After a turbulent offseason of schedule delays and disruptions, the NTT IndyCar Series is ready to start the season in its happy place on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (noon ET, Sunday on NBC and Peacock) will mark its 14th edition as the season opener — a figurative and literal ray of sweetness and light that brings drivers and teams out of their Midwest hibernation in a good mood.
Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward spoke for many of his brethren when he told NBC Sports that St. Pete is “the perfect place to have the season opener because the town is very special.”
“I love that place,” six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who still is seeking his first victory in The Sunshine City after 19 starts (and four runner-up finishes, told NBC Sports. “ For many reasons, I’ve never won there. I really would love to; it’s at the top of my list for places to get a win. I just love kicking off the season there. It’s right around spring break. People have been cooped up in Indiana or other places that are maybe not so warm, but I love going there and kicking off the season. It’s a fantastic race. The fans are fantastic.
“It’s the best place to kick off the season.”
The 14-turn, 1.8-mile street course winds past some stunning landmarks such as the gleaming glass dome of the Salvador Dali Museum and the striking super yachts of the city’s central basin harbor.
“St. Pete is just high energy,” Alexander Rossi told NBC Sports. “It’s a season opener. It’s a party town. A lot of awesome fans turn out there. The weather is usually great. There’s boats in the harbor.
“So getting out of Indianapolis and into the sunshine on the beach. It’s pretty awesome. We love going there and can’t wait to get down there this year.”
Two-time St. Pete winner Will Power says St. Pete is a favorite because “it’s a quiet city, kind of a coastal town. I really enjoy going because I get a nice, relaxed feeling.”
Two-time champion teammate Josef Newgarden said the vibes are evident from just being out and about downtown.
“St. Pete just feels very IndyCar, and by that I mean the town, the city is so supportive,” the Team Penske driver told NBC Sports. “Everybody knows what’s going on. We’re like the local circus that comes to town, but it’s a fun circus across the weekend. Everybody wants to go, everybody knows about it, and you feel the energy. The restaurants that you’re walking up and down the streets going to; everybody’s engaged in what’s happening. So the atmosphere makes it a fun place to start because everybody wants it to happen.”
But this is no beach weekend for the series.
“St. Pete is always tough because everybody’s nervous,” Newgarden said. “It’s been a long offseason. You’re ready to prove yourself again. You’re trying to exude confidence throughout your team and kind of show everybody where you’re at. It’s about trying to be steady in the first event. For me, it’s always been putting points on the board. You don’t have to win the first race, but you’ve got to have a solid showing. So I think of St. Pete as survival in a lot of ways. You’ve just got to survive that start and not start from a deficit. It’s always tough to do that.”
And it’s a tough layout to tackle, too. Starting on the wide expanse of the Albert Whitted Airport runway, the circuit quickly narrows into a tight downtown layout after the first turn. Last year’s race featured its share of traffic jams and airborne crashes.
“I think the unique part is it has a major challenge right from the get-go,” Graham Rahal, who scored his first career victory at St. Pete in 2008, told NBC Sports. “Turn 1, you’re entering late braking over the painted surfaces from the runway. St. Pete demands perfection in every way with very little margin for error around the track as many of us have learned.”
The technical course with high and low-speed sections is an enticing home track for Kyle Kirkwood. The Andretti Global driver, a two-time winner on street courses last season, lives about three hours away in Jupiter, Florida.
“St. Pete’s so cool because you actually go out on a runway that feels like a proper racetrack, and then all of a sudden, you’re in the tightest section of downtown,” Kirkwood told NBC Sports. “In some super tight corners, it produces some great racing for a street course has a lot of uniqueness, and then the fact that it’s in Florida creates some comfort for me.”
Here are the details for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race weekend (all times are ET):
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE START TIMES
TV: Sunday, noon ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe (whose first career IndyCar victory came at St. Petersburg 11 years ago).
Marty Snider, Kevin Lee and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2024.
Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying and Indy NXT races. (Click here for information on how to sign up for Peacock.)
COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 12:23 p.m. ET
GREEN FLAG: 12:30 p.m. ET
POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after the race ends. Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for practices and qualifying.
INDYCAR RADIO NETWORK: The IndyCar and Indy Lights races and all practices and qualifying sessions will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app.
PRACTICE: Friday, 2:45 p.m. (Peacock); Saturday, 9:35 a.m. (Peacock), Sunday warmup, 9:10 a.m. (Peacock)
PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined
QUALIFYING: Saturday, 2 p.m. (Peacock)
STARTING LINEUP: Click here for where everyone will be starting at St. Pete
RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (180 miles) on a 14-turn, 1.8-mile street course through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum single duration of 15 seconds. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 73 degrees with a 51% chance of rain at the green flag.
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 27 cars entered in the IndyCar season opener
INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 22 cars entered
GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
(All times are Eastern)
Friday, March 8
8:45-9:20 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 practice
9:35-10:10 a.m.: USF2000 practice
10:25-10:55 a.m.: IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge practice
11:10-11:40 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 qualifying
11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: USF2000 qualifying
12:30-1:30 p.m.: IndyCar autograph session
12:40-1:10 p.m.: IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge practice
1:35-2:20 p.m.: Indy NXT practice
2:45-4 p.m.: IndyCar practice (Peacock)
4:20-5:05 p.m.: USF2000 Race 1
5:25-6 p.m.: IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge qualifying
Saturday, March 9
8:25-9:10 a.m.: Indy NXT by Firestone practice
9:35-10:35 a.m.: IndyCar practice (Peacock)
10:55-11:40 a.m.: IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1
11:55 a.m.-12:40 p.m: USF Pro 2000 Race 1
1:05-1:35 p.m.: Indy NXT qualifying
2-3:30 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying (Peacock)
3:45-4:30 p.m.: IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2
4:45-5:30 p.m.: USF2000 Race 2
Sunday, March 10
8-8:45 a.m.: USF Pro 2000 Race 2
9:10-9:40 a.m.: IndyCar warmup
10:10-11:05 a.m.: Indy NXT race (45 Laps, Peacock)
12:30 p.m.: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (NBC, Peacock)
INDYCAR COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS
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IndyCar reveals host of changes, including practice and restart tweaks, lighter parts, safety, hybrid details
Jon Bon Jovi to lead IndyCar field to the green flag for St. Pete season opener
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Callum Ilott testing for Arrow McLaren in place of Malukas
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HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2024: Full NBC Sports schedule
