, including city leaders and racing fans. The Walk of Fame officially opened on April 6, 2006, with Long Beach mayor Beverly O'Neill leading the ceremony. The goal was to show everyone how important Long Beach is to auto racing.

Each year, two or three racing heroes are chosen to join the Walk of Fame. A group of local officials and race organizers vote for them. A large bronze plaque, about 22 in (1.8 ft) wide, is placed in the sidewalk for each person. These plaques show a picture of their race car and list their biggest achievements. You can find these plaques along the Grand Prix race track, right in front of the Long Beach Convention Center.

New members are added during a special ceremony held during the week of the Grand Prix. The drivers and their families receive a smaller copy of the bronze plaque. It's a bit like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, but for racing stars!

Since 2006, 42 people from the world of motorsports have been honored. The first two members, Dan Gurney and Phil Hill, joined in 2006. Most of the inductees are from the United States. In 2019, Sébastien Bourdais and Will Power were the first active IndyCar Series drivers to be added. Only one person, Gary Gabelich, was honored after they had passed away. He was a world land speed record holder. In 2024, Katherine Legge became the first woman to be inducted.

Three racing teams have also joined the Walk of Fame. Newman/Haas Racing was the first team in 2007. They were very successful at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Later, Chip Ganassi Racing joined in 2011, and Galles Racing in 2012. Besides drivers and teams, five other people who are not drivers have been inducted. These include Bruce Flanders, Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, Roger Penske, and Christopher Pook. The most recent inductees in 2025 were two-time Long Beach winner Scott Dixon, former Long Beach mayor Beverly O'Neill, and Jim Michaelian, who leads the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.

Honored Members

Key

	This means the person was honored after they passed away.

People Honored on the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame

Name	Country	Year	What They Are Known For	Refs
Gurney, DanDan Gurney	United States	2006	A famous driver and team owner in many types of racing, and a co-founder of the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Hill, PhilPhil Hill	United States	2006	Won the 1961 Formula One World Championship and races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Newman/Haas Racing	United States	2007	One of the most successful teams at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Pook, ChristopherChristopher Pook	United States	2007	Helped start the Grand Prix of Long Beach and was its president.
Redman, BrianBrian Redman	United Kingdom	2007	Won the 1975 Long Beach Grand Prix and raced in Formula One many times.
Andretti, MarioMario Andretti	United States	2008	A champion in Formula One, IndyCar, and many other major races, including the Long Beach GP.
Gabelich, GaryGary Gabelich	United States	2008	A dragster and stock car driver who set the world land speed record in 1970.
Jones, ParnelliParnelli Jones	United States	2008	Won the 1963 Indianapolis 500 and was a winner in midget, NASCAR, and sprint car racing.
Rahal, BobbyBobby Rahal	United States	2009	Won the Indianapolis 500, CART championship, and races like the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Unser Jr., AlAl Unser Jr.	United States	2009	Won the Indianapolis 500 twice, the CART championship, and the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Andretti, MichaelMichael Andretti	United States	2010	Won the 1991 CART championship and the Grand Prix of Long Beach twice.
Sullivan, DannyDanny Sullivan	United States	2010	Won the 1985 Indianapolis 500, the 1988 CART championship, and the 1992 Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Chip Ganassi Racing	United States	2011	A team that won the Grand Prix of Long Beach five times.
Vasser, JimmyJimmy Vasser	United States	2011	A Long Beach Grand Prix driver and winning team owner, and the 1996 CART champion.
Galles Racing	United States	2012	A team that won the Grand Prix of Long Beach five times.
Pruett, ScottScott Pruett	United States	2012	A versatile driver who won at Long Beach in Trans-Am and Grand-Am races.
Fernández, AdriánAdrián Fernández	Mexico	2013	Won a class at the 2009 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach and helped grow Hispanic/Latino interest in the Grand Prix.
Tracy, PaulPaul Tracy	Canada	2013	Won the Grand Prix of Long Beach four times and was the 2003 CART champion.
Forsythe, GeraldGerald Forsythe	United States	2014	As a car owner, he won the Long Beach Grand Prix twice and the Atlantic Championship four times.
Franchitti, DarioDario Franchitti	United Kingdom	2014	Won the IndyCar Series championship four times, and both the Long Beach Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.
Kalkhoven, KevinKevin Kalkhoven	Australia	2014	As a car owner, he won the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the 2005 Long Beach Atlantic Championship race.
Gordon, RobbyRobby Gordon	United States	2015	A winner in IndyCar, NASCAR, sports car, and off-road racing.
Herta, BryanBryan Herta	United States	2015	Won the 1993 Indy Lights Championship and won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 as a car owner.
Flanders, BruceBruce Flanders	United States	2016	Has been the announcer for the Grand Prix of Long Beach since 1978.
Penske, RogerRoger Penske	United States	2016	Led Team Penske to many wins, including 16 Indianapolis 500 victories and 13 IndyCar titles.
Fittipaldi, EmersonEmerson Fittipaldi	Brazil	2017	A two-time Formula One and Indianapolis 500 champion, and the 1989 CART winner.
Kendall, TommyTommy Kendall	United States	2017	A sports and stock car driver who won multiple Trans-Am Series championships.
Castroneves, HélioHélio Castroneves	Brazil	2018	Won the 2001 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Indianapolis 500 three times.
Montoya, Juan PabloJuan Pablo Montoya	Colombia	2018	Won the 1999 Grand Prix of Long Beach and the 1999 CART title, and the Indianapolis 500 twice.
Bourdais, SébastienSébastien Bourdais	France	2019	A four-time Champ Car World Series champion and a three-time Long Beach race winner.
Power, WillWill Power	Australia	2019	Won the Long Beach Grand Prix twice, and was the 2014 IndyCar Series and 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion.
Servià, OriolOriol Servià	Spain	2020	The 1999 Indy Lights champion and a driver in many racing series.
Ribbs, Willy T.Willy T. Ribbs	United States	2020	A driver in Formula Atlantic, IMSA, and NASCAR, and the first African American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991.
Auberlen, BillBill Auberlen	United States	2022	Won the Long Beach sports car race twice and had 63 wins in IMSA competition.
Zanardi, AlexAlex Zanardi	Italy	2022	A two-time CART and Long Beach Grand Prix champion, and a Paralympic handcycling champion.
Hinchcliffe, JamesJames Hinchcliffe	Canada	2023	Won the 2010 Indy Lights race at Long Beach and the 2017 Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Hunter-Reay, RyanRyan Hunter-Reay	United States	2023	Won the 2010 Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 2012 IndyCar Series title, and the 2014 Indianapolis 500.
Legge, KatherineKatherine Legge	United Kingdom	2024	The first woman to win a major North American open-wheel car race (2005 Long Beach Atlantic Championship) and the first female Champ Car race leader in 2006.
Sato, TakumaTakuma Sato	Japan	2024	A two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who won the 2013 Grand Prix of Long Beach, becoming the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar Series event.
Dixon, ScottScott Dixon	New Zealand	2025	A six-time IndyCar Series champion and a two-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner (2015 and 2024).
Michaelian, JimJim Michaelian	United States	2025	The President and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.
O'Neill, BeverlyBeverly O'Neill	United States	2025	The former mayor of the City of Long Beach from 1994 to 2006.

Members by Country

People Honored by Country

Country	Number of Members
United States	26
United Kingdom	3
Australia	2
Brazil	2
Canada	2
Colombia	1
France	1
Italy	1
Japan	1
Mexico	1
New Zealand	1
Spain	1

More About Racing Honors

• International Motorsports Hall of Fame
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America