By: Spencer Neff
February 28, 2025
Nearly six months of waiting are over, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to action this weekend.
The 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be the 22nd INDYCAR race on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course in Florida.
It will be the 15th year the vent has been the season-opening round.
Following a number of changes throughout the INDYCAR paddock and beyond, here’s a look at the major stories to watch.
Headlines
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou heads into 2025 seeking a record-tying third consecutive championship.
If he does so, he’d match Ted Horn (1946-48) and Dario Franchitti (2009-11). Palou would also become the sixth driver with at least four championships.
In five previous starts at St. Petersburg, Palou has led five laps and finished eighth or better in the last three trips, highlighted by a runner-up finish to Scott McLaughlin in 2022.
Just one of Palou’s 11 career victories have been on a temporary street circuit (Detroit 2023).
Among those looking to end Palou’s title reign will be Andretti Global’s Colton Herta.
After ending the season with his first oval win at Nashville Superspeedway en route to a runner-up championship finish, Herta returns to a track where he won from the pole in 2021.
This weekend marks the beginning of a new era for INDYCAR, as Fox Sports begins their time as the series’ media rights partner. Fox’s broadcasting network last aired an IndyCar race in 2002 (Long Beach).
Also making their debut for the weekend are three rookies: Firestone INDY NXT Champion Louis Foster will drive the No. 45 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, with 2024 runner-up Jacob Abel behind the wheel of the No. 51 for Dale Coyne Racing.
Robert Shwartzman and PREMA make their series debut as teammate Callum Ilott returns to the series full-time. Also making their first appearance with new teams are Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren), Alexander Rossi (Ed Carpenter Racing), Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Hollinger Racing), David Malukas (A.J. Foyt Racing) and Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing).
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburgpresented by RP Funding Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, Feb. 28-Sunday, March 2
Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) throughdowntown 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 maximumtime of 15 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with amaximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) Unlimited activation with amaximum deployment of 310 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, five sets alternate to beused during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set ofprimary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires forat least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during theevent 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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Instagram: @gpstpete, @IndyCar, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR
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YouTube: @INDYCAR, @greensavoreeracingpromotions
Event website: http://www.gpstpete.com
INDYCAR website: http://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 TeamPenske 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
Felix Rodsenqvist, 59.2706 seconds, 109.329 mph, Mar. 9, 2024 (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. ETSaturday, 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. (Kevin Lee, Jack Harvey and Jamie Little are this weekend’s pit reporters. Georgia Henneberry will rejoin Lee and Harvey following her maternity leave),
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analystDavey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman and Jake Query are the turn announcers. Michael Young, AlexWollf 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 SiriusXMINDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
IndyCar1909 would also like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of broadcaster Al Trautwig. Trautwig, who served as pit reporter for ABC’s 1986 and 1987 Indianapolis 500 telecasts, passed away on Sunday following a battle with cancer.
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 greenflag time), FS2
1:30-2 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (Two groups, 12-minute session with green flagof 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/181miles), FOX, FOX Sports Deportes, FOX Sports App (Live)
Header Image By Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR
IndyCar1909.com 