The Grand Prix of Long Beach hosted a celebrity race — which drew dozens of famous competitors, including Jay Leno, Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Jason Bateman and more — from 1977 to 2016.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach debuted at a time in the U.S. where racing on city streets was all but seen as a faux pas, more than 20 years after a tragedy in the small town of Watkins Glen, N.Y ...