Grand Prix of Boston

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The Grand Prix of Boston was a proposed IndyCar Series race scheduled to be first held on September 4, 2016. [1] The race was to have taken place on a 2.25 mile route along the South Boston Seaport. [2]

Contents

Plans

In April 2016, the city of Boston, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority had reached an agreement with Indycar to allow the race to move forward. [3] In May 2016, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and IndyCar signed an agreement to host the event. [4] Also working on coordinating aspects of the event was administration of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, as the race circuit at the South Boston Seaport would have included parcels of land owned by the state of Massachusetss. [5] The event would have been the first IndyCar race to take place in Boston. [6]

The race was scheduled to take place on Labor Day weekend in September 2016. [6] Alongside the IndyCar Series, it was also scheduled to including races by the Indy Lights, Stadium Super Trucks, and IMSA Super Trofeo series. [7]

Cancelation

The event faced local opposition, including from residents of nearby neighborhoods who expressed concerns over impacts such as noise and additional traffic. [4]

In March 2016 Indycar abruptly cancelled the event, [5] It was first decided that IndyCar would not use the South Boston Seaport (with consideration initially given to moving the event to another Boston-area location), before plans for the race were cancelled altogether. [8] [9] John Casey (the president of the Grand Prix of Boston's corporate board) blamed the cancellation on demands made by Walsh's mayoral administration, which he characterized as unreasonable. [5] Both Walsh and the spokesperson for IndyCar later expressed an openness to hosting a race in Boston sometime in the future. [10]

The event was replaced on the 2016 IndyCar Series schedule by a race at Watkins Glen. [11] [12]

After the cancellation, the CEO of the Boston Grand Prix, Casey appeared in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to account for the project's funds. [13] In 2021, Casey, who had also served as chief financial officer of the Boston Grand Prix, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and filing false tax returns. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ Goodison, Donna (May 21, 2015). "Grand Prix of Boston set to roll starting in '16". Boston Herald . Herald Media Inc. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Boston will host Labor Day IndyCar street race in 2016". ESPN News Services. Boston: ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. May 21, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Long Beach notebook: Rahal gets early win to start race weekend". Indycar.com. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  4. 1 2 Arsenault, Mark (November 13, 2015). "Defending IndyCar Race, Walsh Bemoans Boston's Culture of 'No'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Dezenski, Lauren (May 3, 2016). "Baker Defends Walsh After IndyCar Pulls Out of Boston". Politico. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Mayor Walsh, IndyCar Still Open To Race In Boston - CBS Boston". CBS News. Associated Press. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "SCHEDULE OF EVENTS". indycarboston.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  8. ↑ Mark Glendenning. "INDYCAR Racing News | Racer.com - IndyCar: Boston GP Called Off". Racer.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-01. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  9. ↑ Marshall Pruett / Image by LAT. "Indycar Racing News | Racer.com - INDYCAR: Boston CEO working on new venue". Racer.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-01. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  10. ↑ Vaccaro, Adam (May 5, 2016). "Marty Walsh Thinks An IndyCar Race Could Still Be in Boston's Future". Boston.com. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  11. ↑ "IndyCar Series replaces proposed Boston race with return to Watkins Glen". ESPN.com. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  12. ↑ "Labor Day IndyCar race called off in Boston". Boston Herald. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Wells, Jonathan (October 4, 2017). "Boston Grand Prix questionable spending exposed". WCVB. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Feds say Boston Grand Prix CFO spent COVID-19 funds on diamond ring, Match.com membership". WCVB. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
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