The Grand Prix is ‘Back on Track’ in Downtown St. Petersburg
In the aftermath of two major hurricanes impacting the region, the sights and sounds of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will be extra special this time around for fans and festival goers. The 21st annual event set for Feb. 28-March 2 is a three-day spectacle of racing, food and fun along the downtown waterfront highlighted by the NTT IndyCar Series’ season-opening race.
The weekend’s headlining race will take the green flag on Sunday, March 2 just after noon ET as over two dozen of the world’s most elite drivers battle in high-powered Indy cars on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street course for 100 laps (180 miles). The jam-packed weekend schedule also includes competition from open-wheel racing’s rising stars in Indy NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, plus fender-banging sports car action from Mazda MX-5 Cup.
“We are honored to organize this event each year and look forward to all the great fans from across the country and world joining us again in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg,” said Kim Green, co-owner, chairman and CEO of Green Savoree St. Petersburg, LLC, organizers of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. “With the recent challenges from the hurricanes and ongoing recovery happening for our community, it’s going to be a great weekend to enjoy as we get St. Pete back on track together.”
The weekend is often called “IndyCar’s version of Monaco” (in reference to the Formula 1 race held in the European city-state along the Mediterranean Sea) with its spectacular waterfront track winding through downtown, past yachts and the eye-catching Dali Museum. The race broadcast will reach a global television audience with millions of viewers worldwide in over 200 countries – priceless promotion for the City of St. Petersburg and the area as a tourism destination. A live national broadcast of Sunday’s IndyCar race will air on FOX (locally on FOX 13 Tampa Bay) for the very first time as the new television partner for the race series.
Two community activities are planned for Thursday, Feb. 27 in North Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg to kick off the festivities. INDYCAR Party in the Park, a free event featuring race cars on display and drivers signing autographs, and the annual 5K Run & Walk, with all proceeds from enrollments benefiting the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg, happen in the late afternoon.
Visit www.gpstepete.com for tickets and additional fan information.
