{"id":14869,"date":"2026-06-13T23:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T23:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14869"},"modified":"2026-06-13T23:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T23:32:16","slug":"family-community-celebrate-the-life-of-longtime-long-beach-grand-prix-chief-jim-michaelian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14869","title":{"rendered":"Family, community celebrate the life of longtime Long Beach Grand Prix chief Jim Michaelian"},"content":{"rendered":"

High-tech autos that usually roar along race tracks and street courses were silently parked on Saturday morning near Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos. Wreaths, flowers and photos mirrored the abundance of love and appreciation that family, friends, local leaders and the racing community felt for Jim Michaelian.<\/p>

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Loved ones, business partners and community members attended the celebration of life for the late president and CEO of the Long Beach Grand Prix Association.<\/p>\n

Michaelian, high-profile helmsman of the iconic race for a quarter-century, died suddenly on Saturday, March 21, just a few weeks away from the final event he planned to oversee before his scheduled retirement.<\/p>\n

The memorial began with gospel music and words from Pastor Eric Nelson. The more than 200 guests in attendance listened attentively, including Michaelian\u2019s wife, Mary, and two sons, Bob and Mike.<\/p>\n

Bob and Mike Michaelain shared personal stories and experiences with their father and outlined some of the core principles that shaped who he was to them and to many others he helped throughout his life and career.<\/p>\n

Those principles included his willingness to go above and beyond to help others; his love, energy and passion for family, friends and the racing community; his physical toughness and mental fortitude during times of distress; and his deep, enduring faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, you are an incredible father for me and a friend to many here, and you will be greatly missed,\u201d Mike Michaelian said. \u201cYou were humble about your many accomplishments, and you lived a full life of passion, energy, and love. Your legacy is witnessed by all of us who admired and loved you in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both sons shared memories about Michaelian\u2019s love for the family\u2019s Sunday dinners. For 56 years, the family came together every Sunday night to share a meal and talk about current events, politics, religion, the business of racing, and the small and big things in their lives.<\/p>

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\u201cIn the last few years, Dad said something that I think stayed with us. He said the most important accomplishment in his life was Sunday dinners,\u201d Bob Michaelian said. \u201cThis is the man who helped create the Grand Prix, founded a television production company, ran a F1 race in the Caesar\u2019s Palace parking lot, who took the reins of the race during the times it was most turbulent, and pulled it forward, and at the end of his life, when you asked him what mattered most, the answer was Sunday dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSunday dinners were just an analogy for the family that he and Mom had built,\u201d Bob Michaelian added, \u201cthat was the most precious thing to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both sons also spoke about the legacy their father has left on the racing world and the Long Beach community.<\/p>\n

Last year, Michaelian celebrated the landmark 50th anniversary of the race, now dubbed the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Michaelian\u2019s last day as president and CEO was scheduled to be June 30.<\/p>

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Michaelian had been involved in the race since its inception in 1975. He saw it grow from a modest curiosity \u2014 with some people initially calling founder Chris Pook\u2019s idea for a downtown street race \u201ccrazy\u201d \u2014 to a defining motorsports event that draws around 200,000 people annually.<\/p>\n

It is widely considered the second-most prestigious IndyCar Series race, behind only the beloved Indianapolis 500.<\/p>\n

Shortly before the IndyCar Series drivers started their engines for the 51st Grand Prix in April, race officials and local leaders honored Michaelian during a public tribute near the familiar street course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first met Jim in June of 1975 on an elevator at the Port of Long Beach, where we were headed for a dreaded Coastal Commission hearing,\u201d Grand Prix founder Chris Pook said during the event, with Michaelian\u2019s wife, Mary, and children Mike and Bob standing behind him. \u201cHe had heard about a Monte Carlo-style street race being proposed for Long Beach and wanted to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe led the company successfully through the IndyCar wars,\u201d Pook said. \u201cHe earned yours, the city\u2019s and the sponsors\u2019 respect and rebuilt the attendance only to be knocked down again by the COVID pandemic from 2019 to 2020. And, once again, he rebuilt the company as witnessed by your presence here today in what seem to me to be record numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson concluded April\u2019s pre-race ceremony, emphasizing the impact Michaelian and the race he helmed has had on the city. \u201cAs our dear friend Jim Michaelian would say,\u201d the mayor said, \u201c\u2018there\u2019s nowhere in the world where you will find a 200-mile-an-hour beach party, but here at the Long Beach Grand Prix.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, the Grand Prix became Long Beach\u2019s biggest annual party, enjoyable for everyone from casual fans to hardcore motorsports lovers \u2014 and even the competitors. He also led the event through some challenging times, notably the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

He got to celebrate his accomplishments last year during the 50th anniversary, when, on the eve of the event, he was inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame outside the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.<\/p>\n