Monterey Grand Prix

The Monterey Grand Prix was an auto race held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The race was first held as a USAC Road Racing Championship event, following the success of the SCCA's Pebble Beach Road Races. After USAC's road racing series disbanded in 1962, the race became a non-championship race for three years, before joining the Can-Am schedule. After Can-Am's demise in 1974, the event shifted to Formula 5000 for two years, then to the IMSA GT Championship for two more years, then to the revamped, Formula 5000-based Can-Am. The first Indy Car / CART / Champ Car World Series race was held in 1983, and the final race was held in 2004. The race was to be brought back to Champ Car in 2008, but after the series was absorbed by the Indy Racing League, the Atlantic Championship took over the headline event.