Is it Alex Palou season again, or will someone else rise to the occasion and take down the three-time defending INDYCAR champ? We won’t know that answer for at least a few more months, but we do know that Palou’s quest to win his fifth INDYCAR title begins with Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. 

Scott McLaughlin will start the race in pole position, with Marcus Ericsson starting second. Dennis Hauger will open the race in third, while Palou will start fourth. 

Sunday’s race and the 2026 INDYCAR season officially begin at noon ET, and you can watch it on FOX and the FOX Sports app. You can also stick around here for live updates from Sunday’s race. 

11:18a ET

Live Leaderboard

1:21p ET

Scott Dixon loses wheel

1:07p ET

Will Power’s day is over

12:35p ET

Jon Gruden gets engines started

11:41a ET

The basics of Sunday’s INDYCAR race at St. Pete

11:40a ET

What to know entering 2026 INDYCAR season

Live Coverage for this began on 1:22p ET