INDYCAR: ST. PETERSBURG RAISE THE CURTAIN ON 2026

Cavalieri Garage Magazine
Feb 25
2 min read

As in recent years, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will once again open the season of the NTT IndyCar Series. Florida returns to center stage to host the first of seventeen rounds scheduled for the 2026 championship, kicking off a stretch that will continue with Phoenix, Arlington, and Barber Motorsports Park.

St. Petersburg is not just a season opener — it’s an immediate proving ground for ambitions and hierarchy.

Among the drivers on the grid are several former winners on the Florida street course: Marcus Ericsson (2023), Scott McLaughlin (2022), Josef Newgarden (2018-2019), Pato O’Ward (2024), Will Power (2010-2014), and Alex Palou (2025). A list that highlights how experience can make all the difference on such a technical circuit.

The layout measures 1.800 miles (2.897 km) and features 14 turns, blending tight downtown streets with the distinctive section that runs through Albert Whitted Airport. It’s a temporary circuit — narrow, unforgiving, and lined with walls that leave no margin for error. The most demanding section remains the heavy braking zone into Turn 4 near Al Lang Stadium, a sharp deceleration point that leads into a technical sequence capable of testing even the most seasoned drivers.

Here, victory doesn’t belong solely to the fastest car, but to the driver who can remain precise for ninety laps without a single lapse.

IndyCar has raced in St. Petersburg since 1985, but 2026 marks a significant first: the weekend will also welcome the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It will be the first of two “combined” events between IndyCar and NASCAR, with the second set for the following week in Phoenix, where the open-wheel series will serve as support to the NASCAR Cup Series.

A crossover between two different worlds — yet increasingly connected — reflecting the evolving landscape of American motorsports. St. Petersburg raises the curtain once again. And like any proper season opener, it promises rhythm, tension, and the first meaningful truths of the year.