For the sixth straight year, the IndyCar racing series will start its 2027 season in downtown St. Petersburg. For the second straight year, NASCAR’s truck series will join it. <\/p>\n
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is scheduled for March 5-7, when racers will speed through the waterfront streets for the 23rd time. <\/p>\n
This will be 17th time overall that IndyCar has started a season in St. Petersburg. Series officials made it official this week when they announced the first eight races of the season, with St. Petersburg’s 180-mile contest on March 7.<\/p>\n
Once again, a temporary 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit will wind around Pioneer Park, the Duke Energy Center for the Arts and The Dal\u00ed Museum before extending onto the runway at Albert Whitted Airport. The layout borders Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina.<\/p>\n
Four-time series champion Alex Palou, who won the race on March 1<\/a>, leads the season standings. The Spaniard, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, has five victories and 10 top-five finishes after 13 races with five stops remaining. <\/p>\n \u201cThe start to this year\u2019s 2026 season was action-packed, and it\u2019s gratifying to know the stage is set for a return to that frantic pace in 2027,\u201d IndyCar president J. Douglas Boles said. \u201cSt. Pete has become an ideal host to begin our season.”<\/p>\n A day earlier, NASCAR’s trucks will run the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 after making its debut<\/a> in the grand prix in 2026. <\/p>\n “The 2026 event was our best yet. Spectator attendance was tremendous on all three days,” said Kim Green, co-owner, chairman and CEO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions, organizers of the event. “We look forward to welcoming fans back.”<\/p>\n