Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at a glance
- Location
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Type
- street circuit
- Length
- 1.808 mi (2.91 km)
- Turns
- 14
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt (public streets and Albert Whitted Airport runway)
- Opened
- 2003
- Owner
- Green Savoree Racing Promotions
- Website
- gpstpete.com
Track map and layout
The St. Petersburg circuit is unusual in combining a genuine airport runway with tight downtown street sections. A runway at Albert Whitted Airport forms the long start/finish straight, giving cars a rare wide, flat, grip-consistent surface before the course dives back onto narrower city streets such as Bayshore Drive and 1st Street SW along the waterfront. With 14 turns packed into under 1.9 miles — five left and nine right — the lap is technical and bumpy in the street sections, rewarding precision over the runway's outright speed. The course has run in slightly different forms since street racing first came to St. Petersburg in 1985, with the current CART-era layout, revived in 2003, being the version used by IndyCar every year since.
Named corners and sections
- Runway straight. The long start/finish straight run along an active taxiway/runway section of Albert Whitted Airport, the circuit's fastest point.
- Bayshore Drive esses. A run of tighter, technical corners along the waterfront that punish drivers who carry too much speed off the runway.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Current IndyCar layout (2003-present) | 1.808 mi | 14 turns, combines airport runway with downtown streets |
Events and race weekends
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opens the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season most years, typically run in late February or early March, making it one of the first major races on the American motorsport calendar. The weekend has historically also carried support races from series such as Indy NXT and various sports car and touring car categories, plus a festival atmosphere along the downtown waterfront. It has been IndyCar's season opener in most years since 2005, when the series first raced outside an oval at this venue.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | NTT INDYCAR SERIES | February/March | Frequent season-opening race for IndyCar |
Getting there and parking
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is the closest regional option, and Tampa International Airport, about 25-30 minutes across the bay, offers the widest range of flights. The circuit sits in downtown St. Petersburg along the waterfront, an easy walk from many downtown hotels once street closures take effect for race week.
- St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) · about 20 min drive
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) · about 30 min drive
Parking
Paid parking lots and garages around downtown St. Petersburg serve the event, with some areas requiring advance passes; the promoter also publishes shuttle information for fans who want to avoid downtown street closures.
Hotels and camping near Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Most visitors stay in downtown St. Petersburg itself, within walking distance of the circuit along the waterfront, with nearby beach towns like St. Pete Beach offering an alternative for those combining the race with a Gulf Coast vacation. Rates rise for race weekend, so early booking is recommended.
Where to look
Downtown St. Petersburg waterfront hotels closest to the circuit; St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach as alternatives a short drive away.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
The circuit is built from public streets and an active general-aviation airport, both of which return to normal use outside race week, so there is no ongoing public trackday or driving program on the course itself. The public cannot drive or ride the layout except during the race weekend as a spectator.
Spectator guide
Grandstands along the runway straight give fans the clearest look at top speed and the start, while general-admission viewing along the waterfront street sections offers a cheaper way to watch the more technical part of the lap. The downtown, waterfront setting means many restaurants and public spaces around the perimeter offer partial free views even without a ticket.
Seating
Grandstands run along the airport runway straight and around the downtown street corners near the waterfront.
Best places to watch
Runway-straight grandstands for top speed and the start; waterfront corner seating for close racing in the tighter esses.
Weather
- Feb-Mar: Warm and pleasant, typically highs in the mid-70s to low-80s°F with low humidity for Florida
History of Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Street racing returns to the bayfront
St. Petersburg's history with closed-course street racing goes back to 1985, when the SCCA ran Can-Am and Trans-Am events on the bayfront streets through 1990 before losing sponsorship. The modern era began in 2003, when CART revived a street race in the city, this time incorporating a runway at the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport into the layout to create the current airport-and-streets hybrid circuit. Paul Tracy won that 2003 inaugural race.
Becoming IndyCar's road-course pioneer
After CART's collapse, the Champ Car World Series continued the event before IndyCar (then the Indy Racing League) added the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to its calendar in 2005, marking the first time the historically oval-focused IndyCar series raced on a road or street course. That decision helped set the template for IndyCar's modern mixed calendar of ovals, road courses and street circuits.
A fixture as the season opener
Since the mid-2000s, St. Petersburg has settled into its role as IndyCar's traditional season opener in most years, run in February or March on the streets around downtown and the waterfront. The event has weathered occasional scheduling shuffles and a title sponsor change to Firestone, but the core airport-runway-plus-streets layout has remained largely consistent.
Present day
Today the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg remains one of the more distinctive circuits on the American motorsport calendar for its runway straight, and continues to draw large crowds to downtown St. Petersburg each year as IndyCar's season-opening event, supported by junior single-seater and other undercard racing.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the St. Petersburg circuit?+
The current layout is 1.808 miles (2.910 km) with 14 turns.
Why does the St. Petersburg circuit use an airport runway?+
The course incorporates a runway of the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport as its long start/finish straight, a feature added when the race was revived in 2003.
When is the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg held?+
It runs in late February or early March most years and has frequently served as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener.
Can the public drive on the St. Petersburg circuit?+
No. The course is built from public streets and an active airport that return to normal use outside race week; there is no public trackday program.
What is the nearest airport to the St. Petersburg circuit?+
St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) is closest at about 20 minutes; Tampa International (TPA) is roughly 30 minutes away with more flight options.
When did IndyCar first race at St. Petersburg?+
IndyCar added the event to its calendar in 2005, its first race outside an oval at the time.
Other tracks nearby
- Sebring International Raceway · 81 mi · road course
- Daytona International Speedway · 136 mi · road course & oval
- The FIRM (Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park) · 146 mi · road course
- Palm Beach International Raceway · 154 mi · road course
- WW Ranch Motocross Park · 185 mi · motocross
- Miami International Autodrome (Miami Grand Prix) · 193 mi · street circuit
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.