IndyCar
INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg preview
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 2, 2025) – The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is finally here after their epically long off-season. There are plenty of storylines heading into today’s race on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit that runs through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, and utilizes a runway and taxiway of the Albert Whitted Airport.
Can Alex Palou make it 3-in-a-row:
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou enters today’s race as the two-time defending series Champion. 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 CGR 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. Palou will start eighth today.
Can Scott Dixon win at St. Pete and a 7th Championship:
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon has won on every track the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on except five, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Dixon, the driver of the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda, has four runner-up finishes at the circuit and has an average finish of 7.6 in his 20 previous starts. Dixon will start sixth today.
- 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. Dixon finished 6th in the title hunt last year, 2nd in 2023 and 3rd in 2022. He will be a factor in the Championship.
How long will the Firestone ‘Alternate’ tires last:
- Talk on pit lane after both practice sessions and qualifying centered around faster Firestone alternate tires, which are identified by a green sidewall. Teams on average believe the tires are a half-second faster than the Firestone primary tires but their durability is raising questions up and down pit road. “Not everybody knows where they’re going to go,” said Dixon about the alternate tire durability. “Kudos to Firestone. They don’t typically want to make a tire that degrade’s because they can make better ones, but I think as far as racing goes you want to see the degradation. I think your call for coming in is going to be as early as Lap 10 or Lap 20 on the greens.”
Can anyone challenge Ganassi & Penske:
- Chip Ganassi Racing is the two-time defending series Champions. CGR has won 11 of the last 17-titles with Team Penske grabbing five and Andretti Autosport claiming one during that same span. Can a reorganized Andretti Global with Colton Herta, Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood challenge the Top 2 or can someone like Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward elevate their game to compete for a Championship?
Firestone to Continue as Title Sponsor of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg through 2028:
- Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) on February 27th announced a three-year extension for its Firestone brand as the entitlement sponsor of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This agreement with Green Savoree Racing Promotions marks the continuation of a successful relationship that began in 2014. The new deal keeps the Firestone name on the opening race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season through 2028. “St. Pete is always an exciting event as we reconnect with fans and wave the green flag for a new season of racing,” said Lisa Boggs, Director, Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. “We take great pride in Firestone’s rich history in the sport, and starting each season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has become a big part of that.”
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg present by RP Funding Fast Facts
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
Media links: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Entry List (PDF) | INDY NXT By Firestone Entry List (PDF)
Race distance: 100 laps/180 miles (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) | 45 laps/81 miles/55 minutes (INDY NXT by Firestone)
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 carryover set from the preseason testing may be used during the first practice.
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Event website: www.gpstpete.com
WASHINGTON D.C. (August 22, 2026) – Alex Palou’s blistering lap of 56.8993 seconds in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda puts the four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion on the pole position for Sunday’s Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington D.C.
“Incredible,” said Palou. “My car was on rails. Super-fun lap, super-fun car to drive. Couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, man, 250 miles.”
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood lines up second after a lap of 57.4661 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.
“P1 both first and second group, and the last one Alex Palou is just a legend and goes faster on his one-lap dash than he did the whole rest of the run, I think,” Kirkwood said. “He made us look silly out there.”
Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party up front, putting the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet third on the grid after a fast lap of 57.4200.
Palou’s CGR teammates Scott Dixon and Kyffin Simpson did not fare as well as their teammate.
Dixon was on a lap that would have allowed him to transfer into the next round of qualifying, when Simpson hit the wall, triggering a red flag which cancelled Dixon’s lap. The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda will start 14th.
Bringing out the red flag penalized Simpson of his two fastest laps so the No. 8 Sunoco Honda will start last in 25th.
Coverage of the Freedom 250 starts at 11:30 a.m. on Fox and IndyCar Radio with the green flag waving in our nation’s capital at 1 p.m.
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 15, 2026) – The NTT IndyCar Series is making it’s first visit to a new street circuit in Markham, Ontario but a familiar face topped the speed charts after the first practice.
Four-time Series Champion Alex Palou turned the fastest lap around the 12-turn, 2.19-mile temporary street course, a 1-minute, 14.9915-seconds (100.811 mph) lap in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
A.J. Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collett was second quick with a 1-minute, 15.0454-seconds (100.739) in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
Louis Foster was third quick in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 1:15.0278 (100.702) followed by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin 1:15.2981 (100.401). Will Power rounded out the Top 5 at 1:15.3152 (100.378).
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were not as strong. Six-time Series Champion Scott Dixon was 20th at 1:16.4583 (98.877) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Kyffin Simpson was 24th at 1.17.3893 (97.688) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda. Simpson made contact with the wall at Turn 6, causing damage to the rear suspension. Simpson limped to pits for repair and returned to action later in the session.
Practice 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. as delayed track construction forced officials to cancel Friday’s activities and condense Saturday’s schedule. NTT P1 Pole Qualifying is set for 6:30 p.m. ET
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 14, 2026) – Issues with the completion of the temporary street circuit in Markham Ontario has forced the NTT INDYCAR SERIES first practice to be moved to Saturday as all of Friday’s on-track activity had to be scrubbed from the schedule.
“INDYCAR is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.”
Green Savoree Promotions also issued a statement.
“Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations.”
“We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were overwhelming.”
The revamped schedule calls for the first practice to take place at 10:00 a.m. followed by a second practice at 2:30 p.m. and P1 Pole Qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
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Palou quickest in first Markham practice
