Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey 2023-09-10

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Event
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

Date
Sun 10th September 2023 (UTC)
Sun 10th September 2023 (Local)

Timestamp
2023-09-10T00:00:00

Time

00:00:00 UTC (00:00:00 Local)

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League
IndyCar Series

Season
2023

Round
17

Status

Location
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Video Highlights

Description

The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is an IndyCar Series race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. The event dates back to 1960, and became an American open wheel race in 1983. The race was part of the CART/Champ Car series from 1983 through 2004. After a fifteen-year hiatus, the event returned in 2019 as part of the IndyCar Series, replacing Sonoma.

Since its inception as an Indy car race in 1983, for nearly it entire existence, it has been held at or very near the end of the season. From 1989 to 1996, it served as the CART season finale. It was once again the season finale when it returned in 2019. Due to its placement near the end of the season, the race has often been pivotal to the points championship. Several drivers have clinched the Indy car title at Laguna Seca. In addition, Laguna Seca was the site of the final Indy car race for legend Mario Andretti, who retired at the end of the 1994 season.

Laguna Seca is perhaps best-remembered as the site of one of the most legendary moments in the history of CART. On the final lap of the 1996 Monterey Grand Prix, Alex Zanardi executed a daring, diving pass inside of Bryan Herta through the difficult "Corkscrew" turns. Zanardi bounced wildly through the dirt and over the curbing, sliding across the track, narrowly missing a collision, and astonishingly made the pass stick for the win. The spectacular overtaking maneuver by Zanardi later became known in racing circles simply as "The Pass".

The driver with the most wins is Bobby Rahal, who won the CART series race four years in a row from 1984 to 1987, and three additional times as an owner (1998, 1999, 2001). Rahal also won the race in 1979 when it was a Can-Am series event.