Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - wikipedia Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Verizon IndyCar Series Location St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. 27 ° 45 ′ 59 '' N 82 ° 37 ′ 45 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 27.76639 ° N 82.62917 ° W ﻿ / 27.76639 ; - 82.62917 Coordinates : 27 ° 45 ′ 59 '' N 82 ° 37 ′ 45 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 27.76639 ° N 82.62917 ° W ﻿ / 27.76639 ; - 82.62917 Corporate sponsor Firestone First race 1985 First ICS race 2005 Distance 198 mi ( 319 km ) Laps 110 Previous names St. Petersburg Grand Prix ( 1985 -- 1990 ) Kash n ' Karry Florida Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ( 1996 -- 1997 ) Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ( 2005 -- 2013 ) Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ( 2014 -- present ) Most wins ( driver ) Hélio Castroneves ( 3 ) Most wins ( team ) Team Penske ( 8 ) Most wins ( manufacturer ) Dallara ( 14 ) Honda ( 9 ) Circuit information Surface Asphalt / Concrete Length 1.8 mi ( 2.9 km ) Turns 14 Lap record Jordan King ( 1 : 00.0476, Dallara DW12, 2018, Verizon Indycar Series ) The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a Verizon IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since 2009, the race has served as the season opener, with the exception of 2010, when it was the second race of the season ( but the first on U.S. soil ). The race is held annually in the spring, currently in March. The race takes place on a temporary course, utilizing downtown streets, and two runways of Albert Whitted Airport. The event dates back to 1985, with Indy cars first competing in 2003. Contents 1 History 2 Past winners 2.1 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire 2.2 American Le Mans Series 2.3 SCCA Trans - Am 2.4 Can - Am 2.5 SCCA Super Vee 2.6 IMSA ( fairgrounds ) 3 Course 3.1 First bayfront course 3.2 Tropicana Field course 3.3 Second Bayfront course 4 Broadcasting history ( United States ) 5 Notes 5.1 Works cited 5.2 References 6 External links History 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. Driver Jim Fitzgerald was killed in a crash during the 1987 race. 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. 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. Starting in 2014, Firestone took over as title sponsor. Past winners Season Date Driver Team Chassis Engine 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 Ford -- Cosworth Bridgestone 105 189.63 ( 305.179 ) 2 : 04 : 28 91.401 Report Not held Verizon 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 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 Chevrolet Firestone 100 180 ( 289.681 ) 1 : 59 : 51 90.113 Report 2013 March 24 James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport ( 2 ) Dallara Chevrolet Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 22 : 13 83.539 Report 2014 March 30 Will Power ( 2 ) Team Penske ( 6 ) Dallara Chevrolet Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 06 : 58 93.572 Report 2015 March 29 Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske ( 7 ) Dallara Chevrolet Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 16 : 58 86.735 Report 2016 March 13 Juan Pablo Montoya ( 2 ) Team Penske ( 8 ) Dallara Chevrolet ( 5 ) Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 13 : 28 89.006 Report 2017 March 12 Sébastien Bourdais Dale Coyne Racing Dallara Honda Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 04 : 32 95.391 Report 2018 March 11 Sébastien Bourdais ( 2 ) Dale Coyne Racing ( 2 ) Dallara Honda ( 9 ) Firestone 110 198 ( 318.65 ) 2 : 17 : 48 86.207 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. Indy Lights presented by cooper tire Stefan Wilson driving along the Bay Shore Drive Southeast section during the qualifying race of the Indy Lights 2011. Season Date Winning Driver Chassis Engine 2005 April 3 Marco Andretti Dallara Infiniti 2006 April 1 Raphael Matos Dallara Infiniti April 2 Raphael Matos Dallara Infiniti 2007 March 31 Alex Lloyd Dallara Infiniti April 1 Alex Lloyd Dallara Infiniti 2008 April 5 Raphael Matos Dallara Infiniti April 6 Richard Antinucci Dallara Infiniti 2009 April 4 Junior Strous Dallara Infiniti April 5 Junior Strous Dallara Infiniti March 28 Jean Karl Vernay Dallara Infiniti 2011 March 27 Josef Newgarden Dallara Honda 2012 March 24 Tristan Vautier Dallara Honda 2013 March 23 Jack Hawksworth Dallara Honda 2014 March 30 Zach Veach Dallara Honda 2015 March 28 Ed Jones Dallara Mazda March 29 Ed Jones Dallara Mazda 2016 March 12 Felix Serralles Dallara Mazda March 13 Felix Rosenqvist Dallara Mazda 2017 March 11 Aaron Telitz Dallara Mazda March 12 Colton Herta Dallara Mazda 2018 March 10 Patricio O'Ward Dallara Mazda March 11 Santiago Urrutia Dallara Mazda American Le Mans Series Overall winner in bold. Season LMP1 Winning Team LMP2 Winning Team GT1 Winning Team GT2 Winning Team Report LMP1 Winning Drivers LMP2 Winning Drivers GT1 Winning Drivers GT2 Winning Drivers 2007 # 1 Audi Sport North America # 6 Penske Racing # 4 Corvette Racing # 62 Risi Competizione report Rinaldo Capello Allan McNish Sascha Maassen Ryan Briscoe Oliver Gavin Olivier Beretta Mika Salo Jaime Melo 2008 # 2 Audi Sport North America # 7 Penske Racing # 4 Corvette Racing # 71 Tafel Racing report Marco Werner Lucas Luhr Timo Bernhard Romain Dumas Olivier Beretta Oliver Gavin Dominik Farnbacher Dirk Müller 2009 # 9 Patrón Highcroft Racing # 15 Lowe 's Fernández Racing No entry # 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports report David Brabham Scott Sharp Adrian Fernández Luis Díaz No entry Patrick Long Jörg Bergmeister SCCA Trans - Am Dan Wheldon memorial plaque located adjacent to the course layout. 1985 Willy T. Ribbs 1986 Pete Halsmer 1987 Scott Pruett 1988 Walter Röhrl 1989 Irv Hoerr 1990 Chris Kneifel 1996 Ron Fellows 1997 Tommy Kendall 2003 Scott Pruett Can - Am 1985 Lou Sell SCCA Super Vee 1986 Didier Theys 1987 Dave Kudrave 1988 Bernard Jourdain 1989 Stuart Crow 1990 Chris Smith IMSA ( fairgrounds ) 1989 Price Cobb 1990 James Weaver Course 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. First Bayfront course The original 1985 Trans - Am course utilized a similar layout to the course used today. For the first year the track actually ran out to the pier, made a 180 degree turn and returned. At the end of Bayshore Drive, rather than diverting off to the airport runways, the course circled around 5th Avenue Southeast around Bayfront Arena, and the start / finish line was located just south of the paddock ( the parking lot of Bayfront Arena ). In addition, the old course traveled further up Beach Drive Northeast, all the way to 5th Avenue Northeast. 5th Ave. NE was a very narrow segment. The course came south down Bayshore Drive Northeast, and passed by The Pier. Tropicana Field course The second course at Tropicana Field was located about a mile west of the waterfront location. The circuit used the roads around the perimeter of the parking lot of the stadium. 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. The circuit layout from 1985 to 1991 The circuit layout from 1996 to 2000 The circuit layout from 2003 to present Broadcasting history ( united states ) Season Channel Lay - by - lap Driver Analyst ( s ) Pit Reporter ( s ) Host ( s ) 2003 Speed Channel Bob Varsha Scott Pruett Derek Daly Calvin Fish Tommy Kendall Scott Pruett Bob Varsha 2005 ESPN Todd Harris Scott Goodyear 2006 ESPN Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Rusty Wallace Jack Arute Jamie Little Dr. Jerry Punch Brent Musburger Rusty Wallace 2007 ESPN Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Jack Arute Brienne Pedigo Marty Reid Scott Goodyear 2008 ESPN Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Jack Arute Brienne Pedigo Vince Welch Marty Reid Scott Goodyear 2009 Versus Bob Jenkins Jon Beekhuis Robbie Buhl Jack Arute Robbie Floyd Lindy Thackston Jack Arute ABC ESPN2 Marty Reid Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Rick DeBruhl Jamie Little Vince Welch Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Marty Reid 2011 ABC Marty Reid Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Rick DeBruhl Jamie Little Vince Welch Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Marty Reid 2012 ABC Marty Reid Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Rick DeBruhl Jamie Little Vince Welch Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Marty Reid 2013 NBC Sports Network Leigh Diffey Townsend Bell Wally Dallenbach, Jr. Jon Beekhuis Kevin Lee Robin Miller Leigh Diffey 2014 ABC Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Rick DeBruhl Jamie Little Vince Welch Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear 2015 ABC Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Jon Beekhuis Rick DeBruhl Dr. Jerry Punch Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear 2016 ABC Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Jon Beekhuis Rick DeBruhl Dr. Jerry Punch Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear 2017 ABC Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Jon Beekhuis Rick DeBruhl Dr. Jerry Punch Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear 2018 ABC Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear Jon Beekhuis Rick DeBruhl Allen Bestwick Eddie Cheever Scott Goodyear 2010 : Race was originally scheduled for ABC, but after being postponed a day it was moved to ESPN2. Notes Works cited Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 's website City has had false starts with racing St. Petersburg course layouts maps via TheRacingLine.net Florida State Fairgrounds course map via TheRacingLine.net References ^ Jump up to : `` St. Petersburg Grand Prix : City has had false starts with racing ''. St. Petersburg Times. February 21, 2003. Retrieved April 3, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Trans - am Driver Killed In Crash During St. Petersburg Event ''. Sun - Sentinel. 1987 - 11 - 09. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Veteran driver Fitzgerald dies ''. Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. November 9, 1987. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ Brassfield, Mike ( 6 April 2009 ). `` Grand Prix is a winner for St. Petersburg ''. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011. Jump up ^ http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/11/11-20-Firestone-to-sponsor-St-Petersburg-season-opener Jump up ^ Auman, Greg ( 29 March 2010 ). `` Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until Monday ''. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011. Jump up ^ `` Street in St. Petersburg named for Dan Wheldon ''. Fox News. AP. 2012 - 03 - 07. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 26. External links Official website Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info Preceded by - IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Succeeded by Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Links to related articles Tracks of the IndyCar Series Current Ovals Gateway Indianapolis Iowa Phoenix Pocono Texas Road courses Barber Indianapolis Mid-Ohio Portland Road America Sonoma Street circuits Detroit Long Beach St. Petersburg Toronto Former Ovals Atlanta Charlotte Chicagoland Dover Fontana Homestead Kansas Kentucky Las Vegas Michigan Milwaukee Motegi Nashville Nazareth New Hampshire Pikes Peak Richmond Walt Disney World Road courses Motegi NOLA Watkins Glen Street circuits Baltimore Edmonton Houston São Paulo Surfers Paradise Races of the IndyCar Series Ovals Gateway Indianapolis Iowa Phoenix Pocono Texas Road and street courses Barber Detroit Indianapolis Long Beach Mid-Ohio Portland Road America St. Petersburg Sonoma Toronto Former Atlanta Baltimore Charlotte Chicagoland Dover Edmonton Fontana Homestead Houston Kansas Kentucky Las Vegas Louisiana Michigan Milwaukee Motegi Nashville Nazareth New Hampshire Pikes Peak Richmond São Paulo Surfers Paradise Walt Disney World Watkins Glen Pirelli World Challenge circuits Current ( 2017 ) Austin Laguna Seca Lime Rock Long Beach Mid-Ohio Mosport Road America Sonoma St. Petersburg Virginia Utah Former Barber Brainerd Charlotte Cleveland Dallas ( Addison Airport ) Dallas ( Reunion Arena ) Denver ( Civic Center ) Denver ( Pepsi Center ) Des Moines Detroit Firebird Grand Rapids Houston Joliet Las Vegas Miami Minneapolis New Jersey Phoenix Pikes Peak Portland Reno Road Atlanta Sainte - Croix Saltillo San Diego San Juan Sebring Texas Motor Texas World Topeka Toronto Trois - Rivières Vancouver Washington Watkins Glen Circuits of the Can - Am Challenge Cup ( 1966 -- 1986 ) Canada Edmonton Mont - Tremblant Mosport Trois - Rivières United States Brainerd Bridgehampton Caesars Palace Charlotte Dallas Green Valley Laguna Seca Lime Rock Michigan Mid-Ohio Riverside Road America Road Atlanta Sears Point Stardust St. Louis St. Petersburg Summit Point Texas World Watkins Glen Tracks of Championship Auto Racing Teams ( 1979 -- 2007 ) U.S. ovals Atlanta California Chicago Gateway Homestead Indianapolis Las Vegas Loudon Michigan Milwaukee Nazareth Ontario Phoenix Pocono Texas Trenton U.S. road courses Laguna Seca Mid-Ohio Portland Riverside Road America Watkins Glen U.S. street circuits Cleveland Denver ( Civic Center ) Denver ( Pepsi Center ) Detroit ( Belle Isle ) Detroit ( Downtown ) Hawaii ( cancelled ) Houston ( Downtown ) Houston ( Reliant Park ) Las Vegas ( Caesars Palace ) Las Vegas ( Downtown ) Long Beach Meadowlands Miami ( Bayfront Park ) Miami ( Bicentennial Park ) Miami ( Tamiami Park ) St. Petersburg San Jose International ovals EuroSpeedway ( GER ) Motegi ( JPN ) Rio ( BRA ) Rockingham ( UK ) Sanair ( CAN ) International road courses Assen ( NED ) Brands Hatch ( UK ) Mexico City ( MEX ) Montreal ( CAN ) Mont - Tremblant ( CAN ) Zolder ( BEL ) International street circuits Edmonton ( CAN ) Monterrey ( MEX ) Surfers Paradise ( AUS ) Toronto ( CAN ) Vancouver ( CAN ) Circuits of the American Le Mans Series ( 1999 -- 2013 ) Road courses Austin Laguna Seca Lime Rock Mid-Ohio Miller Mosport Nürburgring Portland Road America Road Atlanta Sebring Silverstone Sonoma Virginia Street circuits Adelaide Baltimore Belle Isle Houston Long Beach Miami St. Petersburg Trois - Rivières Washington, D.C. 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Former regional championships Ovals Irwindale Mesa Marin Road courses Abilene Beaver Run Belle Rose Blackhawk Farms Buttonwillow Carolina Corpus Christi Fontana Gingerman Grattan Hallett Houston ( MSR ) Indianapolis ( LOR ) La Junta New Hampshire Palm Beach Pacific Phoenix Pocono Roebling Road Second Creek Summit Point Texas World Thunderhill Willow Springs Tracks of the Speed Energy Formula Off - Road presented by Traxxas Current Adelaide Belle Isle Darwin Fort Worth Lake Elsinore Long Beach Perth Road America Former Austin Beijing Charlotte Dirt Track Coronado Costa Mesa Crandon Glendale Indianapolis Las Vegas ( Caesars Palace ) Las Vegas Village Los Angeles San Diego St. Louis St. Petersburg Surfers Paradise Sydney ( Homebush ) Sydney ( Valvoline Raceway ) Toronto Townsville Watkins Glen Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Firestone_Grand_Prix_of_St._Petersburg&oldid=834271088 '' Categories : Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Sports venues in St. Petersburg, Florida Motorsport venues in Florida American Le Mans Series circuits IndyCar Series tracks Recurring sporting events established in 1985 1985 establishments in Florida Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Coordinates not on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Magyar 日本 語 Português Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 4 April 2018, at 20 : 29. 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Question: when did the st pete grand prix start
Answer: 1985