St. Pete Grand Prix: Everything You Need To Know This Weekend

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — In its 19th year, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg brings IndyCar series racing to the downtown waterfront this weekend.

The 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit utilizes a combination of downtown streets around Pioneer Park, the Duke Energy Center for the Arts and the Dali Museum, and the runways at Albert Whitted Airport, according to a city news release.

Here’s everything you need to know about attending the event.

Schedule of Events

The Grand Prix kicked off Thursday with a flag raising at St. Pete City Hall, a 5K and a party at North Straub Park.

The actual motorsports racing takes place this weekend. Here’s a full schedule of events:

Friday

• Practice and qualifying rounds run through 6:35 p.m.
• An autograph session runs from 1:30 to 1:30 p.m. outside The Mahaffey Theatre.
• The first race of the weekend – SRO GT America – takes place from 5:55 to 6:35 p.m.
• The day ends with fireworks at St. Pete Pier from 9 to 9:15 p.m.

Saturday

• Racing begins at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m.
• Key races include the MX-5 Cup (7:55 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.), USF Pro 2000 (11:15 a.m.), SRO GT America (12:15 p.m.), USF2000 (1:40 and 3:45 p.m.) and INDY NXT (3:45 p.m.)

Sunday

• The final race day begins at 8 a.m. and runs until 3:45 p.m.
• Key races include the USF2000 (8 a.m.), INDY NXT (9:55 a.m.) and USF Pro 2000 (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.)
• The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, a 100-lap NTT IndyCar series race, starts at 12:30 p.m.

Find a full schedule for the weekend here.

Tickets

A range of tickets — from single-day to weekend passes — offering both general admission and grand stand seating are available. General admission tickets start at $25 to attend on Friday. Find more about tickets here.

Grand Prix Parking

Parking will be available for $15 at Tropicana Field’s lots 6 and 7, between 10th Street and 13th Street/3rd Avenue S., the city said.

Drivers can enter the lots on 3rd Avenue S. from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. Parking is cashless and may be purchased using a credit card.

Buses and trolleys will provide a free shuttle service from Tropicana Field to the Grand Prix. The free Downtown Looper trolley and the SunRunner will also run throughout the weekend.

Accessible parking is available all three days on the north side of Central Avenue between 1st and 2nd streets, the city said.

Motorcycle parking will be available Saturday and Sunday only on the west side of 1st Street between Central Avenue and 1st Avenue South.