LONG BEACH WANTS A GRAND PERFORMANCE SUNDAY RACE MAY DETERMINE CHAMP CAR'S SOCAL FUTURE.

Byline: A.J. Perez Staff Writer

LONG BEACH - Envision holding a job for two decades.

Now envision your continued employment came down to three flawless days, or somebody else could come in and steal your gig.

Open your eyes. You're the Champ Car World Series.

``We feel we have to deliver a quality product, and we are optimistic that we will,'' said Dick Eidswick, Champ Car's president. ``We want to see huge crowds, and we want this to be a very successful event. We do have a lot of history behind us, and I think that says a lot by itself.''

This weekend's race marks the 22nd time Champ Car or its forerunner, CART, have raced at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It also marks the end of a five-year contract between Champ Car and the Grand Prix Association.

In the past, the Grand Prix Association's decision to renew was simple. Formula One - the series that raced in Long Beach from 1976 to '83 - was too costly to bring back to town, and there was no other U.S. open-wheel series able to hold a street race.

That all changed last weekend when the Indy Racing League took to the streets for the first time at a race in St. Petersburg, Fla. As much as this weekend can be considered Champ Car's tryout, the same certainly could have been said for the IRL.

Last weekend went well for the IRL, which put on an impressive show - on and off the track - after racing only on ovals during its first nine years of existence.

Now it's Champ Car's turn to put on its Sunday best.

``We are going to evaluate where we are with Champ Car after the weekend,'' said Jim Michaelian, the president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association. ``We are going to take in the totality of what we see, not just here, but where we see (Champ Car) going. That's the critical part of the decision-making process.''

Despite having more time to plan this year, there have still been some kinks:

--The inability to provide a full 18-car field in a timely manner. While the contract with the LBGP calls for a minimum of 16 cars, Champ Car didn't even reach that until Monday.

--A late start date. Champ Car is the last major U.S. racing series to start its season. LBGP organizers would like to see a race or two before its event so the organization can get a head start on promotions.

--No qualifying on television. The race will be shown live Sunday on NBC, but none of the qualifying sessions will be broadcast.

A.J. Perez, [phone]

aj.perez(at)presstelegram.com

TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

Where: Downtown Long Beach, street course.

When: Friday (practice and qualifying starts at 9:30 a.m.); Saturday (practice and qualifying starts at 9 a.m., pro-celebrity race at 12:15 p.m.); Sunday (Toyota Atlantic race, 10:30 a.m.; Drifting Challenge, 11:35 a.m.; Champ Car World Series race, 1 p.m.; Trans-Am race, 3:15 p.m.).

TV: Ch. 4 (Champ Car race), 1 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Four-time Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Paul Tracy and 17 other drivers are gearing up for this weekend's street race.

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Box:

TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH (see text)