Grand Prix Crews Gear Up for Crowds Expected at Race

It’s a little less than a month before high-performance race cars will be zooming through downtown Long Beach, but preparations are moving rapidly for the 1998 Toyota Grand Prix to be held April 3-5.

All but two of the 20 grandstands are set up in anticipation of the thousands of people who will cram the bleachers. There is reserved seating for 60,000, and general admission tickets for about 30,000 others who usually stand.

Last year, the Grand Prix attracted about 300,000 people and pumped $37 million into the local economy.

Organizers have yet to set up the nine big screens that allow viewers a better look at the high-performance cars racing down a 1.59-mile track with eight turns.