Long Beach will have to add more seats in 2009

Long Beach City Manager Patrick West, whose interest in Grand Prix lies not so much in the racing as in the financial and civic boost it provides the city, said IRL's higher-profile racers and more competitors will only draw additional fans in 2009.

"Next year will see significant new interest with more cars in the race, more names like Danica Patrick, more grandstand areas, more `name' celebrities with no writers strike and more TV coverage from this year promoting next year, along with a bigger publicity machine from IRL," West said. "It's all good!"

West indicated the writer's strike, which ended in February, shifted TV production later than normal, causing many celebrities to bow out. In past years, stars such as George Lucas, Cameron Diaz, William Shatner and Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil competed in the Pro-Celebrity race.