GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Drake Stadium at UCLA as Host Venue for Final 2025 Slam Event in Los Angeles

Final Slam of inaugural season to take place on June 27th, 28th, and 29th in Los Angeles, where overall Champions will be crowned.

New York, NY (November 15, 2024) - Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today announced that Drake Stadium will be the host venue for the fourth and final Slam of the 2025 season. Los Angeles was announced last June as the home Grand Slam Track™ and a host city, with the other 2025 Slams taking place in Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, and Philadelphia. Today’s announcement confirms the date and venue for the final Slam of 2025, and completes the calendar for Grand Slam Track™’s first season.

“Los Angeles is set to host Grand Slam Track™,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “As a global sports capital, LA provides the perfect stage to showcase the cream of the crop from around the world. We’re eager to bring the event to this iconic city and can’t wait to give fans an unforgettable experience. It’s a new era for the sport, and we’re delighted to be leading the way.”

Grand Slam Track™, the pinnacle of international racing, is coming to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Slam will be held at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on June 27th, 28th, and 29th, where the world’s fastest racers will compete. Tickets for all four Slams will go on sale on Friday, December 6th, at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific. For more information, please visit https://grandslamtrack.com/events 

“I’m super excited to welcome the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track™ to UCLA,”  said Joanna Hayes, The Sherie L. and Donald G. Morrison UCLA Director of Track & Field/Cross Country. “This series is a unique and exciting opportunity for track athletes and track fans across the world.”

The 2025 Grand Slam Track™ season calendar is now fully announced. The inaugural Slam will be the Kingston Slam, which will take place at National Stadium, in Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica, April 4–6th, 2025. The Miami Slam will take place at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, May 2–4th, 2025. The Philadelphia Slam will take place at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, May 30–June 1st, 2025. Today’s announcement of the Los Angeles Slam taking place at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, June 27–29th 2025, caps this season’s venue and host reveal week.

Each year, 48 athletes will be named as Grand Slam Track™ Racers. The roster of Racers already announced features stars from across the world of track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Ackera Nugent, Roshawn Clarke, Nikki Hiltz, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, Clement Ducos, Marileidy Paulino, Jess Hull, Daniel Roberts, Shamier Little, Marco Arop, Devon Allen, Jasmine Jones, Jereem Richards, Luis Grijalva, Rushell Clayton, Agnes Ngetich, & Tsigie Gebreselama. Fans can now be certain they will see all the superstars listed above in action in Los Angeles in late June 2025.

These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, with a focus on fierce rivalries and thrilling competitive racing. GST Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These GST Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, plus access to world class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.

The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors including recent performances, and the most intriguing athletes and matchups. 

Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, it will be the athlete who had the quickest combined time across the two races who will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Track™ will have a total of $12.6m of prize money that will be awarded across the slams each year in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers. 

The focus of Grand Slam Track™ is on head to head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is equally as important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards. 

Racers will compete in their own sponsored kits, without traditional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create customized kits, in their own desired style. Grand Slam Track™ has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company; all shoe companies are considered to be important stakeholders and partners in the promotion of our racers.

Grand Slam Track™ has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in the first fundraising close for the new venture. The investment in the league will aid in Johnson’s ultimate goal: to develop better engagement with fans by promoting track and field’s biggest stars and reaching new audiences with unique, innovative storytelling.

Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and visit grandslamtrack.com.

About Michael Johnson

Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ben Sosenko [email protected]

Callum Squires [email protected] On behalf of Grand Slam Track