Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Close, but no cigar. On a day that featured plenty of chaos, Pato O’Ward kept his nose clean and found himself at the right place at the right time to be in contention for the win in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, only to have the win snatched from his grasp at the last minute. Running behind leaders Romain Grosjean and Scott McLaughlin, O’Ward cycled into the lead when the two collided and took each other out, setting the stage for what looked toRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer What was shaping up to be a fantastic battle for the race win went straight to hell in a heartbeat. Both pole sitter Romain Grosjean and defending Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg winner Scott McLaughlin crashed on Lap 72, bringing out the final full course caution. McLaughlin was able to continue his race, but the contact ended Grosjean’s afternoon after leading a race-high 31 of 100 laps. After making their final pit stops, McLaughlin just exited ahead of Grosjean, who pitted the lap before him.Read More

By INDYCAR ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Marcus Ericsson dodged multiple incidents in a chaotic season-opening race for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, winning the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday in a day overflowing with drama. 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson earned his fourth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory by 2.4113 seconds in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda over runner-up Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Ericsson, who started fourth, took the lead when O’Ward slowedRead More

By INDYCAR ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Romain Grosjean led an Andretti Autosport sweep of the front row in qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Saturday, winning the NTT P1 Award for the second time in his career. Grosjean, from France, led the Firestone Fast Six with a best lap of 59.5532 seconds in the No. 28 DHL Honda on his final trip around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit that hosts the opening race of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Teammate ColtonRead More

By INDYCAR ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s hard to believe, but none of legendary six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon’s 53 career wins have come on the streets of St. Petersburg. That might change Sunday, if the results of the opening practice Friday are any indication. Dixon was quickest during the opening practice session of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 1.6145 seconds in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon will look to take the top step ofRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The brave men of the NTT IndyCar Series are back this weekend in one of sport’s traditional venues — the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Over the last 14 seasons, the 1.8-mile circuit have kicked off the season for 11 of those campaigns. Per usual, a lot of unknowns with racers moving to new places and others looking to make their names in INDYCAR. Among the major headlines are Arrow McLaren’s ongoing quest of pursuing that elusive Astor Cup and become the first team sinceRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Coming off one of his worst points finishes last season, Will Power and his No. 12 Team Penske team came into the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season with a new gameplan. If his third-place finish in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg are any indication, it appears to be working. Starting the day from the front row alongside teammate and eventual winner Scott McLaughlin, and as one of a handful of drivers starting the race on the primary black tires, Power faded to fourth earlyRead More

By INDYCAR ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Scott McLaughlin delivered on the promise he showed to Team Penske when it signed him straight from touring cars to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, earning his first career victory Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. NTT P1 Award winner McLaughlin drove his No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet from the pole to victory by .5095 of a second over reigning series champion Alex Palou, who applied heavy pressure to McLaughlin over the closing laps inRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Defending NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou came up short of starting the championship trail with a win. Instead of celebrating a win in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Palou crossed the line in second. After a heavy shunt during Saturday’s practice, Palou had his work cut out for. Through perseverance and all-around teamwork, it became an overall positive weekend for the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing crew. “It was a great weekend. We started struggling a lot. Obviously my little contact with theRead More

By INDYCAR ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Scott McLaughlin targeted a main goal after his rookie season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2021 – improve his qualifying performances. Consider that job done after just one race in 2022. McLaughlin earned his first career NTT P1 Award by leading the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 59.4821 seconds Saturday afternoon in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, taking the top starting spot for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. The pole also cameRead More