Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach returns to network TV in 2021 - Long Beach Press Telegram

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• IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi races past the fountain during the final practice session prior to qualifying at the 45th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Saturday, April 13, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

• Alexander Rossi takes the checkered flag to win the 45th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday, April 14, 2019. Pole sitter Alexander Rossi defended his 2018 Long Beach win with a flag-to-flag victory with Josef Newgarden finishing second and Scott Dixon coming in third. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

• Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO Jim Michaelian speaks to the press as construction, grand stand, and track set up began for the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which was set to run April 17-19. Long Beach, Tuesday, February 25, 2020. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

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• Construction on the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race circuit is in full swing as trucks carrying concrete barriers merge with other vehicles on Shoreline Drive in Long Beach on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Construction began on Tuesday for the Grand Prix weekend of April 17-19. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

• Alexander Rossi leads the field down Shoreline Drive to start the 45th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday, April 14, 2019. Pole sitter Alexander Rossi defended his 2018 Long Beach win with a flag-to-flag victory with Josef Newgarden finishing second and Scott Dixon coming in third. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

• IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi exits the hairpin during the opening practice session for the 45th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Friday, April 12, 2019. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will return to network television in 2021 for the first time since 2007, NTT IndyCar Series has announced.

The IndyCar Series, which includes the famous Indianapolis 500, announced its 2021 schedule on Thursday morning, Oct. 1 — with the Long Beach Grand Prix on the list of races that will be televised by NBC. In recent years, NBC Sports Network, an arm of NBC, has televised the race.

The 46th running of the three-day Grand Prix is set for April 16-18 on the streets of downtown Long Beach.

Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, said he was excited about returning to network television.

“We are very appreciative to IndyCar for being able to showcase all of the attributes of the Acura Grand Prix and the host city of Long Beach on NBC network on Sunday, April 18,” Michaelian said in a statement. “For many years we have worked hard to get coverage of the race on network television, but always ran into conflicts with NBA and NHL playoff broadcasts.

“This is great news for all of our clients,” he added, “including our title sponsor, Acura.”

The 2020 Long Beach Grand Prix, which was supposed to be the 46th annual race and the second sponsored by Acura, was canceled in March — about a month before the event was set to take place — because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

There was brief hope the race could get rescheduled to this fall, but officials at the time admitted that it would be tough to fit in all the other IndyCar Series races that were also canceled. And besides, Los Angeles County and Long Beach put in place an indefinite ban on large gatherings.

In 2019, the Long Beach Grand Prix drew more than 187,000 attendees to downtown Long Beach.

Tickets for 2021 will go on sale later this year, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach said in a statement.

But it is unclear when public health officials may repeal the ban on gatherings. If that ban remains come April, the Grand Prix would have to go without fans, the way other sports have done this year.

Still, those who chose to credit their 2020 tickets toward 2021 will be able to select their viewing options prior to tickets going on sale to the general public, the association’ statement said.

NBC televised the event in 2007, then it went to ESPN 2 in 2008. Versus, which would become NBC Sports Network, televised it from 2009 to 2011 and it has been on NBC Sports Network since then.

Alexander Rossi is the two-time defending Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach champion, having won in 2018 and 2019.

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