Long Beach Grand Prix is end of road for circuit

For starters, it will mark the end of the Champ Car World Series, which sanctioned the grand prix for more than two decades but recently merged with the Indy Racing League, reunifying U.S. open-wheel racing.

Yet they're parting one last time this weekend -- the other IRL drivers are in Japan -- because of scheduling commitments. Both races count toward the IRL's IndyCar Series championship, however.

That means several of the 20 drivers in today's Long Beach race, drivers who have moved to the IRL, will be racing for points. The others who did not switch are racing mostly for pride and prize money.

(The Long Beach race will be added to the IRL calendar starting next year.)

Also unusual is that the cars will use a standing start in Long Beach for the first time in decades, as opposed to taking the green flag while they're already rolling. Champ Car began using that format after the Long Beach race last year.

And finally, the whole field has its best shot in years at finding Victory Lane because Sebastien Bourdais isn't in Long Beach. Bourdais, who won here the last three years and the Champ Car title overall the last four years, moved to the Formula One series.

Justin Wilson, Bourdais' successor on the Newman-Haas-Lanigan team, will start on the pole position after being the fastest qualifier for the second straight day Saturday.

Wilson turned a lap of 105.898 mph on the 11-turn course in the final minute of the session to grab the pole from Walker Racing's Alex Tagliani, whose lap of 105.611 mph put him on the outside of the front starting row.

"We're going to try as best we can to go out on a high, which is quite an emotional event for everybody, being the last Champ Car race," said Wilson. "It's going to be a fun race."

Graham Rahal, Wilson's teammate, struggled in qualifying and will start ninth.

"We can't seem to find a setup for the car that we want or that I like," Rahal said. "It's been a difficult couple of days."

The 19-year-old son of former Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal won the most recent IRL race earlier this month in Florida -- becoming the youngest winner in the history of major U.S. open-wheel racing.

He hopes to repeat today in Long Beach, where his father finished second four times but never won.