Wikipedia

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

(Redirected from 2020 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg)

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil).[1] The race is held annually in the spring, with the exception of 2020, when it was postponed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
IndyCar Series
LocationSt. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
27°45′59″N 82°37′45″W / 27.76639°N 82.62917°W / 27.76639; -82.62917
Corporate sponsorFirestone
First race1985
First ICS race2005
Distance1.800 mi (2.897 km)
Laps100
Duration180.00 mi (289.68 km)
Previous namesSt. Petersburg Grand Prix (1985–1990)
Kash n' Karry Florida Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (1996–1997)
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (2005–2013)
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (2014–present)
Most wins (driver)Hélio Castroneves (3)
Most wins (team)Team Penske (11)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chassis: Dallara (15)
Engine: Honda (9)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt/Concrete
Length2.910 km (1.808 mi)
Turns14
Lap record1:00.6795 (United States Josef Newgarden, Dallara DW12, 2024, IndyCar)

The race takes place on a temporary course, utilizing downtown streets, and one runway of Albert Whitted Airport. The event dates back to 1985, with IndyCars first competing in 2003.

History

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The inaugural 1985 event was organized by William T. McVey, president of the McBri Corporation in Tampa and a member of IMSA and the SCCA.[2] The SCCA Trans-Am Series held a race on a St. Petersburg downtown waterfront circuit from 1985 to 1990. Can-Am also competed in 1985. Local residents and businesses complained about noise, and the event was eventually put on hiatus.[3] Driver Jim Fitzgerald was killed in a crash during the 1987 race.[4][5]

From 1996 to 1997, the St. Petersburg race was revived on a different course around Tropicana Field (about one mile west of the original waterfront course). Along with the Trans-Am Series, support races included U.S. FF2000, World Challenge, Pro SRF and Barber Dodge. The event subsequently went again on hiatus for several years.[3]

In 2003, the event was revived again for the CART Championship Series. A new, modified version of the original 1985 waterfront circuit was created. For 2004, the event was cancelled due to a dispute between the promoters, furthermore, the bankruptcy and liquidation of the CART series into the new Champ Car World Series saw a shakeup of the calendar. When the race returned in 2005, it switched to the IndyCar Series, marking the first non-oval event for the Indy Racing League. In 2007, the race weekend was expanded to include an American Le Mans Series event.

Andretti Green Promotions would later take over promotion of the event.[6] Starting in 2014, Firestone took over as title sponsor.[7]

Past winners

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Season Date Driver Team Chassis Engine/Aero Kit Tires Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph) 		Report
Laps Miles (km)
CART Championship Series history
2003 February 23   Paul Tracy Forsythe Racing Lola B02/00 Ford–Cosworth XFE Bridgestone 105 189.630 (305.130) 2:04:28 91.401 Report
2004 Not held
IndyCar Series history
2005 April 3   Dan Wheldon Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:09:54 83.14 Report
2006 April 2   Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 1:56:58 92.34 Report
2007 April 1   Hélio Castroneves (2) Team Penske (2) Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:01:07 89.166 Report
2008 April 6   Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara Honda Firestone 83* 149.4 (240.435) 2:00:44 74.251 Report
2009 April 5   Ryan Briscoe Team Penske (3) Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:12:27 81.542 Report
2010 March 29*   Will Power Team Penske (4) Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:07:06 84.975 Report
2011 March 27   Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:01:00 89.26 Report
2012 March 25   Hélio Castroneves (3) Team Penske (5) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-12 Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 1:59:51 90.113 Report
2013 March 24   James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport (2) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-12 Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:22:13 83.539 Report
2014 March 30   Will Power (2) Team Penske (6) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-12 Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:06:58 93.572 Report
2015 March 29   Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske (7) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/CAK-15 Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:16:58 86.735 Report
2016 March 13   Juan Pablo Montoya (2) Team Penske (8) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/CAK-16 (5) Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:13:28 89.006 Report
2017 March 12   Sébastien Bourdais Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12 Honda/HAK-16 Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:04:32 95.391 Report
2018 March 11   Sébastien Bourdais (2) Dale Coyne Racing (2) Dallara DW12 Honda/UAK-18 (9) Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:17:48 86.207 Report
2019 March 10   Josef Newgarden Team Penske (9) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-18 (6) Firestone 110 198 (318.65) 2:04:18 95.572 Report
2020 October 25   Josef Newgarden (2) Team Penske (10) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-18 (7) Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:06:12 85.872 Report
2021 April 25   Colton Herta Andretti Autosport (3) Dallara DW12 Honda/UAK-18 (10) Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 1:51:51 96.552 Report
2022 February 27   Scott McLaughlin Team Penske (11) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-18 (8) Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 1:51:27 96.899 Report
2023 March 5   Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing (2) Dallara DW12 Honda/UAK-18 (11) Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 2:05:30 86.047 Report
2024 March 10   Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren (1) Dallara DW12 Chevrolet/UAK-18 (9) Firestone 100 180 (289.681) 1:51:29 96.867 Report
  • 2008: Race shortened as a result of inclement weather at the start forcing the race to start on Lap 10 after nine Safety Car laps. Shortened by ESPN under time limit.
  • 2010: Race postponed from March 28 due to inclement weather.[8]
  • 2020: Race postponed from March 15 to October 25 and shortened to 100 laps due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 2021: Race postponed from March 7 to April 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • UAK = Universal Aero Kit
  • CAK = Chevrolet Aero Kit
  • HAK = Honda Aero Kit

Support series past winners

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Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tire

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Stefan Wilson driving along the Bay Shore Drive Southeast section during the qualifying race of the Indy Lights 2011.

Atlantic Championship Series

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Season Date Winning Driver Atlantic Championship Series
1985 November 3 Riley Hopkins
1986 November 16 Scott Goodyear
1987 November 7 Johnny O'Connell
1988 October 23 Jocko Cunningham
1989 October 29 Jocko Cunningham
1990 November 4 Brian Till
Source: [9]

American Le Mans Series

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Overall winner in bold.

Season LMP1 Winning Team LMP2 Winning Team GT1 Winning Team GT2 Winning Team Report
LMP1 Winning Drivers LMP2 Winning Drivers GT1 Winning Drivers GT2 Winning Drivers
2007   #1 Audi Sport North America   #6 Penske Racing   #4 Corvette Racing   #62 Risi Competizione report
  Rinaldo Capello
  Allan McNish 		  Sascha Maassen
  Ryan Briscoe 		  Oliver Gavin
  Olivier Beretta 		  Mika Salo
  Jaime Melo
2008   #2 Audi Sport North America   #7 Penske Racing   #4 Corvette Racing   #71 Tafel Racing report
  Marco Werner
  Lucas Luhr 		  Timo Bernhard
  Romain Dumas 		  Olivier Beretta
  Oliver Gavin 		  Dominik Farnbacher
  Dirk Müller
2009   #9 Patrón Highcroft Racing   #15 Lowe's Fernández Racing No entry   #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports report
  David Brabham
  Scott Sharp 		  Adrian Fernández
  Luis Díaz 		No entry   Patrick Long
  Jörg Bergmeister

Stadium Super Trucks

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Year Date Driver Ref
2014 March 29   Robby Gordon [10]
March 30   P. J. Jones
2015 March 28   Sheldon Creed [11]
March 29   Burt Jenner
2016 March 12   Sheldon Creed [12]
March 13   Keegan Kincaid
2017 March 11   Robby Gordon [13]
March 12   Matthew Brabham [14]
2021 April 24   Sheldon Creed [15]
April 25   Sheldon Creed [16]

SCCA Trans-Am

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Dan Wheldon memorial plaque located adjacent to the course layout.
Season Date Driver Team Car Race Distance Race Time Average Speed Report
Laps Miles (km)
1985 November 3   Willy T. Ribbs Roush Racing Mercury Capri 50 100 (160.934) 01:15:05 79.910 mph (128.603 km/h) Report
1986 November 15   Pete Halsmer Roush Racing Mercury Merkur XR4Ti 50 100 (160.934) 01:15:09 79.838 mph (128.487 km/h) Report
1987 November 15   Pete Halsmer Roush Racing Mercury Merkur XR4Ti 50 100 (160.934) 02:06:24 47.462 mph (76.383 km/h) Report
1988 October 23   Walter Röhrl Audi of America Audi 200 Quattro 63 125.999 (202.777) 01:38:09 77.0207 mph (123.9528 km/h) Report
1989 October 29   Irv Hoerr Oldsmobile Cutlass 63 125.999 (202.777) 01:42:55 73.459 mph (118.221 km/h) Report
1990 November 4   Chris Kneifel Chevrolet Beretta 63 125.999 (202.777) 01:47:11 70.535 mph (113.515 km/h) Report
1991–1995, Not held
1996 February 25   Ron Fellows Chevrolet Camaro 63 106.470 (171.346) 01:18:13 70.535 mph (113.515 km/h) Report[permanent dead link‍]
1997 February 25   Tommy Kendall Ford Mustang 60 101.400 (163.187) 01:14:44 81.405 mph (131.009 km/h) Report
1998–2002, Not held
2003 February 23   Scott Pruett Jaguar XKR 55 99.330 (159.856) 01:16:06 81.405 mph (131.009 km/h) Report

Can-Am

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  • 1985 Lou Sell

SCCA Super Vee

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Course

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The section of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg that curves through the Al Lang Stadium parking lot

The Streets of St. Petersburg course is a street circuit connecting existing roads with one of the two runways of Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida. It also dips into the parking lot at Al Lang Stadium. St. Petersburg is classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit.[17]

First bayfront course

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The original 1985 Trans-Am course utilized a similar layout to the course used today. For the first year the track actually ran out to the pier, made a 180 degree turn and returned. At the end of Bayshore Drive, rather than diverting off to the airport runways, the course circled around 5th Avenue Southeast around Bayfront Arena, and the start/finish line was located just south of the paddock (the parking lot of Bayfront Arena). In addition, the old course traveled further up Beach Drive Northeast, all the way to 5th Avenue Northeast. 5th Ave. NE was a very narrow segment. The course came south down Bayshore Drive Northeast, and passed by The Pier.

Tropicana Field course

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The second course at Tropicana Field was located about a mile west of the waterfront location. The circuit used the roads around the perimeter of the parking lot of the stadium.

Second Bayfront course

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Helio Castroneves approaches Dan Wheldon Way (Turn 10) on the final lap of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

When the course was reconfigured, the northbound segment turned at Central Avenue instead, and did not go as far as The Pier. The pits and main straight were moved to the airport, and a purpose-built paddock area was paved next to the runway. The Albert Whitted Park was reconfigured/relocated, and the entire course layout was repaved.

The pits and paddock areas, as well as link from Dan Wheldon Way to the airport runway (turns 11, 12, and 13) were constructed specifically for the circuit in 2003, and are considered permanent features of the otherwise temporary circuit.

After the crash at the 2011 Izod IndyCar World Championship that killed Snell Isle resident Dan Wheldon, who won the 2005 race and two Indianapolis 500 titles, the straight following Turn 10 (the turn from Bayshore Drive to Albert Whitted Park) was renamed "Dan Wheldon Way" in his memory. The sign and commemorative plaque was unveiled by St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster on March 6, 2012. A permanent Dan Wheldon Memorial is located next to the Dali Museum on the opposite side of Turn 10, where race winners have their names placed on the memorial.[18]

  •  
    The circuit layout from 1986 to 1991
  •  
    The circuit layout from 1996 to 2000
  •  
    The circuit layout from 2003 to present

Lap records

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As of March 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Date
Current Grand Prix Circuit: 2.897 km (2003–present)[19]
IndyCar 1:00.6795 Josef Newgarden Dallara DW12 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
CART 1:01.825 Sébastien Bourdais Lola B02/00 2003 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
LMP2 1:04.340[20] Ryan Briscoe Porsche RS Spyder Evo 2007 Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
LMP1 1:04.725[20] Allan McNish Audi R10 TDI 2007 Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
Indy Lights 1:04.9562[21] Kyle Kirkwood Dallara IL-15 2021 Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Indy Pro 2000 1:08.1141[22] Sting Ray Robb Tatuus PM-18 2020 Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
GT1 1:09.770[23] Oliver Gavin Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 2008 Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
LMP3 1:10.872[24] Jagger Jones Duqueine D-08 2024 St. Petersburg IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge round
US F2000 1:12.2279[25] Kiko Porto Tatuus USF-17 2020 Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
GT2 1:12.699[20] Tomáš Enge Ferrari F430 GTC 2007 Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
GT3 1:13.642[26] Justin Wetherill Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 2022 St. Petersburg GT America round
Barber Pro 1:13.930[27] Dan Di Leo Reynard 98E 2003 St. Petersburg Barber Pro round
Trans-Am 1:14.634[28] Scott Pruett Jaguar XKR 2003 St. Petersburg Trans-Am round
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:15.016[29] Jeff Kingsley Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup 2020 St. Petersburg Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA round
GT4 1:17.008[24] Jesse Lazare McLaren Artura GT4 2024 St. Petersburg IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge round
SRO GT2 1:18.881[26] C.J. Moses Audi R8 LMS GT2 2022 St. Petersburg GT America round
GTS 1:21.777[30] Peter Cunningham Acura TSX 2012 St. Petersburg Pirelli World Challenge round
Mazda MX-5 Cup 1:24.344[31] Justin Piscitell Mazda MX-5 (ND) 2022 St. Petersburg Mazda MX-5 Cup round
TC 1:25.101[30] Tristan Hebert Volkswagen GLI 2012 St. Petersburg Pirelli World Challenge round
Third Grand Prix Circuit: 2.720 km (1996–2000)[19]
Trans-Am 1:14.800[32] Tommy Kendall Ford Mustang 1997 St. Petersburg Trans-Am round
Second Grand Prix Circuit: 3.219 km (1986–1991)[19]
Trans-Am 1:17.440[33] Scott Pruett Merkur XR4Ti 1987 St. Petersburg Trans-Am round
Original Grand Prix Circuit: 3.219 km (1985)[19]
Can-Am 1:23.020[34] Peter Greenfield Ralt RT4 1985 Can-Am Challenge at St. Petersburg
Trans-Am 1:27.836[35] Willy T. Ribbs Mercury Capri 1985 St. Petersburg Trans-Am round

Race summaries

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  • 2005: The first ever road course race for the Indy Racing League saw Andretti Green Racing win the pole and sweep the top four position. Dan Wheldon finished first, with Tony Kanaan second.
  • 2006: Dario Franchitti won the pole, but was knocked out early due to mechanical failure. The race finished under the yellow flag after Tomas Scheckter and Buddy Rice hit the barrier with 4 laps to go. Roberto Moreno replaced Ed Carpenter for this race as Ed recovered from his injury's but finished 18th due to steering issues. Hélio Castroneves was the winner.
  • 2007: Pole winner Hélio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding off Scott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history at the time. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, including Tony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow, Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by a Foyt team in a few season, Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.
  • 2008: Heavy rain in the morning soaked the track, and left considerable standing water. The race was started under 10 laps of caution as the track dried. At the start, Tony Kanaan assumed the lead, but soon was passed by Justin Wilson. The early part of the race saw several spins by several cars, including Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Mario Moraes. On the 37th lap after a restart, rookie Graham Rahal was hit from behind by Will Power while running 3rd. He was able to continue. Several cautions slowed the race, including a crash by Ryan Briscoe, and a multi-car incident involving Vítor Meira, Franck Perera, and Townsend Bell. On the restart that followed, Rahal-Letterman Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay led Graham Rahal. Rahal got the jump and took the lead into the first turn. With time running out before the two-hour time limit, the race was poised to end before the scheduled distance. On the final restart, just under 4 minutes of racing remained. Rahal held off a charging Hélio Castroneves and won his first race. At 19 years, 93 days old, Rahal became the youngest driver ever to win an Indy-style race, as well as the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history.[36] He broke Marco Andretti's record from 2006.[36] He also became the fourth driver to win an IndyCar Series race in his first start, joining Buzz Calkins, Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Dixon.[36]
  • 2009: On the opening lap, polesitter Graham Rahal was involved in light contact with Tony Kanaan, which damaged his nosecone, and dropped him deep in the standings. With 20 laps to go, defending IndyCar champion Scott Dixon crashed out after contact with Hideki Mutoh. With 14 laps to go, Ryan Briscoe took the lead from Justin Wilson on a restart. Briscoe held off Ryan Hunter-Reay to secure the victory.
  • 2011: The first race featuring the new double-file restarts takes a toll on the field as drivers adjust. On the first lap, a big collision involving several cars saw Marco Andretti flip over in turn 1, a crash he blamed on Hélio Castroneves.[37] Several other drivers experienced contact on restarts, thinning the field. Dario Franchitti stayed in front for most of the race and won the season opener. Simona de Silvestro garnered the most attention of the later stages of the race, as she hotly challenged Tony Kanaan. Kanaan, who had landed his ride with KV Racing just days earlier, held her off over the final few laps for a surprising third-place finish.
  • 2012: Hélio Castroneves won the season-opening event,[38][39] snapping a winless streak that dates back to Motegi in 2010. It was the first race for the new Dallara DW-12 chassis, and the new turbocharged engine package. Castroneves' victory marked the first win by Chevrolet in the IndyCar Series since 2005. It also marked the first race since the fatal accident of Dan Wheldon. Will Power took the lead from the pole position at the start, but during the first yellow, he ducked into the pits in order to gamble on a fuel strategy. The strategy backfired, and Power was not a factor during the remainder of the race. During the final sequence of pit stops, Castroneves and Scott Dixon were running 1st–2nd. Dixon pitted first on lap 72, and Castroneves pitted on lap later. As the rest of the leaders shuffled through their final pits stops, Castroneves made a bold pass of Dixon on the outside of turn 1 for second place. After the sequence of pit stops was over, Castroneves led the final 26 laps to claim the victory. On his victory lap, Castroneves stopped in turn 10, climbed from his car, and performed his customary "Spider-Man" celebration, climbing the catch fence. He climbed the fence which displayed the street sign "Dan Wheldon Way," which had been designated days earlier by the city of St. Petersburg in the memory of Wheldon.[40]
  • 2013: James Hinchcliffe won the first IndyCar race of his career, taking the lead from Hélio Castroneves on a restart on lap 85 of 110. Hinchcliffe held off Castroneves by 1.09 seconds, with Marco Andretti finishing third, passing Simona de Silvestro for the position on the final lap.[41] Will Power dominated the early parts of the race, but dropped to 16th at the finish after contact with J. R. Hildebrand. Dario Franchitti finished last after an early crash, and defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay dropped out with mechanical problems.
  • 2014: Takuma Sato sat on the pole, but he lost the lead at lap 30 to Will Power. On a restart on lap 82, leader Will Power was bringing the field back to green when an "accordion effect" saw the field check-up on the main stretch. Marco Andretti and rookie Jack Hawksworth made contact and crashed into the inside barrier. Power led the most laps, and held off Ryan Hunter-Reay and Hélio Castroneves for the victory. Polesitter Takuma Sato finished 6th.
  • 2015: The season opener at St. Petersburg was also the debut of unique aero kits for Honda and Chevrolet. Apprehension amongst the teams going into the race revolved around the complex, elaborate, and seemingly fragile front wings, and the lack of adequate replacement parts. The concerns were not unfounded, as dozens of on-track contacts throughout the field damaged countless wing components. Will Power won the pole position, leading a Team Penske sweep of the first four positions on the grid. Power took the lead at the start, and led 75 laps. During the final round of pit stops, Juan Pablo Montoya grabbed the lead after he managed a quicker pit stop than Power. In the closing laps, Power chased down Montoya, and narrowed the gap to less than a second with 11 laps to go. Power tried to pass Montoya for the lead in turn 10, but the two cars touched, damaging Power's front wing. Montoya held the lead, and went on to win, his first road course victory in IndyCar racing since 1999.
  • 2016: Team Penske driver Will Power qualified for the pole, but was diagnosed with a concussion shortly after the conclusion of the session and was forced to miss the race. Oriol Servià filled in place of Power.[42] Second place qualifier Simon Pagenaud inherited the pole position. Pagenaud led the opening 48 laps before being passed by his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya would lead 44 laps en route to his second win in a row at St. Petersburg. Rookie driver Conor Daly also led 15 laps during the race due to pit strategy, but was shuffled outside the top 10 by the end of the race. The race was slowed by only two yellows. The first came on lap 46 when Luca Filippi and Marco Andretti made contact in the first turn. The second came on the restart from the prior caution when Carlos Muñoz made contact with Graham Rahal in turn four, creating a logjam that completely blocked the race course.[43] After the race, Will Power was reevaluated and deemed not to have a concussion, but instead to be suffering from a lingering ear infection.[44] Power would be cleared to race for the following round at Phoenix International Raceway.
  • 2017: Sébastien Bourdais crashed during qualifying on his out lap, and was relegated to starting 21st and last.[45] Bourdais charged from last to first, the first win for Dale Coyne Racing since 2014. On lap 20, the first round of green flag pit stops began, with several drivers further down the order, including Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud, being some of the first in. However, the race's second full-course caution came out in the middle of this pit sequence on lap 26, when Tony Kanaan and Mikhail Aleshin made contact in turn 4, littering the track with debris.[46] The caution forced the top seven drivers in the race to pit during the caution and lose large amounts of track positions. Following the pit stops, Pagenaud, Bourdais and Marco Andretti were running 1st-2nd-3rd. Bourdais got by Pagenaud on lap 37, and began to pull away. After the second and third rounds of pit stops, Bourdais emerged with a 10-second lead, and comfortably cruised to victory over Pagenaud and Scott Dixon.
  • 2020: In a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Roger Penske led IndyCar was forced to move the St. Petersburg Grand Prix from the season opener to the season finale. The race proved to be a championship deciding showdown between Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden, the latter of which won the 2019 race and the former never having won at St. Petersburg. Dixon had to finish eighth or better to win the championship, while Newgarden had to both win the race and finish at least nine positions better than Dixon to clinch the championship. Although Penske's Will Power qualified for a record ninth pole at St. Petersburg it was Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi who led most of the race before he suffered an unforced error and crashed into the walls. In the final stint Newgarden managed to pass Pato O'Ward for the race lead, forcing the normally calm Dixon to drive aggressively into third position and finish there to win his sixth IndyCar championship. [47]
  • 2021: St. Petersburg returned in 2021 to its more traditional early season slot but was instead placed as the second race of the season rather than the season opener. Throughout the weekend Andretti Autosport's Colton Herta proved to be the fastest driver and ended up dominating the race, winning from pole position. Behind him Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud edged out Jack Harvey of Meyer Shank Racing to round out the podium.
  • 2022: For the first time in two years the St. Petersburg GP returned to its season opening slot. The Grand Prix was hosted on 27 February, the earliest date the Grand Prix has ever been hosted and the earliest season start date for the IndyCar Series. The starting grid was also the largest in the history of the event with twenty six entries, including twenty five full time cars and drivers. Team Penske's second year driver and former Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin out qualified Romain Grosjean, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Colton Herta, and Rinus VeeKay for the pole position, his first in IndyCar.[48] McLaughlin used a two stop fuel saving strategy to lead most of the race, his strategy holding up even through a yellow caused on lap 26 by rookie David Malukas. In the closing laps 2021 champion Alex Palou, who used the same strategy as McLaughlin, began to hunt McLaughlin down for the lead. McLaughlin beat Palou's attempt at an overcut in the final series of pit stops and conserved enough push to pass to use it to both hold off Palou and work through traffic to take his first IndyCar win. Palou would finish in second place, his best finish on a street circuit. Will Power would round out the podium in third place.
  • 2023: St. Petersburg again saw a record setting of entries in the Grand Prix, with 27 full time entries. Romain Grosjean qualified on pole. A first lap five car pileup threw an early red flag before racing resumed. At lap 36 Scott McLaughlin over cut Grosjean for the lead. McLaughlin held on through another series of cautions before being caught up in an incident on lap 78 between himself and Grosjean, ending Grosjean's race and putting himself a lap down. Pato O'Ward cycled to the front and led the closing laps before an overboost issue with three laps to go caused him to lose control, handing the lead to reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson. Ericsson held on to win the incident filled race, which saw almost half the field retire due to crashes. O'Ward and Scott Dixon finished second and third respectively.
  • 2024: The 2024 edition of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix would go down as one of the most controversial races in IndyCar history. Josef Newgarden qualified on pole, his first pole position at St. Petersburg and his first pole position in over a year. Newgarden led the entire race to cruise to an easy victory, only challenged by Pato O'Ward on the day. However, Newgarden was later disqualified and stripped of the race victory following IndyCar's discovery of illegal software manipulation by Team Penske that allowed Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, and Will Power to use push to pass on the restarts of the race. In addition to Newgarden's disqualification, McLaughlin was stripped of his third place finish and Power was docked ten points in the championship standings. The victory was given to Pato O'Ward by default.

Notes

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Works cited

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References

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  1. ^ "IndyCar delays start of season five weeks; St. Pete moves to April 25 as Barber becomes 2021 opener". IndyStar. January 6, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Koff, Stephen (July 26, 1991). "Council not ready to give race go-ahead". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "St. Petersburg Grand Prix: City has had false starts with racing". St. Petersburg Times. February 21, 2003. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Trans-am Driver Killed In Crash During St. Petersburg Event". Sun-Sentinel. 1987-11-09. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  5. ^ "Veteran driver Fitzgerald dies". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. November 9, 1987. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  6. ^ Brassfield, Mike (6 April 2009). "Grand Prix is a winner for St. Petersburg". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Firestone rolls in as title sponsor of St. Pete race".
  8. ^ Auman, Greg (29 March 2010). "Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until Monday". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  9. ^ "St. Petersburg Street Circuit".
  10. ^ Sinclair, Adam (March 16, 2015). "SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS Returns to St. Petersburg Grand Prix for Two Races March 27–29". Speedway Digest. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
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edit
Preceded by
First race of season 		IndyCar Series
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 		Succeeded by
Xpel 375 (Texas)
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