IndyCar News: Firestone GP of St. Petersburg Preview

The 2025 season-opening NTT INDYCAR SERIES sees the IndyCar teams take on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

The 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit that utilizes the nearby Alfred Whitted Airport tarmac, provides challenges for the field that include a long frontstretch into a tight right-hander, followed by a quick left turn.

Last conquering the St. Pete street circuit, was Josef Newgarden, driving the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet.

Related Article:  IndyCar News: Newgarden runs away to easy GP of St. Pete win

“After a successful 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, we’re certainly looking forward to 2025 with anticipation in the opportunity to compete for a 10th manufacturers title, potentially a fourth-in-a-row,” said Chevrolet INDYCAR Program Manager Rob Buckner.

“Heading into the new year, we’re carrying talent, positivity, and momentum, and look forward to a new year with new drivers, welcoming PREMA Racing, and working with our engineers and teams towards a successful 2025. We’re looking forward to getting the season started on track in St. Petersburg.”

St. Petersburg will also provide another street course test of the hybrid technology in competition, first introduced at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last season, and running for the first time on the Streets of St. Petersburg in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Last year, Chevrolet tackled the challenge, racing to victory seven times in nine hybrid technology events.

Fast Facts

Race weekend: Friday, Feb. 28-Sunday, March 2

Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport

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

IndyCar 27-Car Entry List

	CAR	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CAR NAME	TEAM	ENGINE
1	2	Josef Newgarden	Nashville, Tennessee	PPG Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	3	Scott McLaughlin	Christchurch, New Zealand	DEX Imaging Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
3	4	David Malukas	Chicago, Illinois	AJ FOYT RACING	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
4	5	Pato O’Ward	Monterrey, Mexico	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
5	6	Nolan Siegel	Palo Alto, California	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
6	7	Christian Lundgaard	Hedensted, Denmark	Arrow McLaren	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
7	8	Kyffin Simpson	Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands	Journie Rewards 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	DHL Chip Ganassi Racing	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
10	12	Will Power	Toowoomba, Australia	Verizon Team Penske	Team Penske	Chevrolet
11	14	Santino Ferrucci	Woodbury, Connecticut	AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
12	15	Graham Rahal	New Albany, Ohio	Fifth Third Bank	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
13	18	Rinus VeeKay	Hoofddorp, Netherlands	Dale Coyne Racing	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
14	20	Alexander Rossi	Nevada City, California	ECR Java House	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
15	21	Christian Rasmussen	Copenhagen, Denmark	ECR Splenda	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
16	26	Colton Herta	Valencia, California	Gainbridge	Andretti Global	Honda
17	27	Kyle Kirkwood	Jupiter, Florida	Andretti INDYCAR	Andretti Global	Honda
18	28	Marcus Ericsson	Kumla, Sweden	Andretti INDYCAR	Andretti Global	Honda
19	30	Devlin DeFrancesco	Toronto, Canada	EVTEC	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
20	45	Louis Foster (R)	Odiham, England	Mi-Jack	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
21	51	Jacob Abel (R)	Louisville, Kentucky	Abel Construction	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
22	60	Felix Rosenqvist	Värnamo, Sweden	SiriusXM	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
23	66	Marcus Armstrong	Christchurch, New Zealand	SiriusXM/Root Insurance	Meyer Shank Racing	Honda
24	77	Sting Ray Robb	Payette, Idaho	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet
25	78	Conor Daly	Noblesville, Indiana	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet
26	83	Robert Shwartzman (R)	Tel Aviv, Israel	PREMA Racing	Prema Racing	Chevrolet
27	90	Callum Ilott	Cambridge, England	PREMA Racing	Prema Racing	Chevrolet

 

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

Hybrid energy deployment parameters: (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 310 kilojoules (kj) per lap

Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, five 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. INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend with one new set used for qualifying and another new set used during the race. A carry over set from the preseason testing may be used during the first practice.

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

Instagram: @gpstpete, @IndyCar, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

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TikTok: @IndyCar, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

YouTube: @INDYCAR, @greensavoreeracingpromotions

Event website: www.gpstpete.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2024 race winners:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

INDY NXT by Firestone

Nolan Siegel (No. 39 HMD Motorsports)

2024 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet), 59.5714 seconds, 108.777 mph

2024 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Nolan Siegel (No. 39 HMD Motorsports), 1 minute, 4.5759 seconds, 100.347 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

Nolan Siegel, 1 minute, 4.5759 seconds, 100.347 mph, March 9, 2024

FOX Sports telecasts: Practice 1, 3 p.m. ET, Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 10 a.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Warmup, 9 a.m. ET Sunday, FS2 (live); Race, noon ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman and Jake Query are the turn announcers. Michael Young, Alex Wollf and DJ Clark 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 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All INDY NXT by Firestone practices, qualifying sessions and races are available on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

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

Friday, Feb. 28

2-2:45 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, FS2

3:05-4:25 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, FS1

Saturday, March 1

9:15-9:55 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, FS2

10:15-11:15 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (Limited guarantee of 45 minutes of green flag time), FS2

1:30-2 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (Two groups, 12-minute session with green flag of one timed lap), FS2

2:30-4 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1

Sunday, March 2

9:02-9:27 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS2

10:10 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (45 laps/81 miles/55 minutes), FS1 (Live)

Noon – FOX Sports on air

12:22 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”

12:29 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (100 laps/181 miles), FOX, FOX Sports Deportes, FOX Sports App (Live)

“WHAT TO LOOK FOR” AT ST. PETERSBURG:

Palou begins historic title chase: Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou arrives at the season opener as the defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion for the third time in four seasons.

The three-time series champion from Spain will look to make history by becoming the first back-to-back-to-back champion since Dario Franchitti won three titles in a row for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2009-11.

Only three previous drivers have won three successive INDYCAR SERIES championships. Ted Horn won three straight from 1946-48, Sebastien Bourdais won four straight from 2004-07 and Franchitti.

Dixon eyeing first St. Pete win: Scott Dixon has six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships, which trails only the seven INDYCAR SERIES titles collected by A.J. Foyt. His 58 wins rank second on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES victory list, behind Foyt’s 67, but the streets of St. Petersburg might be his kryptonite.

It is one of five tracks on the schedule where Dixon is winless and the one where he has the most starts (20). Dixon has been successful on the streets of St. Petersburg. Dixon has four runner-up finishes at the circuit and has an average finish of 7.6 in his 20 previous starts. He has finished in the top 10 in his last nine starts, including seventh in 2024.

Power Plays Poles at Will: Will Power is the greatest qualifier in modern INDYCAR SERIES history, as his 70 career poles are the INDYCAR 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 15 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, Scott McLaughlin in 2022, Romain Grosjean in 2023 and Josef Newgarden last season.

Power scored at least one pole position in each season from 2009-2023 but didn’t win an NTT P1 Award last year. Don’t be surprised if he starts a new streak at St. Pete.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

• The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will be the 22nd INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of St. Petersburg. Pato O’Ward won the 2024 race, while Josef Newgarden won the NTT P1 Award. Paul Tracy won the inaugural INDYCAR SERIES 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 20 consecutive races.
• Will Power (2010, 2014) and Josef Newgarden (2019, 2020) are the only entered drivers to win at St. Petersburg more than once. Seven past winners are entered: Power, Newgarden, Graham Rahal (2008), Colton Herta (2021), Scott McLaughlin (2022), Marcus Ericsson (2023) and Pato O’Ward (2024).
• Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou arrives at the season opener as the defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion for the third time in four seasons. The three-time series champion will look to make history by becoming the first back-to-back-to-back champion since Dario Franchitti won three in a row for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2009-11.
• Team Penske has won at St. Petersburg 11 times, including seven of the last 13 races with Helio Castroneves (2012), Will Power (2014), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015, 2016), Josef Newgarden (2019, 2020) and Scott McLaughlin (2022).
• Four drivers have won the race from the pole – Helio Castroneves (2007), Will Power (2010), Colton Herta (2021) and Scott McLaughlin (2022). The St. Petersburg winner has qualified fourth in five of the last 20 races.
• Milestones: Scott Dixon is expected to make his 403rd INDYCAR SERIES start, which is second on the all-time list. Dixon has made 339 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, the longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Colton Herta is slated to make his 100th INDYCAR SERIES start at St. Petersburg…Rookies Jacob Abel, Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debuts at St. Petersburg. Both Abel and Foster have race at St. Pete in INDY NXT by Firestone.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:

• Season starter: INDY NXT by Firestone drops the green flag on a new season on the streets of St. Petersburg for the 13th time in series history. The 14-race 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone calendar brings the series to many of North America’s most revered tracks joining the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at the streets of St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, streets of Detroit, World Wide Technology Raceway, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Iowa Speedway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Portland International Raceway, Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway.
• Local favorite: Representing Florida in this weekend’s field is series debutant Nikita Johnson of HMD Motorsports. The 16-year-old from St. Petersburg is making the first of four INDY NXT by Firestone starts this season in his hometown event. Johnson finished second in the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024 and won races at St. Petersburg in the series that feed INDY NXT.
• International flair: This weekend’s race will feature drivers representing 10 countries. The United States is best represented by a total of eight drivers. There are two drivers each from Australia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and one each from Brazil, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Scotland.
• Welcome back: For the third consecutive season, INDY NXT by Firestone welcomes a new team to the paddock. Chip Ganassi Racing will make its series return in 2025 running a pair of full-time cars beginning at St. Petersburg. The 16-time INDYCAR SERIES championship-winning team last competed in INDYCAR’s top development series in 2007.
• St. Pete precursor?: Since 2005, a 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.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“St. Pete is a great city to start off the season. The weather is amazing and the views are unbeatable. The fan show up is also always fantastic. It would be hard to beat for a season opener! For a street course, it isn’t that bumpy so you get the thrill of close wall to wall action that a street course gives you without the unpleasant bumps! From the fans to the track layout, it is already one of my favorite racetracks on the calendar and better yet, it is the first race back. So, the nerves and energy are at their highest! A successful weekend would be staying out of trouble and getting a good result in the end. Want to make sure to start the season off in the right direction!”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“I’m very excited to be back with Chevrolet for my third full season with AJ Foyt Racing. After testing in Sebring, I believe Chevrolet has made some awesome improvements and I can’t wait to utilize them at our first round in St. Pete.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I’m pumped to be back in St. Pete for the season opener. This place always brings a great atmosphere and is a perfect spot to kick off the season. Coming back as the defending race winner is awesome, but it just makes us even hungrier to start the season strong and put the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up front again. We’re looking forward to kicking off the weekend with our car launch before getting back behind the wheel and give it everything we’ve got.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It’s been a busy offseason putting in the work to make sure we come into St. Pete ready to deliver. From all the simulator work to time in the gym and meetings with the crew, we’ve focused on every detail to maximize our performance this season. The car launch will be a cool moment for the team to kick off the weekend before we go racing for the first time, and I just can’t wait to get out there and compete again.”

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“We’ve been working hard all offseason to be ready for the green flag in St. Petersburg and now it’s finally here. I’m looking forward to kicking off my first race with Arrow McLaren and starting the season strong. We had a quality test at Sebring last week, so I think that’ll help us roll off the truck well into the first session on Friday. I’m looking forward to unveiling our new livery with our partners ahead of the race and kicking off the season the right way.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“It is finally here! After what seemed like a never-ending offseason, it is so nice to finally be able to go racing this weekend. I cannot wait to get to the track and get to work with everyone at ECR and welcome our new partners Java House and Splenda to the track for the first time. The team has had some very strong pace there in the past so we will be looking to capitalize on that and start the season off on a strong note.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“I can’t wait to get back on track in St. Pete! It has been a long offseason with limited time in the car, so getting behind the wheel of the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet will feel incredible. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish. ECR has gone through a lot of changes over the winter, and it’s been great to be part of that evolution. We all believe 2025 will be a step forward from 2024 and St. Pete is where we kick off that upward trajectory for the team!”

Conor Daly, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Obviously, it’s really nice to start the season here in St. Petersburg. One of the marquee events, I think, on our schedule. Such a great city, such a great event. I’ve enjoyed some good races here before, and to be back full-time in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, especially to be with Chevrolet and Juncos Hollinger Racing. After the success we had last year, it’ll feel good to get to start fresh like everyone else and try to assert the season strong.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“I’m really excited for St. Pete. It’s the first time going to be on a street course in quite some time but we had a really good test at Sebring. I was really, really happy with the team so far. It’s been a good integration back into a new team, another Chevy team which is nice. I felt like there was a lot to be gained from that test but still some very familiar things that were at play. No mechanical issues which was awesome. Very, very smooth running throughout that test. I’m excited to see what St. Pete’s like in that scenario if we are still able to challenge forward, but I have good high hopes.”

Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:

“It’s finally the first race of the season, and it’s definitely very exciting. We’re going into the unknown. It will be my first time in St Pete, experiencing this track, and it will be new for the team, which is racing for the first time in the series. Everything is going to be kind of a surprise for us, but I’m going to Florida in a happy mood to really enjoy my time there. I don’t want to put any hard expectations. I hope to complete as many laps as possible and gain as much information as possible to be in a good spot in the end. That would be a positive starting point for the rest of the season.”

Callum Ilott, No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:

“Heading into St. Pete, our first racing weekend as a team together with our competitors. Looking at the tests we had so far, we have been doing everything we can to be prepared for this race. It’s really exciting. I think Sebring was really positive along with the other tests at Thermal or Laguna Seca. I’m happy with how we are shaped up going into it. Hopefully, it’s going to be all swimmingly and good and we are prepared to improve whatever the starting point is. It’s going to be nice and warm down in Florida and It’s a privilege to be heading there with PREMA for the first event.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“The Thirsty Threes have been ready for St. Pete for so long it feels great that it is finally here. We had a ton of momentum at the end of 2024 and it’s time to see how much we can carry over to this year. I can’t think of a better place to get our season started and the DEX Imaging Chevy has been quick there the last few years. Obviously, the move to FOX has created a different level of excitement heading into the start of the season that will only help this sport continue to grow.”