Dan Wheldon Concept Car on Display

The Mahaffey has opened its doors to fans of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, allowing visitors to take photographs with the concept car Dan Wheldon helped test last year.

The car is named posthumously in his honor. DW12 will make its St. Petersburg debut this March.

The display is free and only open for this week.

Here are the times through Saturday, Feb. 25;

• Mon. – Th.: 9am – 5pm  
• Fri.: 9am – Noon 
• Sat.: Noon – 6pm

The Mahaffey is opening its doors to its newly renovated lobby to allow race fans to view and photograph the new DW12 Indycar named after hometown hero Dan Wheldon.

The car will make its St. Petersburg debut at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 23-25. 

Construction for the race began last week. Using 20 thousand feet of steel-reinforced concrete barriers and 44 thousand feet of chain-link fencing, crews will turn downtown streets into a 1.8-mile, 14-turn course. 

Phase one construction starts Feb. 17 with erection of the block and fence on Bayshore Dr. S.E., followed by phase two on February 22, when the groundwork is laid for Pit Lane and the grandstands in Albert Whitted Park.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, workers will begin the third phase of construction by laying the block and fence from the pits out to First St.

Workers installing the barrier system will move north along First St. on Thursday, March 8, enclosing Pioneer Park, Bayfront Towers and the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Temporary openings in the barrier will accommodate limited traffic flow and serve as an entry point for events at Al Lang Stadium, The Mahaffey, the Dali Museum and for guests of the downtown Hilton.

On Saturday, March 17, remaining streets affected by the race will close by Wednesday, March 21. Following the race, most streets are expected to open by Tuesday, March 27 with Bayshore Dr. S.E. re-opening to traffic by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 6.