Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

The SCCA Trans-Am Series held a race on a St. Petersburg downtown waterfront circuit from 1985 to 1990. Can-Am also competed in 1985. Local residents and businesses complained about noise, and the event was eventually put on hiatus.[1] Driver Jim Fitzgerald was killed in a crash during the 1987 race.[2][3] Racing in the Tampa Bay Area was then moved across town for a couple years. An IMSA race at the Florida State Fairgrounds was held in 1989 and 1990.

From 1996 to 1997, the St. Petersburg race was revived on a different course around Tropicana Field (about one mile west of the original waterfront course). Along with the Trans-Am Series, support races included U.S. FF2000, World Challenge, Pro SRF and Barber Dodge. The event subsequently went again on hiatus for several years.[1]

In 2003, the event was revived again for the Champ Car World Series. A new, modified version of the original 1985 waterfront circuit was created.

For 2004, the event was cancelled due to a dispute between the promoters, furthermore, the bankruptcy and liquidation of the CART series into the new Champ Car World Series saw a shakeup of the calendar. When the race returned in 2005, it switched to the IndyCar Series, marking the first non-oval event for the Indy Racing League. In 2007, the race weekend was expanded to include an American Le Mans Series event.

Andretti Green Promotions would later take over promotion of the event.[4] Starting in 2014, Firestone took over as title sponsor.[5]

Season	Date	Driver	Team	Chassis	Engine/Aero Kit	Tires	Race Distance		Race Time	Average Speed (mph)	Report
							Laps	Miles (km)
Champ Car World Series history
2003	February 23	Paul Tracy	Forsythe Racing	Lola B02/00	Ford–Cosworth XFE	Bridgestone	105	189.63 (305.179)	2:04:28	91.401	Report
2004	Not held
IndyCar Series history
2005	April 3	Dan Wheldon	Andretti Green Racing	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:09:54	83.14	Report
2006	April 2	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	1:56:58	92.34	Report
2007	April 1	Hélio Castroneves (2)	Team Penske (2)	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:01:07	89.166	Report
2008	April 6	Graham Rahal	Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	83*	149.4 (240.435)	2:00:44	74.251	Report
2009	April 5	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske (3)	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:12:27	81.542	Report
2010	March 29*	Will Power	Team Penske (4)	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:07:06	84.975	Report
2011	March 27	Dario Franchitti	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara	Honda	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:01:00	89.26	Report
2012	March 25	Hélio Castroneves (3)	Team Penske (5)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-12	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	1:59:51	90.113	Report
2013	March 24	James Hinchcliffe	Andretti Autosport (2)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-12	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:22:13	83.539	Report
2014	March 30	Will Power (2)	Team Penske (6)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-12	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:06:58	93.572	Report
2015	March 29	Juan Pablo Montoya	Team Penske (7)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/CAK-15	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:16:58	86.735	Report
2016	March 13	Juan Pablo Montoya (2)	Team Penske (8)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/CAK-16 (5)	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:13:28	89.006	Report
2017	March 12	Sébastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Dallara DW-12	Honda/HAK-16	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:04:32	95.391	Report
2018	March 11	Sébastien Bourdais (2)	Dale Coyne Racing (2)	Dallara DW-12	Honda/UAK-18 (9)	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:17:48	86.207	Report
2019	March 10	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske (9)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-18 (6)	Firestone	110	198 (318.65)	2:04:18	95.572	Report
2020	October 25	Josef Newgarden (2)	Team Penske (10)	Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-18 (7)	Firestone	100	180 (289.681)	2:06:12	85.872	Report
2021	April 25			Dallara DW-12	Chevrolet/UAK-18 (8)	Firestone					Report

• 2008: Race shortened as a result of inclement weather at the start forcing the race to start on Lap 10 after nine Safety Car laps. Shortened by ESPN under time limit.
• 2010: Race postponed from March 28 due to inclement weather.[6]
• 2020: Race postponed from March 15 to October 25 and shortened to 100 laps due to coronavirus pandemic.
• 2021: Race postponed from March 7 to April 25 due to coronavirus pandemic.
• UAK = Universal Aero Kit
• CAK = Chevrolet Aero Kit
• HAK = Honda Aero Kit

The section of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg that curves through the Al Lang Stadium parking lot

The Streets of St. Petersburg course is a street circuit connecting existing roads with one of the two runways of Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida. It also dips into the parking lot at Al Lang Stadium. St. Petersburg is classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit.[13]

Second Bayfront course

Helio Castroneves approaches Dan Wheldon Way (Turn 10) on the final lap of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

When the course was reconfigured, the northbound segment turned at Central Avenue instead, and did not go as far as The Pier. The pits and main straight were moved to the airport, and a purpose-built paddock area was paved next to the runway. The Albert Whitted Park was reconfigured/relocated, and the entire course layout was repaved.

The pits and paddock areas, as well as link from Dan Wheldon Way to the airport runway (turns 11, 12, and 13) were constructed specifically for the circuit in 2003, and are considered permanent features of the otherwise temporary circuit.

After the crash at the 2011 Izod IndyCar World Championship that killed Snell Isle resident Dan Wheldon, who won the 2005 race and two Indianapolis 500 titles, the straight following Turn 10 (the turn from Bayshore Drive to Albert Whitted Park) was renamed "Dan Wheldon Way" in his memory. The sign and commemorative plaque was unveiled by St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster on March 6, 2012. A permanent Dan Wheldon Memorial is located next to the Dali Museum on the opposite side of Turn 10, where race winners have their names placed on the memorial.[14]

• 
  The circuit layout from 1985 to 1991
• 
  The circuit layout from 1996 to 2000
• 
  The circuit layout from 2003 to present

• 2005: The first ever road course race for the Indy Racing League saw Andretti Green Racing win the pole and sweep the top four position. Dan Wheldon finished first, with Tony Kanaan second.

• 2006: Dario Franchitti won the pole, but was knocked out early due to mechanical failure. The race finished under the yellow flag after Tomas Scheckter and Buddy Rice hit the barrier with 4 laps to go. Roberto Moreno replaced Ed Carpenter for this race as Ed recovered from his injury's but finished 18th due to steering issues. Hélio Castroneves was the winner.

• 2007: Pole winner Hélio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding off Scott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history at the time. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, including Tony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow, Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by a Foyt team in a few season, Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.

• 2008: Heavy rain in the morning soaked the track, and left considerable standing water. The race was started under 10 laps of caution as the track dried. At the start, Tony Kanaan assumed the lead, but soon was passed by Justin Wilson. The early part of the race saw several spins by several cars, including Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Mario Moraes. On the 37th lap after a restart, rookie Graham Rahal was hit from behind by Will Power while running 3rd. He was able to continue. Several cautions slowed the race, including a crash by Ryan Briscoe, and a multi-car incident involving Vítor Meira, Franck Perera, and Townsend Bell. On the restart that followed, Rahal-Letterman Racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay led Graham Rahal. Rahal got the jump and took the lead into the first turn. With time running out before the two-hour time limit, the race was poised to end before the scheduled distance. On the final restart, just under 4 minutes of racing remained. Rahal held off a charging Hélio Castroneves and won his first race. At 19 years, 93 days old, Rahal became the youngest driver ever to win an Indy-style race, as well as the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history.[15] He broke Marco Andretti's record from 2006.[15] He also became the fourth driver to win an IndyCar Series race in his first start, joining Buzz Calkins, Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Dixon.[15]

• 2009: On the opening lap, polesitter Graham Rahal was involved in light contact with Tony Kanaan, which damaged his nosecone, and dropped him deep in the standings. With 20 laps to go, defending IndyCar champion Scott Dixon crashed out after contact with Hideki Mutoh. With 14 laps to go, Ryan Briscoe took the lead from Justin Wilson on a restart. Briscoe held off Ryan Hunter-Reay to secure the victory.

• 2011: The first race featuring the new double-file restarts takes a toll on the field as drivers adjust. On the first lap, a big collision involving several cars saw Marco Andretti flip over in turn 1, a crash he blamed on Hélio Castroneves.[16] Several other drivers experienced contact on restarts, thinning the field. Dario Franchitti stayed in front for most of the race and won the season opener. Simona de Silvestro garnered the most attention of the later stages of the race, as she hotly challenged Tony Kanaan. Kanaan, who had landed his ride with KV Racing just days earlier, held her off over the final few laps for a surprising third-place finish.

• 2012: Hélio Castroneves won the season-opening event,[17][18] snapping a winless streak that dates back to Motegi in 2010. It was the first race for the new Dallara DW-12 chassis, and the new turbocharged engine package. Castroneves' victory marked the first win by Chevrolet in the IndyCar Series since 2005. It also marked the first race since the fatal accident of Dan Wheldon. Will Power took the lead from the pole position at the start, but during the first yellow, he ducked into the pits in order to gamble on a fuel strategy. The strategy backfired, and Power was not a factor during the remainder of the race. During the final sequence of pit stops, Castroneves and Scott Dixon were running 1st–2nd. Dixon pitted first on lap 72, and Castroneves pitted on lap later. As the rest of the leaders shuffled through their final pits stops, Castroneves made a bold pass of Dixon on the outside of turn 1 for second place. After the sequence of pit stops was over, Castroneves led the final 26 laps to claim the victory. On his victory lap, Castroneves stopped in turn 10, climbed from his car, and performed his customary "Spider-Man" celebration, climbing the catch fence. He climbed the fence which displayed the street sign "Dan Wheldon Way," which had been designated days earlier by the city of St. Petersburg in the memory of Wheldon.[19]

• 2013: James Hinchcliffe won the first IndyCar race of his career, taking the lead from Hélio Castroneves on a restart on lap 85 of 110. Hinchcliffe held off Castroneves by 1.09 seconds, with Marco Andretti finishing third, passing Simona de Silvestro for the position on the final lap.[20] Will Power dominated the early parts of the race, but dropped to 16th at the finish after contact with J. R. Hildebrand. Dario Franchitti finished last after an early crash, and defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay dropped out with mechanical problems.

• 2014: Takuma Sato sat on the pole, but he lost the lead at lap 30 to Will Power. On a restart on lap 82, leader Will Power was bringing the field back to green when an "accordion effect" saw the field check-up on the main stretch. Marco Andretti and rookie Jack Hawksworth made contact and crashed into the inside barrier. Power led the most laps, and held off Ryan Hunter-Reay and Hélio Castroneves for the victory. Polesitter Takuma Sato finished 6th.

• 2015: The season opener at St. Petersburg was also the debut of unique aero kits for Honda and Chevrolet. Apprehension amongst the teams going into the race revolved around the complex, elaborate, and seemingly fragile front wings, and the lack of adequate replacement parts. The concerns were not unfounded, as dozens of on-track contacts throughout the field damaged countless wing components. Will Power won the pole position, leading a Team Penske sweep of the first four positions on the grid. Power took the lead at the start, and led 75 laps. During the final round of pit stops, Juan Pablo Montoya grabbed the lead after he managed a quicker pit stop than Power. In the closing laps, Power chased down Montoya, and narrowed the gap to less than a second with 11 laps to go. Power tried to pass Montoya for the lead in turn 10, but the two cars touched, damaging Power's front wing. Montoya held the lead, and went on to win, his first road course victory in IndyCar racing since 1999.

• 2016: Team Penske driver Will Power qualified for the pole, but was diagnosed with a concussion shortly after the conclusion of the session and was forced to miss the race. Oriol Servià filled in place of Power.[21] Second place qualifier Simon Pagenaud inherited the pole position. Pagenaud led the opening 48 laps before being passed by his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya would lead 44 laps en route to his second win in a row at St. Petersburg. Rookie driver Conor Daly also led 15 laps during the race due to pit strategy, but was shuffled outside the top 10 by the end of the race. The race was slowed by only two yellows. The first came on lap 46 when Luca Filippi and Marco Andretti made contact in the first turn. The second came on the restart from the prior caution when Carlos Muñoz made contact with Graham Rahal in turn four, creating a logjam that completely blocked the race course.[22] After the race, Will Power was reevaluated and deemed not to have a concussion, but instead to be suffering from a lingering ear infection.[23] Power would be cleared to race for the following round at Phoenix International Raceway.

• 2017: Sébastien Bourdais crashed during qualifying on his out lap, and was relegated to starting 21st and last.[24] Bourdais charged from last to first, the first win for Dale Coyne Racing since 2014. On lap 20, the first round of green flag pit stops began, with several drivers further down the order, including Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud, being some of the first in. However, the race's second full-course caution came out in the middle of this pit sequence on lap 26, when Tony Kanaan and Mikhail Aleshin made contact in turn 4, littering the track with debris.[25] The caution forced the top seven drivers in the race to pit during the caution and lose large amounts of track positions. Following the pit stops, Pagenaud, Bourdais and Marco Andretti were running 1st-2nd-3rd. Bourdais got by Pagenaud on lap 37, and began to pull away. After the second and third rounds of pit stops, Bourdais emerged with a 10-second lead, and comfortably cruised to victory over Pagenaud and Scott Dixon.

• Official website
• Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info