IndyCar: St. Petersburg GP Preview

Another winter is about to give way to a thrilling launch of NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons along the palm tree-lined streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 5 will see the most entries in each series in over a decade.

That’s only the beginning of the 2023 storylines:

Must-See TV

For the second consecutive season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will appear on NBC network television a record 15 times, including two days of qualifying for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The first seven races of 2023 will be featured on broadcast TV and six of the final seven leading to the climactic season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Once again, all INDYCAR SERIES races will be simulstreamed via Peacock. For the second consecutive year, Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide Spanish-language coverage of the season-opening race, the Indianapolis 500 and the season finale.

In addition, fans will see a new side to INDYCAR with a first-of-its-kind broadcast series, “100 Days to Indy,” via the VICE Media Group and The CW Network. Cameras and crews already are capturing and chronicling the bold and brash storylines leading up to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 28. The premiere episode will air Thursday, April 27 on The CW Network.

“This is a year of unprecedented coverage of the stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Between the front row seat that The CW Network will provide fans and the best seat in the house provided by NBC, there won’t be a storyline without a spotlight. We look forward to taking INDYCAR’s fierce and intense competition to a new and more youthful audience throughout 2023.”

A Sustainable Present and Future

This will be the most sustainable season in INDYCAR SERIES history, as the series and its teams continue to work to develop renewable technologies.

Among the highlights are the first use of Shell’s 100% Renewable Race Fuel and continued use of renewable diesel for all INDYCAR team transporters supporting the series. The use of the Firestone Firehawk alternate race tire with a green sidewall, made from guayule rubber, will expand to all street circuit races after its successful debut last August in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

Finally, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will continue to prepare for a more sustainable future as development continues with Chevrolet and Honda for the 2024 engine package. Testing of the 2.2-liter turbocharged V-6 with hybrid technology will take place throughout 2023.

Race distance: 100 laps / 180 miles (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) | 45 laps / 81 miles / 55 minutes (INDY NXT by Firestone)

Entry List

	CAR	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CAR NAME	TEAM	ENGINE
1	2	Josef Newgarden	Nashville, Tennessee	Hitachi Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	3	Scott McLaughlin	Christchurch, New Zealand	DEX Imaging Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
3	5	Pato O’Ward	Monterrey, Mexico	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
4	06	Helio Castroneves	Sao Paulo, Brazil	AutoNation/SiriusXM	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
5	6	Felix Rosenqvist	Värnamo, Sweden	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
6	7	Alexander Rossi	Nevada City, California	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
7	8	Marcus Ericsson	Kumla, Sweden	Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
8	9	Scott Dixon	Auckland, New Zealand	PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	10	Alex Palou	Barcelona, Spain	The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
10	11	Marcus Armstrong (R)	Christchurch, New Zealand	Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
11	12	Will Power	Toowoomba, Australia	Verizon Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
12	14	Santino Ferrucci	Woodbury, Connecticut	AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
13	15	Graham Rahal	New Albany, Ohio	United Rentals	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
14	18	David Malukas	Chicago, Illinois	HMD Trucking	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD	Honda
15	20	Conor Daly	Noblesville, Indiana	Bitnile.com	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
16	21	Rinus VeeKay	Hoofddorp, Netherlands	Bitnile.com	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
17	26	Colton Herta	Valencia, California	Gainbridge	Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	Honda
18	27	Kyle Kirkwood	Jupiter, Florida	AutoNation	Andretti Autosport	Honda
19	28	Romain Grosjean	Geneva, Switzerland	DHL	Andretti Autosport	Honda
20	29	Devlin DeFrancesco	Toronto, Canada	Capstone	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	Honda
21	30	Jack Harvey	Bassingham, England	Kustom Entertainment	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
22	45	Christian Lundgaard	Hedensted, Denmark	Hy-Vee	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
23	51	Sting Ray Robb (R)	Boise, Idaho	biohaven	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR	Honda
24	55	Benjamin Pedersen (R)	Copenhagen, Denmark	AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
25	60	Simon Pagenaud	Montmorillon, France	AutoNation/SiriusXM	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
26	77	Callum Ilott	Cambridge, England	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet
27	78	Agustín Canapino (R)	Arrecifes, Argentina	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet

Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 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. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation

Firestone tire allotment (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Six primary sets, five alternate sets (teams must return a set of each before qualifying). One additional set of primary tires is available to rookie drivers for use in the Friday afternoon practice session.

Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

Instagram: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

Facebook: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

TikTok: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT #FirestoneGP #INDYCAR, #INDYNXT

YouTube: @INDYCAR, @greensavoreeracingpromotions

Event website: www.gpstpete.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2022 race winners:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet)

INDY NXT by Firestone

Matthew Brabham (No. 83 Andretti Autosport)

2022 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet), 59.4821 seconds, 108.940 mph

Qualifying records:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Will Power, 59.3466 seconds; 109.189 mph, Feb. 26, 2022 (set in Round 2 of qualifying)

INDY NXT by Firestone

David Malukas, 1 minute, 4.6491 seconds, 100.233 mph, April 23, 2021

NBC Sports telecast: Race, noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Marty Snider, Kevin Lee and Dave Burns are the pit reporters. Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast.

Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions, qualifying and races as well as INDY NXT by Firestone races will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman, Jake Query and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Alex Wollf and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 160 and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All INDY NXT by Firestone practice and qualifying sessions and races are available on racecontrol.indycar.com, the INDYCAR App and SiriusXM 160.

At-track schedule (All Times Local/Eastern Time):

Friday, March 3

Time	Event	Session
7:50 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Practice 1
8:35 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.	SRO GT America	Practice 1
9:35 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.	USF Pro 2000	Practice
10:25 a.m. to 11 a.m.	USF2000	Practice
11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Practice 2
12 p.m. to 12:25 p.m.	SRO GT America	Practice 2
12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.	SRO GT America	Qualifying 1
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Autograph Session
1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.	USF Pro 2000	Qualifying
1:55 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.	INDY NXT	Practice 1
3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Practice 1
4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.	USF2000	Qualifying
5:15 p.m. to 5:35 p.m.	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Qualifying
5:55 p.m. to 6:35 p.m.	SRO GT America	Race 1

Saturday, March 4

Time	Event	Session
7:55 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Race 1
9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.	INDY NXT	Practice 2
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Practice 2
11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m.	USF Pro 2000	Race 1
12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.	SRO GT America	Race 2
1:35 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.	INDY NXT	Qualifying
2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Qualifying
3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.	USF2000	Race 1
4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Race 2

Sunday, March 5

Time	Event	Session
8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.	USF2000	Race 2
9 a.m. to 9:3045 a.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Warm Up
10 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.	INDY NXT	Race
11:40 a.m.	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Driver Instructions
12:30 p.m.	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding	NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race (100 Laps)
3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.	USF Pro 2000	Race 2

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR” AT ST. PETERSBURG:

Can anyone dethrone the kings? Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske have won the past 10 titles with Scott Dixon, Will Power and Josef Newgarden combining for eight of them.

So, who breaks the streak? It’s best to look Arrow McLaren, where Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), Felix Rosenqvist (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) and Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) are employed, or Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda).

Those four drivers were the highest-placed drivers in the championship who didn’t drive for Team Penske or Chip Ganassi in 2022. Herta, O’Ward and Rossi are the only three in that group to find victory last season.

Just remember, if you come for the kings, you better not miss.

Power Plays Poles at Will. Will Power is the greatest qualifier in modern INDYCAR SERIES history, as his 68 career poles are the all-time series record.

The tale of Power’s qualifying success can best be told through the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he has won nine of the last 13 poles.

The only drivers to score a pole in the last 10 years in St. Petersburg not named Will Power are Takuma Sato in 2014, Robert Wickens in 2018, Colton Herta in 2021 and Scott McLaughlin last season. In total, Team Penske has won the pole position in 11 of the past 16 St. Petersburg races.

Power has scored at least one pole position in each season since 2009, including five NTT P1 Awards last year. It’s a sure bet that the reigning series champion will add to his record this season, and don’t be surprised if it starts during NTT P1 Award qualifying Saturday afternoon.

Dixon seeks his first win on the streets of St. Petersburg. Who wouldn’t take Scott Dixon’s resume as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver?

He has six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships, which trails only the seven INDYCAR SERIES titles collected by A.J. Foyt. His 53 wins rank second on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES victory list, behind Foyt’s 67, but Dixon has never won at St. Petersburg.

Still, he has been successful on the streets of the Florida Gulf Coast city.

Dixon has four runner-up finishes at the circuit and has an average finish of 7.88 in his 18 previous starts. He has finished in the top 10 in his last seven starts.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will be the 20th INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of St. Petersburg, dating to 2003. Scott McLaughlin won the 2022 race after starting from the pole position. Paul Tracy won the inaugural race on Feb. 23, 2003, under CART sanction, while Sebastien Bourdais started from the pole that year.
The St. Petersburg INDYCAR SERIES race has been run every year since 2003 except for 2004. No driver has competed in every St. Petersburg race, but Scott Dixon has started 18 consecutive races.
The 27-car field for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding is the largest NTT INDYCAR SERIES field at St. Petersburg. The previous high for the race was 26 in 2008, 2012 and 2022.
Helio Castroneves (2006, 2007 and 2012), Will Power (2010 and 2014) and Josef Newgarden (2019-2020) are the only entered drivers to win at St. Petersburg more than once. Six past winners are entered: Castroneves, Power, Newgarden, Graham Rahal (2008), Colton Herta (2021) and McLaughlin.
For the first time since 2015, Team Penske’s Will Power arrives at the season opener as the defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion. The two-time champion made history in 2022 as he became INDYCAR’s all-time qualifying king by winning his record-setting 68th pole in September at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he also clinched the title. He will look for more history by becoming the first to repeat champion since Dario Franchitti won three in a row from 2009-11.
Team Penske has won at St. Petersburg 11 times, including seven of the last 11 races with Castroneves (2012), Power (2014), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015-16), Newgarden (2019-2020) and McLaughlin (2022).
Four drivers have won the race from the pole – Castroneves (2007), Power (2010), Herta (2021) and McLaughlin (2022). The St. Petersburg winner has qualified fourth in four of the last 10 seasons.
Dixon is expected to make his 369th INDYCAR SERIES start, tying A.J. Foyt for fourth on the all-time list.
Dixon has made 305 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
Simon Pagenaud is scheduled to make his 200^th INDYCAR SERIES start.
Rookies Marcus Armstrong, Agustin Canapino, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debuts at St. Petersburg.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 100% Renewable Race Fuel will make its competition debut in St. Petersburg. Created by Shell, this new product consists of a blend of second-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuels to create a fuel that is 100% comprised of feedstocks categorized as renewable under the applicable regulatory frameworks. The fuel will enable a 60% life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction compared to fossil-based gasoline.
As with all street courses on the 2023 schedule, the Firestone Firehawk alternate tire will be made with sustainable, domestically sourced guayule rubber. For the 2023 season, Firestone will supply more than 1,900 tires using a sidewall material made exclusively with rubber derived from the guayule woody desert shrub grown on the company’s own farm in Eloy, Arizona. The initiative builds on the 2022 competitive debut of guayule race tires at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville last August.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:

The 19-car field for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the largest INDY NXT by Firestone field at St. Petersburg since 2009.
The 2023 season features a deep and talented field with INDY NXT race winners such as Hunter McElrea, Danial Frost and Christian Rasmussen joining a promising rookie class that includes Jamie Chadwick (three-time W Series champ), Louis Foster (USF Pro 2000 champ), Jagger Jones (USF2000 Rookie of the Year) and rising stars Nolan Siegel (USF Pro 2000) and Josh Pierson (World Endurance Championship’s youngest winner). Other contenders include returning drivers Jacob Abel, Rasmus Lindh, Kyffin Simpson and Ernie Francis Jr.
Two teams with championship pedigree have rejoined the series for 2023. Two-time champions Juncos Hollinger Racing will field a pair of cars for rookies Reece Gold and Matteo Naninni. Cape Motorsports – which last fielded a team in the INDY NXT in 2010, will field cars for Enaam Ahmed and Jones.
A new qualifying format will place a premium on banking a quick lap around the 1.8-mile street circuit. Teams will have a single 15-minute session or eight minutes of green flag running, whichever comes first. If an entry does not set a time, their order will be based on entrant points. (At St. Pete, it will be based on 2022’s entrant points.) If a team doesn’t have previous year points, then their spot will be placed after those that do.

Since 2005, the driver who won at least one of the races at St. Petersburg has gone on to win the INDY NXT by Firestone title six times, the most recent being Kyle Kirkwood, who won the first race of the doubleheader in 2021.