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The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920 after two initial attempts in 1905 and 1916. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, INDYCAR, LLC., which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as a competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series and the history and statistics of both series, as well as those from its predecessors, were unified. The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500, which was first held in 1911.

Palou Pulls Off Master Class To Open Season with St. Petersburg Win

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 2, 2025) – One of the big questions for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field entering the 2025 season was how to halt the title march of three-time and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou.

They’re still searching for that answer, even after the first race of the season Sunday on the sunny streets of St. Petersburg.

SEE: Race Results

Palou opened his quest for a third consecutive Astor Challenge Cup as series champion in the best way possible, winning the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding in a master class of strategy, speed and patience. He drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.8669-second victory over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who said afterward that he contested the last 90 laps of the 100-lap race without radio communication in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“What an amazing job by everybody,” Palou said. “They gave me everything we needed this weekend to win. I told you yesterday we had a really, really fast car.

“Our strategy changed a lot during that first yellow, but I’m so glad we got that No. 10 in Victory Lane. It’s been 138 days since Nashville (2024 season finale), and I’ve been dreaming about this every single night.”

Spaniard Palou, who started eighth, earned his 12th career victory in the series. The Ganassi team secured its first 1-2 finish since July 2023 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet after Dixon passed him for second on the final lap.

NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin finished fourth in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, as Team Penske joined Chip Ganassi Racing with two drivers in the top four. McLaughlin was one of seven drivers out front today, leading a race-high 40 laps.

Florida native and resident Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five finishers at his home race in the No. 27 Chili’s Honda fielded by Andretti Global.

Palou took the lead for good on Lap 75 when Felix Rosenqvist made his final pit stop in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing. It was the culmination of a race of split strategies, as drivers who started on the grippier, less durable Firestone Firehawk alternate tires – including Palou, Dixon and Newgarden – jumped into the pits on Lap 3 during the only caution period to shed the alternates for Firestone primary tires.

That proved decisive, yet Palou didn’t just inherit the lead at the race’s three-quarter mark and cruise to Victory Lane. He produced blazing in and out laps surrounding his final pit stop at the end of Lap 72, undercutting his teammate Dixon, who couldn’t discuss strategy with his team and reacted to Palou’s pit move by stopping one lap later after being slowed by thick traffic.

After his final stop, Dixon exited the pits behind a charging Palou.

“We were just kind of flying blind out there,” Dixon said of his radio problems. “Ultimately, I think they were trying to call me in because on that last lap we had before we pitted, there was just so much traffic, and we lost two or three seconds. That’s where the 10 car got us.”

Said Palou: “I think he (Dixon) got trapped in traffic a little bit. That’s why the 10 stand decided to pit a little bit early. We had a really clean out lap, could run fast and just opened a gap from there.”

Palou was 4.502 seconds ahead of Newgarden on Lap 75, but that gap didn’t last. Newgarden sliced that margin to 2.4 seconds by Lap 88 as Palou coped with turbulent air from the car ahead of him, the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Sting Ray Robb, who was racing to stay on the lead lap.

Newgarden took advantage and continued to stalk Palou, pulling to within .8186 of a second after Lap 95. Dixon also was gaining ground in third.

But a potential logjam of three cars battling for the checkered flag was scattered when Palou finally lapped Robb in Turn 1 on Lap 96. Newgarden and Dixon squirted past Robb on the same lap, but the traffic-free clean air allowed Palou to pull away immediately.

Palou expanded his gap to 1.1959 seconds after Lap 97 and 1.6938 seconds at the white flag at the end of Lap 99. His lead grew even more during the final trip around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit as Dixon and Newgarden dueled for second. Dixon got past fellow Indianapolis 500 winner and series champion Newgarden in Turn 10 on the final lap.

“I felt like our car today certainly was capable of winning,” Newgarden said. “Just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. Pit cycles, obviously, we needed to go longer, and we had a shift at the end that we didn’t realize, so we kind of had to give up that second place.”

2024 St. Petersburg winner Pato O’Ward used a mix of strategy and speed to climb from the 23rd starting spot to finish 11th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. That was the biggest climb from start to finish by any of the 27 drivers in the field.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23 at Thermal, California (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Results Sunday of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.8-mile streets of St. Petersburg circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (8) Alex Palou, Honda, 100, Running
2. (6) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
3. (10) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 100, Running
4. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 100, Running
5. (9) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 100, Running
6. (7) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
7. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 100, Running
8. (5) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 100, Running
9. (12) Rinus VeeKay, Honda, 100, Running
10. (20) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 100, Running
11. (23) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 100, Running
12. (21) Graham Rahal, Honda, 100, Running
13. (17) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 100, Running
14. (19) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 100, Running
15. (24) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 100, Running
16. (2) Colton Herta, Honda, 100, Running
17. (22) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 100, Running
18. (15) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 100, Running
19. (27) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 100, Running
20. (18) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 100, Running
21. (26) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 99, Running
22. (14) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 99, Running
23. (25) Jacob Abel, Honda, 99, Running
24. (4) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 46, Contact
25. (11) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 0, Contact
26. (13) Will Power, Chevrolet, 0, Contact
27. (16) Louis Foster, Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 97.173 mph
Time of Race: 1:51:08.5118
Margin of victory: 2.8669 seconds
Cautions: 1 for 6 laps
Lead changes: 9 among 7 drivers

Lap Leaders:
McLaughlin, Scott 1 - 31
Armstrong, Marcus 32 - 34
Herta, Colton 35
Newgarden, Josef 36 - 37
Dixon, Scott 38
McLaughlin, Scott 39 - 45
Lundgaard, Christian 46 - 68
Dixon, Scott 69 - 72
McLaughlin, Scott 73 - 74
Palou, Alex 75 - 100

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Palou 51, Dixon 41, McLaughlin 36, Newgarden 36, Kirkwood 30, Ericsson 28, Rosenqvist 26, Lundgaard 25, VeeKay 22, Rossi 20, O'Ward 19, Rahal 18, Malukas 17, Ferrucci 16, Herta 15, Rasmussen 15, Daly 13, Simpson 12, Ilott 11, Shwartzman 10, Robb 9, DeFrancesco 8, Abel 7, Armstrong 7, Siegel 5, Power 5, Foster 5

 

 

 

McLaughlin, Team Penske Rally for St. Petersburg Pole

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, March 1, 2025) – On Friday afternoon, Scott McLaughlin’s race car was in the paddock, the front end in tatters after he crashed during practice for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

Fast-forward 24 hours, and McLaughlin was holding the NTT P1 Award.

McLaughlin earned the 11th pole of his career during Firestone Fast Six qualifying Saturday, turning a top lap of 59.4624 seconds in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet. He won this race from the pole in 2022, the first victory and No. 1 qualifying spot of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. The pole marked Team Penske's 699th pole position across all motorsports series and the 70th Team Penske pole for McLaughlin across his career with the team. 

SEE: Qualifying Results

“Huge amount of respect; we have so much trust in each other, and they trusted I could do the job today,” McLaughlin said. “The guys and girls on this team, they’re stars. I had to repay them. I made a little silly mistake there, and I was glad to come back with them.

“I just wanted to get pole first race of the year. Good vibes. It’s just great vibes – immaculate vibes, we like to say. I’m very excited.”

The 100-lap race starts at noon ET Sunday on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary circuit (FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). A 30-minute warmup begins at 9 a.m. ET (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

2021 St. Petersburg winner Colton Herta will share the front row with McLaughlin, qualifying second at 59.6393 seconds in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global.

Meyer Shank Racing produced one of its best days in team history, locking out the second row as the only team to place two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six. Felix Rosenqvist qualified third at 59.6989 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, followed by new teammate Marcus Armstrong at 59.8278 in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda.

Christian Lundgaard got off to a good start in his first race with Arrow McLaren, qualifying fifth at 59.8663 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 59.9216 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The thrilling Firestone Fast Six session featured the pole exchanging hands twice in the last minute. Rosenqvist was on pole with one minute to go before Herta snatched the top spot with 30 seconds remaining. Then McLaughlin came through with his pole run on his final lap, with mere seconds to spare on the session clock.

There was just as much drama in the first two rounds of qualifying, as a number of high-profile drivers failed to advance. Two-time St. Petersburg winner Josef Newgarden was eliminated in the round of 12 and will start 10th in his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time reigning series champion Alex Palou also was ousted in the second round and will start eighth in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Eliminated in the first round were two-time series champion Will Power, who has won the pole nine times in the last 15 years at this race, and defending race winner Pato O’Ward. Power will start 13th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, while O’Ward will take the green flag from the 23rd starting spot in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Kirkwood Takes Top Spot in Opening St. Pete Practice

 

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Friday, Feb. 28, 2025) – Florida native and resident Kyle Kirkwood enjoyed home cooking Friday afternoon, leading the opening practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

Kirkwood, from Jupiter, Florida, paced the 80-minute session split into three groups with a best lap of 1 minute, .4409 of a second in the No. 27 Andretti INDYCAR Honda, the leader of two Andretti Global drivers in the top five.

SEE: Practice Results

“In the past three years, this is one of the races that I enjoy coming to the most because it is a home state for me,” said Kirkwood, whose best INDYCAR SERIES finish at St. Petersburg is 10th last year. “But it's interesting because I haven't had good races here. It's not lack of pace. It's a multitude of things that cause the bad races here.

“So, it will be important to get out of this weekend with some points on the board and a good finish.”

Live coverage of the 100-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit on the streets of St. Petersburg starts at noon a.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. It’s the season opener for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Three-time series champion Alex Palou started the defense of his two consecutive titles by ending up second at 1:00.6004 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, .1595 of a second behind leader Kirkwood.

2022 St. Petersburg winner Scott McLaughlin was the quickest Chevrolet-powered driver, third overall at 1:01.0002 in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet. But that was part of a good news-bad news session for McLaughlin, who crashed after he turned his quickest lap.

Colton Herta, who won this race in 2021, was fourth at 1:01.0603 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global. Defending race winner Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five at 1:01.1161 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

The top 10 in the opening practice session was stacked and tight. Nine of the top 10 are NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners, and four are series champions. Just .8516 of a second separated that elite top 10, too.

There were two red flags during practice. Marcus Armstrong triggered the first when his No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing spun in Turn 3 and didn’t make contact.

McLaughlin wasn’t as fortunate as fellow New Zealand native Armstrong six minutes later. McLaughlin, who announced earlier today a contract extension with Team Penske, clipped the outside wall in Turn 3, spinning and stopping on course with moderate damage to the front of his car. McLaughlin was unhurt.

“It was a little bit of a mistake on my part, unfortunately,” McLaughlin said. “I was a little wide through (Turn) 3, and there’s a little bit of a bump there. The bump just sort of put me a little bit wider than I wanted, and there’s no grip out there.

“It’s a bit of a bummer, the mistake, but you’d rather have it happen now and just get on with the weekend.”

Up next is another practice at 10 a.m. Saturday (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

 

 

Baseball Legend, FOX Sports MLB Studio Analyst Alex Rodriguez To Ride in Fastest Seat at St. Petersburg

 

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025) – One of the most prolific sluggers in the history of Major League Baseball and current FOX Sports MLB studio analyst Alex Rodriguez will ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports to begin the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 2.

Florida resident Rodriguez is a 14-time MLB All-Star and a 2009 World Series champion with the New York Yankees. The 22-year veteran ranks fifth on the all-time home run list with 696 and has hit more grand slams than any other MLB player in history. Rodriguez, a three-time MLB Most Valuable Player, also is the chairman and chief executive officer of A-Rod Corp, an investment firm he founded in 1995, which backs world-class startups and partners with leading global companies across real estate, sports and entertainment.

Rodriguez’s participation heralds the inaugural race of the new partnership between INDYCAR and FOX Sports, which has been highlighted in recent weeks with driver-focused promotions during FOX NFL playoff broadcasts – including Super Bowl LIX which delivered an average audience of 127.7 million viewers to secure the title as most-watched Super Bowl of all time. Personality-driven TV spots featured three-time and defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou, two-time and defending Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Josef Newgarden and seven-time INDYCAR SERIES race winner and rising star Pato O’Ward.

FOX will air all 17 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races live in 2025, with two additional opportunities during Indianapolis 500 qualifying May 17-18 creating a series-record 19 network windows. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the only premier motorsports series in North America with all races broadcasting on network television.

Baseball icon Rodriguez joins a long list of celebrated INDYCAR Fastest Seat in Sports passengers as he leads the field to green in a custom INDYCAR SERIES car with a special back passenger seat. This high-speed, high-octane, super-charged thrill ride was taken by music superstars Diplo, Jon Bon Jovi and Riley Green, actors Judge Reinhold and Dylan Sprouse, reality TV star Mary Bonnet and American Olympic gold medalist Sam Watson during last year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding begins at noon ET on FOX and FOX Deportes. All INDYCAR programming also streams live on the FOX Sports app.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel racing series with drivers competing at speeds of 200+ mph across a thrilling and demanding set of ovals and road and street circuits. The full schedule is available here.

 

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding

  

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)

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.

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

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

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

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.

 
 INDY NXT series

 

www.indycar.com/nxt.indyca

The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920 after two initial attempts in 1905 and 1916. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, INDYCAR, LLC., which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as a competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series and the history and statistics of both series, as well as those from its predecessors, were unified. The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500, which was first held in 1911.

Hauger Dominates for First Series Victory at St. Petersburg

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 2, 2025) – There are big expectations surrounding Dennis Hauger’s first season of INDY NXT by Firestone with Andretti Global.

So far, so good.

Hauger completed a dominant weekend with his first victory in his first start in the INDYCAR development series, taking the checkered flag in the No. 28 Rental Group car under caution. Hauger, who started from the pole, led every lap and turned the fastest lap of the race. He became the first driver since Linus Lundqvist in 2021 to win in his INDY NXT by Firestone debut.

SEE: Race Results

Norwegian driver Hauger joins INDY NXT by Firestone this season after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and earning five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons.

“That was fun,” Hauger said. “First proper race on this course for me, as well. We had a good rhythm. The car was really good, and the team did an amazing job all weekend long to be up there with us. Super happy. Good start to the season and definitely a confidence boost for us.”

Fellow rookie Lochie Hughes gave Andretti Global a 1-2 finish in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine. Caio Collet, the top returning driver in the series, rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

Myles Rowe tied his career-best result in INDY NXT by placing fourth in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car. Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global.

Jordan Missig continued his breakthrough weekend by finishing a career-best sixth in the No. 48 Abel Motorsports car. Missig, who also qualified a career-best ninth, recorded a best finish of ninth in five INDY NXT starts last season for the Abel team.

The only thing that slowed Hauger was four caution flags that forced the race, originally scheduled for 45 laps, to instead become a 55-minute event. He held off teammate Hughes on all three restarts, on Laps 2, 14 and 25, and eased away.

With 10 minutes remaining, Hauger led Hughes by 1.3 seconds. That gap expanded to 2.4 seconds and was growing when Jack William Miller hit the barrier in Turn 9 while running fifth in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car with two minutes, 15 seconds left in the race. That triggered the fourth and final caution period and ended the race.

Female rookie teammates Sophia Floersch and Hailie Deegan finished 12th and 14th, respectively, in their respective series debuts for HMD Motorsports.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park (11:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

 

 

 

 

Dennis Hauger continued his strong first weekend in INDY NXT by Firestone, winning the pole for the season-opening

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, March 1, 2025) – Dennis Hauger continued his strong first weekend in INDY NXT by Firestone, winning the pole for the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday with a track-record lap for the INDYCAR development series.

Hauger turned a top lap of 1 minute, 3.8801 seconds in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global to earn the top spot in his series debut. The 45-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit starts at 10 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“The team did a great job getting a good car for qualifying,” Hauger said. “We did the job. I’ll take that. Overall, I think there was a bit more in there for me, but it’s the first race weekend. We’re getting up to speed. Happy overall.”

Hauger’s top lap in the first of two qualifying groups broke the INDY NXT track record of 1:04.5759 set by Nolan Siegel last year before he climbed to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Arrow McLaren. Hauger also led practice Friday and was second in the pre-qualifying session this morning.

A climb to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES also is Hauger’s goal. The Norwegian joins INDY NXT by Firestone this season after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and earning five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons.

2024 USF Pro 2000 champion Lochie Hughes locked out the front row for Andretti Global by qualifying second at 1:04.0209 for his series debut in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine.

Caio Collet, the top returning driver to the series this season, qualified third at 1:04.3851 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car. Fellow series veteran Myles Rowe will join Collet in the second row after qualifying fourth at 1:04.2053 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car.

Rookie Liam Sceats qualified fifth at 1:04.5451 in the No. 30 HMD Motorsports car. Jack William Miller will start sixth in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car after his best lap of 1:04.3300.

 

 

Hauger Sends Message in Dominant Opening Practice at St. Pete

  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Friday, Feb. 28, 2025) – Dennis Hauger proved Friday afternoon why he’s one of the more heralded rookies in recent INDY NXT by Firestone history.

Hauger, from Norway, led the first practice for the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 5.2225 seconds in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global. Hauger’s best lap was more than a half-second quicker than his closest pursuer, veteran Caio Collet at 1:05.7885 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

SEE: Practice Results

"I got a good lap in the last run, but overall, there’s still some things to work on," Hauger said. "It's my first time out here in St. Pete, so I’m still getting up to speed and figuring everything out on this track.

"I think Andretti did a good job as a team and started the season in the right way. I just need to keep working with what I know now and focus on having a good day tomorrow."

Live coverage of the 45-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit starts at 10 a.m. ET Sunday on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Hauger joins the INDYCAR development series this season after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and earning five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons. He also served as a Red Bull Junior Driver for six years and was named a Red Bull Reserve Driver for the 2022 and 2023 Formula One season.

Myles Rowe was third at 1:05.9760 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy car. Teammate and fellow series veteran Jordan Missig turned heads by ending up fourth at 1:05.9886 in the No. 48 Abel Motorsports car. Missig’s best finish in five starts last season was ninth at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Veteran Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five at 1:05.9962 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global, which matched Abel Motorsports with two drivers in the top five.

While Hauger built a gap out front, the rest of the 21-driver field was tight. Less than a second separated second-place Collet – the top returning driver in the series this season – and 13th-place Liam Sceats in the No. 30 HMD Motorsports car.

The red flag flew three times during the session, all for contact in separate incidents by rookie drivers.

Sophia Floersch did a quarter-spin in Turn 4 and backed into the tire barrier in her No. 24 HMD Motorsports car 29 minutes into the session. Floersch was unhurt, but the rear of the car suffered moderate damage.

Hailie Deegan then brushed the tire barrier in Turn 4 with the No. 38 HMD Motorsports car 35 minutes into the session. She drove to the pits after the incident and was unhurt.

Tommy Smith clipped the barrier in Turn 10 in his No. 16 HMD Motorsports car with two minutes remaining in the session, ending the session. Smith was unhurt, but the front of his machine suffered moderate damage.

Up next is another practice at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET. FS2

 

 

  indycar series INDY NXT  series

2025 INDYcar schedule
2025 Schedule
DATE RACE TV
Sun, Mar 2
Noon ET		 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Streets Of St. Petersburg		 FOX
Sun, Mar 23
3:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Thermal
The Thermal Club		 FOX
Sun, Apr 13
4:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Long Beach
Streets Of Long Beach		 FOX
Sun, May 4
1:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park		 FOX
Sat, May 10
4:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Indianapolis (Road Course)
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course		 FOX
Sun, May 25
10:00 AM ET		 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway		 FOX
Sun, Jun 1
12:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Detroit
Detroit Street Circuit		 FOX
Sun, Jun 15
3:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Illinois
World Wide Technology Raceway		 FOX
Sun, Jun 22
3:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Road America
Road America		 FOX
Sun, Jul 6
2:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course		 FOX
Sat, Jul 12
5:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Iowa Race 1
Iowa Speedway		 FOX
Sun, Jul 13
2:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Iowa Race 2
Iowa Speedway		 FOX
Sun, Jul 20
2:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Toronto
Streets Of Toronto		 FOX
Sun, Jul 27
3:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Monterey
Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca		 FOX
Sun, Aug 10
3:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Portland
Portland International Raceway		 FOX
Sun, Aug 24
2:00 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Mile		 FOX
Sun, Aug 31
2:30 PM ET		 Grand Prix of Nashville
Nashville Superspeedway		 FOX

 

2025 INDYNXT schedule

Rd. Date Race name Track Location
1 March 2 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg  R  Streets of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Florida
2 May 4 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama  R  Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama
3 May 9 Indy NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix  R  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Speedway, Indiana
4 May 10
5 June 1 Indy NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix  R  Detroit Street Circuit Detroit, Michigan
6 June 15 Indy NXT by Firestone Outfront Showdown  O  World Wide Technology Raceway Madison, Illinois
7 June 22 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Road America  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
8 July 6 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio
9 July 12 Indy NXT by Firestone Iowa 100  O  Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa
10 July 26 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey  R  WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California
11 July 27
12 August 10 Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon
13 August 24 Indy NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin
14 August 31 Indy NXT by Firestone Music City 100  O  Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon, Tennessee
O Oval track
R Road/street course
 
       

 

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