SST set for ninth dance at Long Beach in 2022

Since 2013, the Stadium Super Trucks have torn up the streets of Long Beach, California in support of the NTT IndyCar Series‘ Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Things will not be any different in 2022 when ticket sales began Monday for the 8–10 April weekend. Included in the announcement was confirmation that SST will be among a number of undercard classes including IMSA, the Super Drift Challenge, and Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

“We are delighted to return to our traditional April race dates in 2022,” Grand Prix Association of Long Beach CEO Jim Michaelian stated. “Two months ago, our 2021 event went off very successfully after being delayed due to the pandemic. Now, we get to bring the excitement and family fun back to the streets of Long Beach in the spring. It’s going to be a weekend full of activity for the entire family.”

Long Beach is the only track to have hosted SST every year since the inaugural season in 2013, with the exception of 2020 which was cancelled due to COVID-19. The pandemic forced the 2021 Grand Prix to be moved from its traditional April date to September, where it served as the final round of the 2021 SST season.

Jerett Brooks and Robby Gordon are the defending winners. Gordon, who also has experience at Long Beach in IndyCar, leads all SST drivers in victories there with four (2014, 2017, 2019, 2021). Matt Brabham trails by one with triumphs in 2017, 2018, and 2019, while Sheldon Creed swept the 2016 weekend. Brooks, Justin Lofton (2013), E.J. Viso (2015), and Gavin Harlien (2018) have one win apiece.

Additional dates have not been confirmed, though one can expect the trucks to continue following IndyCar to various street and road course events. Of the thirteen other tracks on the 2022 IndyCar schedule, SST has visited nine: St. Petersburg, Texas Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Detroit Belle Isle, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Honda Indy Toronto, Nashville, and Portland International Raceway. St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio, and Nashville joined Long Beach on the 2021 SST calendar, with Mid-Ohio welcoming SST twice in conjunction with the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Although the Xfinity Series will not return to Mid-Ohio in 2022, the Camping World Truck Series will début at the Lexington road course on 9 July.

Details of a 2022 itinerary for the series’ Australian counterpart, the Boost Mobile Super Trucks, are also currently unknown. The 2021 Boost Mobile Super Trucks season was abruptly cut short when the pandemic resulted in the final scheduled race at Sydney Motorsport Park being postponed without the trucks as a support event.