INDYCAR Party in the Park set for Thursday, March 12 in downtown St. Petersburg

Event Location

INDYCAR’s Party in the Park at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a unique fan experience to kick off the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, will be held Thursday, March 12, in North Straub Park, positioned between Bayshore Dr. NE and Beach Dr. NE in downtown St. Petersburg along the waterfront.

The event, free to the public, will feature special guests, including all NTT INDYCAR SERIES athletes, plus prizes, food trucks and fireworks. Race cars from all seven racing series running on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend schedule will be on display, including almost every NTT INDYCAR SERIES car. The event begins at 6 p.m., with fireworks at 8:30 p.m.

Among the athletes scheduled to attend are Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who won last year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on his way to capturing his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in three years. Newgarden’s teammate, Simon Pagenaud, the winner of the 2019 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, also is scheduled to attend.

Local food trucks Maggie on the Move and Slammer Shop plan to be parked on Bayshore Dr. NE. There will be a DJ hosting the activities along with music and giveaways every 15 minutes, plus special prizes such as race weekend pace car rides and racing merchandise.

The 16th Annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg returns as the opening race for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the 10th consecutive year. The event also features six support racing series on track with four of the six opening their 2020 seasons in St. Petersburg.

The 13 races are headlined by Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. Doubleheader features will be held for all three levels of the Road to Indy development program: Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, Indy Pro 2000 Championship presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. Sports car racing is also part of the weekend schedule with doubleheader races from SRO Motorsports Group’s GT4 America & TC America Series and IMSA’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

Tickets for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg can be purchased at gpstpete.com or by calling 1-888-476-4479.

INDYCAR PARTY IN THE PARK

When: Thursday, March 12, 2020

Time: 6-8 p.m. EDT

Location: North Straub Park, 400 Bayshore Drive NE, St. Petersburg