Your Guide To The 2020 Firestone Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Race fans are invited to get revved up for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at the IndyCar's Party in the Park Thursday in North Straub Park.

IndyCar's Party in the Park is a fan experience designed to the community on the fast track for the NTT IndyCar Series season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend.

The free party at 400 Bayshore Drive N.E. will feature NTT IndyCar Series celebrities, prizes, food trucks, fireworks and a display of cars from all seven racing series running this weekend.

The event begins at 6 p.m. and the fireworks display will blast off at 8:30 p.m.

Among the athletes scheduled to attend is Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who won last year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on his way to capturing his second NTT IndyCar Series championship in three years. Newgarden’s teammate, Simon Pagenaud, the winner of the 2019 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, will be on hand as well.

Local food trucks Maggie on the Move and Slammer Shop will be satisfying appetites on Bayshore Drive Northeast. There will be a DJ hosting music, activities and giveaways every 15 minutes, plus prizes such as race weekend pace car rides and racing merchandise.

Grand Prix Weekend

The streets of downtown St. Pete will be transformed into a race track as the 16th annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg returns March 13-15.

For the 10th year, the event will be the opening race for the NTT Indycar Series. It will also feature six support racing series with four hosting their 2020 season openings in St. Petersburg.

The 13 races will culminate with Sunday’s NTT Indycar Series race. Doubleheader features will be held for all three levels of the Road to Indy development program.

Sports car racing is also on tap with doubleheader races from SRO Motorsports Group’s GT4 America & TC America Series and IMSA’s Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. A complete race schedule is available online.

Each spring, downtown St. Pete is transformed into a temporary 1.8-mile circuit with 14 turn configurations circling Pioneer Park, the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, The Dali Museum and extending onto the runways at Albert Whitted Airport.

Among those racing this weekend will be St. Petersburg's own Sebastien Bourdais, four-time Champ Car World Series champion, who is joining A.J. Foyt Racing for the first time, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet Sunday.

"I am such a lucky man starting my IndyCar career driving for Paul Newman and Carl Haas, and now I get to drive for A.J. Foyt," said Bourdais, who hails from Le Mans, France. “I am both honored and thankful for the opportunity provided. Staying in the NTT IndyCar Series seemed like a long shot back in November. My teammates and I will be working very hard to deliver the results this organization deserves, and I can't wait for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to come."

“There will be many familiar faces in the Foyt garages this season, but there will be some new faces as well,” said Larry Foyt, team president. “Coming off a season we were disappointed with, changes were inevitable. I believe adding a multi-time champion like Sebastien Bourdais to our team will help us as we regroup and work to regain a competitive position.”

Click here for race tickets.

For those who can't be there in person, the race will be broadcast live on NBC Sports starting at 3:30 p.m.

Kart 4 Kids Pro-Am Race

In what's become a tradition for Bourdais, the professional driver headlined the ninth annual Kart 4 Kids Pro-Am Race Wednesday, joining amateur drivers including St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman on the temporary kart track.

The pro-am kart race started in 2012 to honor the memory of IndyCar driver and St. Petersburg resident Dan Wheldon, who died in a racing accident. His dedication to children’s health inspired a group of volunteers to establish a race in his name featuring one pro driver and 40 amateurs.

The event benefits Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Last year's race raised a record $185,000 bringing the total donated to the hospital to $596,000.

“One thing I really enjoy about it is that nobody is getting paid for it,” Bourdais said. “Everyone is a volunteer. All the money goes to the hospital. For me, it’s about being able to give back to the community.”

Among the highlights of the kart race is the Mayor's Challenge in which Kriseman invites fellow Tampa Bay mayors to try to best him. As usual, Kriseman smoked his competitors Wednesday.

Other Events To Check Out

On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 2019 NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden from Team Penske, along with IndyCar executives and race co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree, will host the official Firestone Grand Prix flag raising over St. Petersburg City Hall, 175 5th St. N.

St. Pete will host a Grand Prix Movie in the Park Friday at 7:30 p.m. in North Straub Park, featuring "Turbo." There will be a DJ and kids' boxcar-making activity at 6:30 p.m.

The eighth annual Modern Business Associates 5K Run on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Online registration is open for runners and walkers. The start/finish line will be on Bayshore Drive Northeast on the water side of North Straub Park. The race will follow a route through downtown St. Petersburg on the Firestone Grand Prix track.

Courtesy Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg