IndyCar Monterey Grand Prix

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

IndyCar Series
Venue	WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Corporate sponsor	Firestone
First race	1983
First ICS race	2019
Distance	212.61 mi (342.163 km)
Laps	95
Previous names	Cribari Wines 300k (1983) Quinn's Cooler 300k (1984) Stroh's 300k (1985) Champion Spark Plug 300 (1986–1990) Toyota Monterey Grand Prix (1991) Kodalux Processing 300 (1992) Makita 300 (1993) Bank of America 300 (1994–1996) Texaco-Havoline 300 (1997–1998) Shell 300 (1999–2000) Honda Grand Prix of Monterey (2001) Bridgestone Grand Prix of Monterey (2002, 2004)
Most wins (driver)	Bobby Rahal (4)
Most wins (team)	Penske Racing (6)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Engine: Lola (7) Engine: Ford-Cosworth (6)

The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is an IndyCar Series race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, United States. The event dates back to 1960, and became an American open wheel race in 1983. The race was part of the CART series from 1983 to 2003, and then the Champ Car World Series, CART's successor, for 2004. After a fifteen-year hiatus, the event returned in 2019 as part of the IndyCar Series, replacing Sonoma.^[1]

Since its inception as an open-wheel race in 1983, the Grand Prix of Monterey has been held at or very near the end of the season for nearly its entire existence. From 1989 to 1996, it served as the CART season finale, and 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 battle for the drivers' championship; several drivers have clinched the series title at Laguna Seca. In addition, Laguna Seca was the site of the final IndyCar race for racing 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 CART history. 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, slid across the track and narrowly missed 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.