Firestone Grand Prix Official 2019 Souvenir Program

MARCH 8-10 2019

ANNIVERSARY

SOUVENIR

th Published By

PROGRAM

TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME LETTERS 4 Green Savoree Racing Promotions | City of St. Petersburg 6 NTT IndyCar Series | SRO Motorsports

RACE PREVIEWS AND FEATURES 12 15 years of IndyCar at St. Petersburg 18 Firestone - Ready for the Road Ahead 20 Momentum is Defined as "Force or Speed of Movement" 24 2018 NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon 58 Indy Lights Preview 61 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires 65 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship 68 Pirelli GT4 America & TC America Preview 72 Under the Hood 74 Police Athletic League drives the future of St. Petersburg 78 Spot the Differences

RACING INFORMATION 29 NTT IndyCar Driver Profiles 52 NTT IndyCar Series Entry list 54 Indy Lights Entry list 54 Indy Pro 2000 Entry list 56 USF2000 Championship Entry list 56 Pirelli GT4 America Entry list 76 Tips and Tricks to make the most of your race weekend 80 Track map 82 Event Schedule

2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Champion

Sébastien Bourdais St. Petersburg Resident

WELCOME LETTERS

Dear Race Fans,

Dear Fans:

The roar of engines has returned to the sun filled streets of St. Petersburg.

On behalf of the citizens of the Sunshine City, welcome to the Inaugural race of the Indy Car season.

On behalf of the Green Savoree Racing Promotions team, welcome to the 15th Annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

There’s no better place to kick off the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season than the picturesque waterfront of downtown St. Pete, and it’s sure to be a non-stop, action-packed weekend. We are grateful for loyal race fans, like you, who help make this event one of St. Petersburg’s largest annual gatherings.

We are thrilled to have the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires joining us again with doubleheader races in all three of its development open-wheel ladder series. Many notable IndyCar drivers have made their way through these ranks, and we’re excited to watch as the newest generation follows in their footsteps. Joining the Road to Indy series, will be the always entertaining Pirelli GT4 America and TC Americas.

On Friday evening, the 7th Annual Modern Business Associates 5K Run on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Track will take the track, and all proceeds benefit the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg and its youth programs. Last but not least, the electrifying 110-lap NTT IndyCar Series will be our headliner for its season opening weekend at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Off the track, the Firestone Grand Prix is the ultimate fan experience! The SpeedZone, located near Turns 5 and 6 by the Firestone Bridge, is jam packed with interactive displays and exhibits for both adults, and children, to enjoy. Also, in the SpeedZone and in Gasoline Alley near pitlane, you can find merchandise vendors stocked with the hottest new race gear for the entire family.

This event would not be possible without the support of over 500 volunteers, and we can’t thank them enough for their hardwork and dedication to make the race weekend run smoothly.

We are also grateful for our world-class partners in Firestone and Chevrolet, both of whom have helped make the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg a highly anticipated event, year after year. Lastly, Mayor Kriseman and his City of St. Petersburg team have worked closely with us to shape this event into what it is today and are great hosts for this spring break tradition.

We hope you have an exceptional weekend here in St. Petersburg. Consider joining the Green Savoree Racing Promotions team again later in the season for the IndyCar events we’ll also present in Toronto (July 12-14), at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 26-28), and in Portland, Ore. (August 30-September 1).

Thank you for joining us at the 2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg! Have a safe and enjoyable weekend, and we hope to see you again next year!

Kevin Savoree

President and COO Green Savoree Racing Promotions

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Kim Green

Chairman and CEO Green Savoree Racing Promotions

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is one of my favorite events of the year. It is always a pleasure to welcome back the race teams, sponsors and fans for the world’s fastest sport. We are looking forward to a spectacular season, which will begin on one of the most beautiful downtown circuits in the world. During race week, St. Petersburg shines on the global stage, outpacing traditional race venues like Long Beach and Monte Carlo.

While you enjoy the race, I hope you will take time to experience all our city has to offer. Explore our vibrant downtown and beautiful waterfront area. Our parks, museums and restaurants are first class. We take pride in the cultural diversity of our community.

In addition to great weather and abundant sunshine, we have exceptional arts and entertainment venues and offer an array of leisure and recreational activities If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, welcome. If you are returning for another year of great racing, we are glad to have you back.

Enjoy the races.

Sincerely,

Rick Kriseman Mayor

HEAVEN IS LOWER TO THE GROUND THAN FIRST ASSUMED.

The driver seat of any Corvette is one of the most thrilling places on earth, but the 755-horsepower ZR1 is unlike anything this side of heaven.

WELCOME LETTERS

Welcome to the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The event along the backdrop of Tampa Bay has become an anchor event for our series and leads off the season for the ninth straight year. We can’t think of a better location to kick off the excitement that is INDYCAR racing.

Everyone at INDYCAR is committed to providing you a great fan experience this weekend through outstanding entertainment, competition and value.

The NTT IndyCar Series is proud to have the most versatile race cars and drivers in the world. Whether this is your first race or you’re a veteran fan, we’re excited for you to witness the incredible on-track action.

You’ll see season champions and Indianapolis 500 winners such as Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Takuma Sato and Josef Newgarden running wheel-to-wheel with rising stars such as Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe.

You’ll see established veterans such as four-time Indy car champion and St. Petersburg resident Sebastien Bourdais – the two-time defending winner of this race – battle against the latest generation of racing’s famous families, Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti.

You’ll also see spirited competition between our two engine partners, Chevrolet and Honda, who are squaring off for the eighth straight year.

Pride is intense in this battle. Honda celebrated winning the manufacturer championship last year following a six-year run by Chevy. All NTT IndyCar Series cars compete on the fine tires developed by Firestone, which also continues its important role as title sponsor of the event weekend.

Our diverse schedule, which includes superspeedways, short ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits like St. Petersburg, remains a proving ground for elite drivers to compete for the most challenging championship in motorsports. The calendar is highlighted by the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May but features many iconic Indy car tracks including street courses in Long Beach, California, and Toronto, Canada, legendary road courses such as Road America in Wisconsin, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and a return this season to Portland International Raceway in Oregon.

The 2019 schedule also features a debut at a highly anticipated track as well as a “Back to the Future” scenario with a return to an old favorite. Circuit of the Americas, the sparkling road course in Austin, Texas, plays host to INDYCAR for the first time on March 24. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, is back on the calendar for the first time in 15 years and will wrap up the 17-race season on Sept. 22.

In addition to the NTT IndyCar Series, the St. Petersburg race weekend is full of action featuring the future stars of open-wheel racing. Each of the three series that comprise the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, the official development ladder system for INDYCAR, has a doubleheader race weekend in store. Drivers start in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and advance through Indy Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires to Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires before graduating to the NTT IndyCar Series. The on-track competition between these talented drivers is fast and furious.

There are plenty of activities going on around the track this weekend as well. We invite you to tour the interactive INDYCAR Fan Village and meet some of the partners that help us bring this great event to St. Petersburg.

Be sure to sign up for INDYCAR Nation, our fan community. Wrap up your day with an autograph or photo with an INDYCAR driver. And don’t forget to download the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT to follow the race action in real time. You’re also invited to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @IndyCar. INDYCAR truly appreciates your attendance this weekend and we hope to see you at more races soon. We’re glad you can experience the speed, action and excitement that define the NTT IndyCar Series.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mark Miles

President and CEO, Hulman & Company

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

Welcome Race Fans.

As we enter our 30th season, we’re excited to showcase sports car racing here at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend.

Racing here on the streets of St. Petersburg is truly a remarkable sight and the fans that have supported this race are second to none. Enjoy wheel-to-wheel action packed sprint racing at its finest.

This weekend we bring two categories – Pirelli GT4 America and TC America – to the streets of St. Pete with a large variety of racecars from your favorite manufactures including Audi, BMW, Chevy, Ford, Ginetta, KTM, Mazda, Panoz, Porsche, VW and more.

There is quite a bit of bumping and shoving with these vehicles at St. Petersburg. It’s the type of racing you’ll love to watch. It was six-wide into turn one last year at the start. That’s some wild action.

Pirelli GT4 America’s 50-minute sprint format is an all-out dash from the drop of the green flag on the main straight of the Albert Whitted Airport runway to the checkered flag. TC America runs 40-minute sprint race as well. Plus, you can see the Pirelli GT4 America and TC America machinery in action twice during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend with double header features.

Follow along on Live Timing and our livestream through the Blancpain GT World Challenge app that offers an easy-to-use interface to interact with the on-track action.

Don’t worry if you missed any of the excitement in person, you’ll have the chance to catch the races broadcast later in the week on the popular CBS Sports Network. All 2019 Pirelli GT4 America and TC America events are televised on CBS Sports Network. Please check your local listing via the series website at www.world-challenge.com for all dates and times.

Enjoy the racing weekend in St. Petersburg!

Greg Gill

President – CEO SRO Motorsports America

STAFF LISTINGS EXECUTIVE

Kim Green Chairman & CEO, Green Savoree Racing Promotions

117C-219 Dufferin Steet, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3J1

Kevin Savoree President & COO, Green Savoree Racing Promotions

EXECUTIVE

Tim Rutledge Group Publisher & CEO

Michael Morrisey Executive Vice President & CFO, Green Savoree Racing Promotions

Perry & Blake Breslin Publishers

Jeff Atkinson Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Green Savoree Racing Promotions

EVENT STAFF Stephen Timms Director of Operations

Jim Tario Director of Track Operations Adam Fisher, Deven Keady Operations Randy Trowsse, Nate Long, Kris Boatwright Track Operations Ryan Cash, Giles Dowden, Nethu Srikanthan, Greg Winter, Nolan Podmore Sales & Client Services

EDITORIAL

Anna Rutledge Special Projects Editor Adam Gordon Associate Editor

Mike Raven, Tammi Griffith, Trevor Tinch, Lauren Heise, David Baugher Box Office & Credential Center Nathan Savoree Accountant Scott Ellsworth, Bill Armitage, Matt Coyne, Bob Page Race Control Bill Whitmore Event Control Karen Richardson Box Office

Queue Gonzalez Creative Director

Patrick Dinglasan Production / Senior Art Director Edward Shintani Senior Art Director Patrick Beltijar Senior Art Director

SALES + MARKETING

Frank Spezzano Sr. VP Business Development Randi Bentia Audience Development Manager

Angela Hogeveen, Steve Bidlack, Scott Morgan, Jenna Hood, Ashley Pannozzo Marketing & Communications

CONTRIBUTORS

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, IndyCar, Mark Robinson, Jeremy Shaw, SRO, PPMG

VOLUNTEER TEAM LEADERS Led by a core group of volunteer team leaders, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is supported by the invaluable commitment of of nearly 500 outstanding volunteers who continue to contribute to the success of the event. To each of you, we express our deepest gratitude! We also extend a special thanks for the year-round efforts of another supremely dedicated group of volunteers - our Road Show Crew.

Mike Buchanan Volunteer Coordinator

Norm Hartwick, Eric Stockwell Access Control

Brad Billings, Rusty Wood Hospitality

John Hehn Information Services

Ian Boyle Ceremonies

Lisa Hoyland Credentials

David Crump Yacht Club

Scott Lescard Photography

Radu Fulea, Nancy Lafleur, Nick Rogone, Steve Soper Grandstands

Gary Lewis, Andrew Bowman Show Car

Bart Graham Media Center

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DESIGN + PRODUCTION

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, IndyCar, Indy Lights, Mazda Road to Indy

ADMINISTRATION

Richard Robles Director, Client Services

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1-888-564-SUBS | subs@prnmag.com

ADVERTISING sales@prnmag.com Phone: (416) 922-7526 Fax: (416) 964-1836 Toll Free: 1-800-667-7223 editor@prnmag.com www.prnmag.com

Street/road course Oval

24 Circuit of the Americas 07 Barber Motorsports Park 14 Streets of Long Beach MAY 11 IMS Road Course 26 103rd Indianapolis 500 JUN 01 The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 02 The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 08 Texas Motor Speedway 23 Road America JUL 14 Streets of Toronto 20 Iowa Speedway 28 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course AUG 18 Pocono Raceway 24 Gateway Motorsports Park SEP 01 Portland International Raceway 22 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca MAR

APR

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

1:00p 4:00p 4:00p 3:00p 11:00a 3:00p 3:00p 8:00p 12:00p 3:00p 7:00p 3:00p 2:00p 8:00p 3:00p 2:30p

GET AN ALL ACCESS PASS TO THE HEART OF RACING. The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season is now available everywhere you want to watch.

Go to indycar.com / allaccess for details and updates on exclusive access opportunities.

EVENT SPONSORS

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

2003

YEARS OF INDYCAR @ ST. PETERSBURG

Paul Tracy

(2/23/2003)

The inaugural Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opened the 2003 CART Champ Car World Series season and was dominated by Paul Tracy.

He took the lead on lap 36 in his Player’s Forsythe Racing Team Ford and never looked back winning by 12.136 seconds.

2007 Helio Castroneves

(4/1/2007)

Helio Castroneves goes back-toback on the streets of St. Pete in 2007 winning from the pole position. It’s the most dominant victory by a driver in the history of the race with Castroneves leading 95 of the 100 laps.

2005 2006 Dan Wheldon

(4/3/2005)

It was a 1-2-3-4 sweep for Andretti Green Racing with the late Dan Wheldon leading the charge followed by teammates Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and the pole sitter Bryan Herta. Wheldon led 10 of the 100 laps and later won the Indianapolis 500 and the series championship that season.

The 2005 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg also made history as the first-ever street race for the Indy Racing League and the first event promoted

by Kim Green and Kevin Savoree, who still own and operate the event today, as well as co-owners of Andretti Green Racing at the time.

A stretch of the St. Petersburg street circuit is now known as “Dan Wheldon Way” and a winners monument erected near the course in memory of this popular winner and local resident.

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

Helio Castroneves

(4/2/2006)

The first of three of Helio Castroneves’ wins in St. Pete for the legendary Team Penske driver came with the race ending under a late caution flag.

Castroneves led three times for a total 40 laps after starting fifth.

2008 Graham Rahal

(4/6/2008)

History was made at the 2008 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by second-generation IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. He became the youngest ever to win an Indy car race at age 19 years, 93 days old. It was also the IndyCar Series debut for Rahal racing for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing at the time.

The next year Rahal would also stake claim as the youngest driver to win a pole position on the same track.

2009 Ryan Briscoe

(4/5/2009)

For the first time in Indy Racing League history, the season began on a road course and not an oval. Ryan Briscoe would lead 46 total laps and the final 14 on the way to a 0.4619 of a second margin of victory over Ryan Hunter-Reay and the late Justin Wilson, who had led the most laps on the day with 52.

2010 Will Power

(3/29/2010)

Due to torrential rains falling on the circuit on Sunday, the race got postponed to Monday for the second race of the 2010 IndyCar season. Team Penske’s Will Power ended up dominating the weekend starting from the pole position, but did have his struggles early falling back into the field trying to find grip with low tire temperatures.

Leading 50 laps on the way to victory and overcoming much on track drama with 23 percent of the laps run under caution, Power left the weekend with a 44-point advantage in the championship standings.

2011 Dario Franchitti

(3/27/2011)

The tradition of the coastal destination city of St. Petersburg properly began as the host of the IndyCar season opener and staking its claim as a crown jewel event. The reigning IndyCar series champion Dario Franchitti would start his title defense strong by notching his 27th career Indy car win. Franchitti led 94 of 100 laps on the way to the checkered flag - second only to Castroneves’ 95 laps led in St. Pete in 2007 - winning by a comfortable 6.7 seconds margin.

2012

2013 James Hinchcliffe

(3/24/2013)

Remarkably, Will Power won the pole for the fourth year in a row, but it was James Hinchcliffe who claimed his first ever IndyCar Series victory on the streets of St. Petersburg.

Hinchcliffe overtook defending race winner Helio Castroneves who made a mistake coming out of the corner on the Lap 85 restart.

Starting from fourth position, it was a strong weekend for Hinchcliffe leading the last 26 laps to take the top spot on the podium.

Helio Castroneves

(3/25/2012)

The race was the debut of a new Indy car into competition for 2012.

It was dubbed the “DW12” in honor of Dan Wheldon, the St. Petersburg resident who lost his life in a racing accident in October 2011. Dan Wheldon Way and Victory Circle Monuments were dedicated on March 6, 2012, leading up to the race in tribute to Dan. The season-opening event was also the return of multi-engine manufacturer competition to IndyCar. Chevrolet and Lotus joined the starting grid alongside Honda. Helio Castroneves, the Team Penske driver powered by Chevrolet, earned his record third Grand Prix of St. Petersburg win leading the last 26 laps.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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YEARS OF INDYCAR @ ST. PETERSBURG

2016

Juan Pablo Montoya

(3/13/2016)

2014 Will Power

(3/30/2014)

The event became known as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg as it remains today. The 2010 race winner Will Power began the new season with a resounding victory after winning the last two IndyCar races of 2013.

Juan Pablo Montoya notches a record eighth win in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for Team Penske, the most in the history of the event. It was also four wins in the last five races on the streets of St. Petersburg for the team during Roger Penske’s 50th anniversary season as a race car team owner. After taking pole position for the sixth time at St. Pete and leading a 1-2-3-4 Penske clean sweep of qualifying, Will Power would be ruled out of the race due to a mild concussion.

2017

Sebastien Bourdais

(3/12/2017)

2015 Juan Pablo Montoya

(3/29/2015)

It was a dominant weekend for the debut of the expanded four-car Team Penske effort on the streets of St. Petersburg. Juan Pablo Montoya led the way ahead of last year’s winner Will Power finishing 1-2 on the podium, and the team also captured four of the top five finishing spots (Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud in fourth and fifth places, respectively).

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

The hometown favorite and resident Sebastian Bourdais made history after returning to a Dale Coyne Racing Indy car in the offseason. Bringing out the red flag after an incident in qualifying, Bourdais would be relegated to start from the rear of the field, but somehow he would lead the most laps (69) on the way to victory.

2018 Sebastien Bourdais

(3/11/2018)

Bourdais took the lead in the final laps of the 2018 race, after a collision took Robert Wickens out of contention. Wickens, who led for much of the race and who entered in the pole position, would have to be satisfied with an 18th place finish. The podium was Bourdais (with a back-to-back victory), Rahal, and Rossi.

FIRESTONE

READY FOR THE ROAD AHEAD Exclusive tire supplier for the NTT IndyCar Series® extends commitment to the sport through 2025 Photography by IndyCar Media

hampions have relied on Firestone tires for more than a century, creating an unrivaled racing legacy that is set to continue well into the future.

In one of several highlypublicized announcements, INDYCAR finalized a five-year partnership extension with Bridgestone Americas that will keep the Firestone brand as the exclusive tire supplier for the NTT IndyCar® Series through 2025. In addition, Bridgestone revealed plans to build a new, state-of-the-art race tire manufacturing facility near its technical center in Akron, Ohio.

The significant, long-term investment speaks to the confidence Firestone has in the future of the sport. It also represents a continued commitment to tire innovation through production of Firestone Firehawk race tires for the world’s fastest and most versatile racing series.

“Racing has always been the ideal proving ground for new technologies that help us evolve and advance our company’s passenger tire offerings, and no one offers a

C

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more dynamic challenge in that regard than the NTT IndyCar Series,” said Lisa Boggs, director, Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. “The series has been building positive momentum, which is getting fans excited about the Firestone brand and strengthening our relationship with the everyday drivers who rely on our durable, dependable Firestone tires.”

On the heels of introducing its new series title sponsor and a robust NBC broadcast package, INDYCAR’s deal with Firestone secured support from one of its longestrunning partners for at least seven more seasons. This provides INDYCAR valuable continuity as it implements its long-term, paddock-wide competition strategy.

“This is the next step in a long, historic relationship that means a lot to us,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Firestone has been at it from the beginning as champions, and this official tire relationship gives our drivers and teams an enormous sense of confidence.”

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

What’s Ahead in 2019

Firestone is entering its 20th consecutive season as the exclusive tire supplier of the NTT IndyCar Series, as well as its sixth straight year as the title sponsor of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The Firestone Race Tire Engineering team has designed and developed more than 60 unique race tire specifications for the 2019 season. This large

portfolio is necessary to support a diverse, 17-race schedule that features short ovals, superspeedways, road courses and street courses, as well as two new tracks in Circuit of the Americas and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

In all, Firestone Racing will deliver more than 26,000 tires for use in the upcoming season, including more than 6,000 tires for track activities related to the Indianapolis 500® alone.

May of this year will mark the 70th time a driver has won the Indy 500 on Firestone tires, which is more than twice as many wins as all other tire manufacturers combined.

Additionally, the brand will help INDYCAR celebrate racing legend Mario Andretti and the 50th anniversary of his 1969 Indy 500 victory.

“I started driving on Firestone tires 55 years ago, and they were on my car for the 1969 Indianapolis 500 when I took the checkered flag,” Andretti said.

“The trust I have always placed in Firestone was cemented that day 50 years ago when I drove on the same right rear tire for the whole race – and it never let

me down. Firestone has always been a dependable partner, and I am excited to see its partnership with INDYCAR continue.”

The Firestone Fan Experience Returns

Race fans at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg can once again have fun at the Firestone Fan Experience on the fan midway. The popular interactive area features unique, hands-on activities that include racing simulators, a show car, airbrushed tattoos, and a chance to snap and share a photo as Mario Andretti to help celebrate the anniversary of the racing legend’s Indy 500 win. As always, fans also can stock up on Firestone swag like cooler backpacks, sunglasses, t-shirts, and more, plus register to receive coupons to their local Firestone Complete Auto Care location.

Follow Us

Race fans can keep up with Firestone Racing and the 2019 NTT IndyCar® Series season all year long by following @ FirestoneRacing on Twitter and Instagram.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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MOMENTUM IS DEFINED AS

FORCE OR SPEED OF MOVEMENT.

By Mark Robinson // Photography IndyCar Media and GSRP

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

In addition to the close, intense racing for which the NTT IndyCar Series is regarded – not to mention the most diverse and challenging array of tracks on any motorsports schedule worldwide – the momentum is palpable in news and events surrounding the series as it heads into 2019. To wit:

n Indy car racing, momentum is a good thing. The more momentum you generate and maintain, the faster you get around the racetrack.

The same can be said about a racing series, and as the 2019 season begins, the NTT IndyCar Series is charging full speed ahead on the strength of continuing building momentum.

That momentum will be on display this weekend when the season kicks off here at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

I

• In January, global information technology and communications leader NTT signed a multiyear agreement with sanctioning body INDYCAR to become entitlement sponsor of what is now the NTT IndyCar Series. NTT’s worldwide reach and ability to deliver cutting-edge digital innovations to the series, its fans and stakeholders makes it the perfect partner going forward. Initial evidence of that is in the new INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA available free on all carriers to enhance the INDYCAR experience for fans at home or at the track.

“I think this relationship is perfect,” Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company that operates INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said at the time of the announcement.

“We are a global brand, and when I think about racing, I think we're international, so you think about the team owners, you think about drivers from all over the world.

I'm sure that was part of how NTT saw us, but we see them as a giant technology and communications company.

When I think about the future growth of INDYCAR, what's more important than developing technology?

“We take 50 million data records off the cars in an average two-hour race. To me, that's content. With NTT, we can make that usable and compelling content for fans that will continue to grow the sport and attract younger fans.”

• The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg marks the first race weekend under the new media deal that places NBC Sports Group as the exclusive rights holder for all NTT IndyCar Series events. This year alone will see a 60 percent increase of races broadcast on free-to-air network television, as eight will air on NBC, with the remaining nine races (including this weekend) on NBCSN. Supplementing the NTT IndyCar Series broadcast coverage will be INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, a direct-to-consumer subscriber streaming product that will add an additional 200-plus hours of INDYCAR programming content available to fans.

• Two new tracks – well, one new and the return of an old, favorite friend – are on the 2019 schedule. Circuit of The Americas, the state-of-the-art road course in Austin, Texas, makes its debut on the calendar with the INDYCAR Classic on March 24 – the next race following this weekend’s event at St. Pete. And WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in scenic Monterey, California, is now site of the season finale, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, marking the first time Indy cars will compete on the historic road circuit in 15 years.

• Following a 2018 debut to rave reviews, the universal aero kit is back again to be used by all competitors in NTT IndyCar Series competition. Designed to produce less downforce than the previous generation of aero kits and thereby place more emphasis on driver skill and ability, the sleek-looking universal kit has done just that.

You’ll see it on full display this weekend as the drivers slip and slide around the tight, twisting St. Pete street course, pushing themselves and their machines to the limit in search of victory.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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MOMENTUM IS DEFINED AS

FORCE OR SPEED OF MOVEMENT. As the 2019 season commences, Scott Dixon continues to build on his growing legacy in the sport. Last season, the Chip Ganassi Racing great collected his fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship, leaving the New Zealander second only to A.J. Foyt’s seven titles on the all-time list. Along the way, Dixon won three races in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda to lift his career victory total to 44 – third behind only Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52).

Dixon has never been able to achieve back-to-back championships in his 18-year Indy car career, and he will face stiffer competition than ever in his bid to do so this year. No fewer than six other drivers in this weekend’s field are past season champions: Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power. Another six – Marco An-

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

dretti, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball, Graham Rahal, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato – have won at least one NTT IndyCar Series race. On top of that is a deep rookie contingent that includes a pair of Swedes (Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist) with loads of racing experience in other disciplines, as well as 18-year-old phenom Colton Herta, son of former Indy car driver Bryan Herta.

Bourdais has used a “homecourt advantage” to full effect the last two years. A resident of St. Petersburg for more than a decade, Bourdais won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in both 2017 and 2018. Last year’s triumph was particularly satisfying for the Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan driver because it was his first win since coming back from a frightening crash during 2017 Indianapolis 500 qualifying that sidelined him more than two months with hip and pelvis fractures.

Tears of joy and relief welled in Bourdais’ eyes when he reached victory lane last year, the sense of what he had overcome overcoming him.

“It’s quite an achievement to be able to restart the season and settle that right away and

get back on the horse and win another one,” the four-time Indy car season champion with 37 career wins said. And he’s back again this weekend, at age 40, to try for it again.

“At the end of the day, this is my life,” Bourdais said. “This is

“A resident of St. Petersburg for more than a decade, Bourdais won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in both 2017 and 2018.”

what I want to be doing, and as long as I'm competitive, this is what I'll be doing.”

Should he prevail again in Sunday’s race, the native Frenchman would be the first NTT IndyCar Series driver to win three consecutive races on the same track since Power completed the feat at Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 2010-2012.

Bourdais is no stranger to the accomplishment himself, winning three in a row on the streets of Long Beach, California, from 2005-2007.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has become a staple of the NTT IndyCar Series schedule. This year’s race will be the 16th overall and it serves as the season opener for the ninth straight year. It kicks off a 17-race season that includes the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented

by Gainbridge and should be more competitive than ever.

Sit back, strap in and enjoy the ride.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

23

2018 NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPION

SCOTT DIXON

By Phillip B. Wilson // Photography by INDYCAR

hen Scott Dixon looks back upon his fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship, what comes to mind first about the 2018 season is how he emerged from a cloud of dust in the next-to-last race with an epiphany.

The 38-year-old New Zealander remembers fearing the worst when caught up in a first-lap mishap in Turn 3 of the Grand Prix of Portland on Sept.

2. Four other cars, including Marco Andretti’s flipping over two, were basically knocked out of the race.

But Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda emerged relatively unscathed, and still running. He stayed on the lead lap and surged back to finish in fifth place and actually widen his points lead by three over Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi. Then, by finishing a conservative second in the season finale, the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma, Dixon secured championship No. 5, leaving him behind only the great A.J. Foyt for the most in Indy car history (seven).

In a legendary career where

W

24

Dixon remembers too well the close calls of championships lost when on the other side of that scenario, his Portland premonition proved prophetic.

“I’ve been in so many championships and lost in a ton of them that you kind of get the sense when somebody is going to win it, just because things like that happen,” Dixon said.

“When I drove out of that (at Portland), I was like, ‘I think we’re going to win this thing.’”

He distinctly recalls how instinct took over and he was able to keep his car running.

“Luckily, I pulled the clutch,” Dixon said. “Sometimes, it’s just second nature, you just do it automatically. In that situation, it’s just one of those things I did. In hindsight, too, they (the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team members on the scene) weren’t going to start me at any point. They were still tending to people who had crashed a little harder. So I would have gone several laps down, too, if the engine wasn’t running.

“For one of the safety guys to see me kind of yelling, ‘Move the truck!’ – he had to back the truck up and I was able to pull

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

away, then I was able to stay on the lead lap – the writing was on the wall. Internally, I was like, ‘This is a really good sign.’”

When Rossi saw a replay of the melee, he shook his head in disbelief.

“We started from near the back and finished second.

We almost drove through the entire field. That was a rocket ship. That was like a win.”

“(Rossi) had the same conversation with me after the race: ‘I can’t believe you got out of that,’” Dixon said with a smile.

His uncanny ability to overcome adversity summed up a determined drive to the championship.

“Maybe we weren’t the quickest in all the places,” Dixon said, “but it was just going to be the championship that we fought through and ended up capturing.”

There were other pivotal moments when Dixon was in a bad

way, yet bounced back. He had only one top-five finish in his first four starts and sat seventh in points, then qualified 18th for the INDYCAR Grand Prix on May 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“The craziest race for me was the INDYCAR Grand Prix,” he said. “We started from near the back and finished second.

We almost drove through the entire field. That was a rocket ship. That was like a win.”

After a “blah” Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, where he spent most

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

25

of the day between fifth and eighth place but salvaged third in the double-points race, Dixon was steadily climbing back toward the front.

He won the next race, the first of two weekend races at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, a 42nd career triumph that tied Michael Andretti for third on the all-time list. Combined with a thirdplace run the following day, Dixon was suddenly in second place in the points, just five behind Will Power of Team Penske.

Dixon led the last 119 laps to win the next race, the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. He not only passed Andretti for career wins with his third victory at the track, he seized a championship lead that wouldn’t be relinquished through the second half of the season.

“Texas was just domination for us. The car was so hooked up for us. It’s always nice to shoot some guns there,” Dixon said, alluding to the track tradition of having the race winner fire six-shooters filled with blanks in victory lane.

Another key moment came in July at the Honda Indy Toronto, where defending series champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske won the pole but brushed the wall on an early restart. Dixon, who had qualified second, seized the opportunity to win his third race in six starts. He had a 62-point lead on Newgarden, who finished the race in ninth.

“Had he won that race, he would have been a closer title contender,” Dixon said of Newgarden. “Obviously for us and the back half of the season, that was a big change.”

In the season’s final five races, the “Ice Man” always lurked near the front. All were top-five finishes. The season finale was a double-points Sonoma showdown with Rossi.

Dixon finished second to wind up 57 points ahead of Rossi, who was seventh in the race.

26

“It was really cool to have (wife) Emma, (daughters) Poppy and Tilly, the whole family together for the last race,” Dixon said of the postrace celebration. “It’s the first time we had ever done that for the championship. They will never forget that. That was the best part for me.”

Knowing that the fifth career series title pushed him ahead of Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais and close friend Dario Franchitti on the all-time list, leaving him behind only Foyt, Dixon sensed his latest milestone seemed to take on more public significance.

“Going from four to five, maybe in the media mindset, it was a big shift,” he said. “I think four was still quite an achievement, but five, it seems to have changed the noise a little bit. And to be the second person to ever do that outside of A.J., that’s pretty cool, right?

“We chase victories and over this period of time, to finally get to this point where you’re starting to knock on the door of some pretty big things, it’s really cool to reflect on that. Now it’s all about No. 6.”

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

“It was really cool to have (wife) Emma, (daughters) Poppy and Tilly, the whole family together for the last race. They will never forget that. That was the best part for me.”

My first pro race was in St. Pete – the first time I came over the Skyway I thought “not too bad!” and I’ve never looked back. Downtown is booming, and our neighborhood is a great environment to raise a family. We can take the kids out on our boat and in 20 minutes feel like we’re in the Caribbean. St. Pete’s family-friendly culture is

Sébastien Bourdais 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg winner and St. Petersburg resident

On and off the track, St. Pete shines.

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JOSEF NEWGARDEN

2

TEAM PENSKE

2018 POINTS

A . J . F OY T E N T E R P R I S E S

2018 RANK

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

December 22, 1990

Hendersonville, TN

Nashville, TN

560

5

MATHEUS "MATT" LEIST

4

7

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

September 8, 1998

Novo Hamburgo, Brazil

Aventura, FL

253

18

1

CAR NAME

No. 2 Hitachi Dallara/Chevrolet

CAR NAME

ABC Supply Chevrolet

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

ENGINE

Chevrolet

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

March 25, 2012 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST START

March 11, 2018 - Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

April 26, 2015 - Barber Motorsports Park

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

July 12, 2015 - The Milwaukee Mile

FIRST POLE

N/A

josefnewgarden.com

Josef Newgarden

@josefnewgarden

@josefnewgarden

In 2018, Newgarden won three races (Phoenix Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Alabama, and Road America) and led 485 laps. He also finished in the top 10 in 14 of the 17 races last season. Newgarden is entering his third season with Team Penske.

matheusleist26

@MatheusLeist

@Matheus Leist

In 2018, Leist joined A.J. Foyt Racing as an IndyCar rookie. He achieved his best result, 11th place, in the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. His best starting position was 3rd at the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, gearbox issues caused him to crash on lap 28.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

29

2013

Race Winner

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE

5

ARROW SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS 2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

391

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

10

MARCUS ERICSSON

7

8

ARROW SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS 2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

N/A N/A

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ROOKIE YEAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

December 5, 1986

Toronto, ON

Indianapolis, IN

September 2, 1990

Kumla, Sweden

Indianapolis, IN

CAR NAME

No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda

CAR NAME

No. 7 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

April 10, 2011 - Barber Motorsports Park

FIRST START

N/A

FIRST WIN

March 24, 2013 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

May 21, 2016 - Indianapolis 500

FIRST POLE

N/A

hinchtown.com

Hinchtown

@hinchtown

@hinchtown

In 2018, Hinchcliffe won the Iowa Corn 300 and also scored a podium finish at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and five top-five finishes. Hinchcliffe gained widespread fame when he finished second on Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars.

marcusericsson.com

MarcusEricssonOfficialF1Page

@Ericsson_Marcus

@ericsson_marcus

Ericsson comes to IndyCar from Formula One, where he competed for five years with 97 starts. The Kumla, Sweden native is a two-time champion (Formula BMW UK, 2007; Japanese Formula Three, 2009), and has twice claimed the Swedish Junior Racer of the Year award (2007, 2009).

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

31

SCOTT DIXON

9

CHIP GANASSI RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

678

1

FELIX ROSENQVIST

10

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

18

CHIP GANASSI RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

N/A N/A

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ROOKIE YEAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

July 22, 1980

Auckland, New Zealand

Indianapolis, IN

November 7, 1991

Värnamo, Sweden

Indianapolis, IN

CAR NAME

PNC Bank Honda

CAR NAME

No. 10 NTT Data Honda

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

March 11, 2001 - Monterrey, Mexico

FIRST START

N/A

FIRST WIN

May 6, 2001 - Nazareth Speedway

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

April 13, 2003 - Twin Ring Motegi

FIRST POLE

N/A

scottdixon.com

ScottDixon

@scottdixon9

@scottdixon9

A five-time IndyCar Champion (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018), Scott Dixon holds the record for most wins of any active IndyCar driver (and is third in overall wins, behind Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt). With his 2018 Championship Dixon is only two behind AJ Foyt for championship wins. Dixon has never won at St. Petersburg.

felixracing.se

FelixRosenqvistOfficial

@FRosenqvist

@frosenqvist

Rosenqvist joins the Ganassi NTT IndyCar team after two years in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Rosenqvist previously competed in a partial Indy Lights season, where he secured three wins in just ten races. Rosenqvist has also competed in Formula 3, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in DTM for Mercedes-Benz.

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WILL POWER

12

TEAM PENSKE

2018 POINTS

A . J . F OY T E N T E R P R I S E S

2018 RANK

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

March 1, 1981

Toowoomba, Australia

582

3

TONY KANAAN

14

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

Charlotte, NC

December 31, 1974

Salvador, Brazil

Indianapolis, IN

14

312

16

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

21

CAR NAME

No. 12 Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet

CAR NAME

ABC Supply Chevrolet

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Chevrolet

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

October 23, 2005 - Surfers Paradise

FIRST START

March 15, 1998 - Homestead-Miami Speedway

FIRST WIN

April 8, 2007 - Las Vegas Street Circuit

FIRST WIN

July 25, 1999 - Michigan International Speedway

FIRST POLE

October 21, 2006 - Surfers Paradise

FIRST POLE

April 17, 1999 - Streets of Long Beach

willpower12.com

Will-Power12

@12willpower

@12willpower

Will Power won the IndyCar Championship in 2014, and was runner-up in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2016. In 2018, Power finished the season in third with three race wins, including his first Indianapolis 500 victory.

tonykanaan.com.br

TonyKanaan

@tonykanaan

@tkanaan

Kanaan won the 2013 Indianapolis 500 and the NTT IndyCar Series championship in 2004. He holds the record of 300 consecutive starts going into the 2019 season, a milestone he achieved at the Grand Prix of Sonoma at the end of last season. In 2018 he recorded four top-10 finishes.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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2008

2018 2017

Race Winner

GRAHAM RAHAL

15

Race Winner

SÉBASTIAN BOURDAIS

18

DA L E COY N E RA C I N G W I T H VA S S E R - S U L L I VA N

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

392

8

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

12

2018 POINTS

425

2018 RANK

7

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

13

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

January 4, 1989

New Albany, OH

Indianapolis, IN

February 28, 1979

Le Mans, France

St. Petersburg, Florida

CAR NAME

United Rentals

CAR NAME

No. 18 SealMaster-Dale Coyne Racing w/Vasser-Sullivan

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

April 8, 2007 - Streets of Las Vegas

FIRST START

February 23, 2003 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

April 6, 2008 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

May 5, 2003 - Brands Hatch, England

FIRST POLE

April 5, 2009 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST POLE

February 22, 2003 - Streets of St. Petersburg

grahamrahal.com

GrahamRahal

@grahamrahal

@grahamrahal

Rahal finished the 2018 season in 8th place, with 3 top-five and 12 top-ten results. In the off-season the RLL team has added veteran engineer, Allen McDonald, to bolster the team's efforts going into the 2019 season.

sbourdais.com

SBourdais

@Bourdaisontrack

@SBourdais

Bourdais is the only IndyCar driver to win four consecutive championships (2004-2007). In 2018 he returned for a full season after sustaining a serious injury in 2017. He began the season with a bang, winning the Firestone Grand Prix. He completed the season with 5 top-five finishes, including a podium finish at the inaugural Grand Prix of Portland.

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37

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SANTINO FERRUCCI

19

DA L E COY N E RA C I N G

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

66

25

ED JONES

20

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ED CARPENTER RACING

2018 POINTS

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ROOKIE YEAR

343

2018 RANK

13

2

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

May 31, 1998

Woodbury, CT

Woodbury, CT

February 12, 1995

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Miami, FL

CAR NAME

No. 19 David Yurman

CAR NAME

No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

June 2, 2018 - Chevrolet Dual in Detroit

FIRST START

March 12, 2017 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

N/A

FIRST POLE

N/A

santinoferrucci.com

@santinoferrucci

Ferrucci initially joined Dale Coyne Racing as an injury replacement for Pietro Fittipaldi. He was invited to rejoin the team for the last two races of the season - his best finish coming with an 11th at the series finale. In 2019 he will joining the Dale Coyne Racing team for a full season.

edjonesracing.com

EdJonesRacing

@edjonesracing

@_edwardjones

The 2019 season will see Ed Jones compete in all road and street course events in the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet. Additionally, ECR and Scuderia Corsa will field the No. 64 for Jones in the Indianapolis 500. Jones followed up his 2017 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year award with podium finishes at Detroit and Long Beach in 2018.

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SPENCER PIGOT

21

SIMON PAGENAUD

22

ED CARPENTER RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

DATE OF BIRTH

September 29, 1993

325

14

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

TEAM PENSKE

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

3

492

6

9

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

Orlando, FL

Indianapolis, IN

May 18, 1984

Montmorillon, France

Charlotte, NC

CAR NAME

No. 21 Autogeek Chevrolet

CAR NAME

No. 22 Menards/DXC Technology Dallara/Chevrolet

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara DW12

ENGINE

Chevrolet

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

March 13, 2016 - Streets of St. Peterburg

FIRST START

April 8, 2007 - Las Vegas Street Circuit

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST WIN

June 2, 2013 - The Raceway at Belle Isle

FIRST POLE

N/A

FIRST POLE

June 28, 2014 - NRG Park Stadium Circuit

spencerpigot.com

SpencerPigot21

@spencerpigot

@spencerpigot

2019 will mark Spencer Pigot’s fourth year with Ed Carpenter Racing and his fourth season as a NTT IndyCar Series driver.

Last year’s campaign included career-best qualifying and finishing positions on street courses, road courses and ovals.

He also earned his first podium result, a second place finish at Iowa Speedway.

simon-pagenaud.com

Simonpagenaud

@simonpagenaud

@simonpagenaud

Pagenaud won the IndyCar Championship in 2016 and has won 11 IndyCar races to date. In 2018, Pagenaud earned four top-five finishes. Overall, Pagenaud finished in the top-ten at 14 of the 17 races last season.

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CHARLIE KIMBALL

23

ZACH VEACH

26

CARLIN

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

DATE OF BIRTH

February 20, 1985

287

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

8

2018 POINTS

313

2018 RANK

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

Camarillo, CA

Indianapolis, IN

December 9, 1994

Stockdale, OH

Indianapolis, IN

17

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

15

2

CAR NAME

No. 23 Tresiba Chevrolet

CAR NAME

No. 26 Gainbridge Honda

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Chevrolet

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

March 27, 2011 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST START

April 23, 2017 - Barber

FIRST WIN

August 4, 2013 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

June 9, 2017 - Texas Motor Speedway

FIRST POLE

N/A

charliekimball.com

Charlie Kimball

@RaceWithInsulin

@charliekimball

Charlie Kimball is entering his second season with sophomore team, Carlin, along with longtime partner, Novo Nordisk . In 2018 Kimball secured Carlin's best finish of 5th at the Honda Indy Toronto.

zachveach.com

ZachVeachRacing

@ZachVeach

@ZachVeach

Zach Veach made his IndyCar debut in 2017 as an injury replacement for JR Hildebrand at Barber. In 2018, he completed his first full season, achieving two top-five finishes (Grand Prix of Long Beach and Gateway Grand Prix).

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

43

WE DELIVER:

ALEXANDER ROSSI

27

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

621

2

RYAN HUNTER-REAY

28

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT

3

2018 POINTS

566

2018 RANK

4

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

16

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

September 25, 1991

Nevada City, CA

Indianapolis, IN

December 17, 1980

Dallas, TX

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

CAR NAME

No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda

CAR NAME

No. 28 DHL Honda

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

March 13, 2016 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST START

February 23, 2003 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

Indianapolis 500 (2016)

FIRST WIN

October 26, 2003 - Surfers Paradise

FIRST POLE

September 2, 2017 - Watkins Glen

FIRST POLE

June 4, 2004 - The Milwaukee Mile

alexanderrossi.com

AlexanderRossi

@alexanderrossi

@alexanderrossi

In 2018, Rossi roared to a second place finish in the championship points. His three victories (Grand Prix of Long Beach, Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio, and the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway) and 10 top-five finishes made 2018 his best season to date.

ryanracing.com

RyanHunter-Reay

@ryanhunterreay

@ryanhunterreay

Hunter-Reay won the IndyCar Championship in 2012 and he is the only American driver to record wins in the NTT IndyCar Series, CART, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series and GrandAm Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2018, he recorded two race wins (Chevrolet Dual in Detroit and Sonoma Grand Prix) as well as 10 top-five finishes.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

45

TAKUMA SATO

30

MAX CHILTON

59

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

DATE OF BIRTH

January 28, 1977

351

9

2018 POINTS

223

2018 RANK

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

Toyko, Japan

Indianapolis, IN

April 24, 1991

Reigate, England

Reigate, England

12

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

CARLIN

19

3

CAR NAME

Mi-Jack / Panasonic Honda

CAR NAME

Gallagher Chevrolet

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

March 14, 2010 - Streets of Sao Paulo

FIRST START

March 13, 2016 - Streets of St. Petersburg

FIRST WIN

April 21, 2013 - Streets of Long Beach

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST POLE

June 24, 2011 - Iowa Speedway

FIRST POLE

N/A

takumasato.com

@takumasatoracer

In 2017, Sato won the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport. In 2018, he returned to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - he had last raced with them in 2012 - and finished the season with one win (Grand Prix of Portland) and four top-five finishes.

maxchilton.com

MaxChiltonOfficial

@maxchilton

@maxchilton

In 2018 Chilton joined the newly formed Carlin team. His best result to date came at the 2017 Indianapolis 500 where he finished 4th, after leading a race-high 50 laps.

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47

JACK HARVEY

60

BEN HANLEY

81

MEYER SHANK RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

103

24

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

2

DRAGONSPEED

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

N/A N/A

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ROOKIE YEAR

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

April 15, 1993

Lincoln, England

Indianapolis, IN

Jan 22, 1985

Manchester, England

Manchester, England

CAR NAME

AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda

CAR NAME

No. 81 DragonSpeed

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Chevrolet

FIRST START

May 28, 2017 - Indianapolis 500

FIRST START

N/A

FIRST WIN

N/A

FIRST WIN

Rookie

FIRST POLE

N/A

BEST FINISH

Rookie

jackharvey.com

JackHarveyRacing

@jack_harvey42

@jack_harvey42

In 2018, Jack Harvey ran a partial season of six starts with Meyer Shank Racing & Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports..

This year, the team will be expanding their season and will race in ten events throughout the season. His top 2018 finish was 12th at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

benhanley.com

benhanleyofficial

@benhanley85

The 2019 season will see the addition of Ben Hanley piloting an entry by DragonSpeed racing in five events. After success in karting and the Formula Renault ladder, Hanley’s progress stalled in GP2. Returning to karts, Ben claimed podiums in eight World and European finals through 2015, punctuated by wins in Superleague Formula and Euro 3000. An immediate frontrunner in the 2016 ELMS, Ben has cemented his comeback and star status with DragonSpeed in the ELMS, IMSA, and WEC. He makes his Indy 500 debut with the team in May. FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

49

COLTON HERTA

88

HARDING STEINBRENNER RACING

2018 POINTS

2018 RANK

20

37

MARCO ANDRETTI

98

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

AN D R ETTI H ER TA AU TOSP ORT W/ M AR CO AN D R ETTI & CU R B- AGA JA NIA N 2018 POINTS

YEARS IN NTT INDYCAR

ROOKIE YEAR

392

2018 RANK

9

13

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

DATE OF BIRTH

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

Mar 30, 2000

Valencia, CA

Valencia, CA

March 13, 1997

Nazareth, PA

Nazareth, PA

CAR NAME

No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing

CAR NAME

No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

CHASSIS

4th Gen NTT IndyCar Series Dallara IR12

ENGINE

Honda

ENGINE

Honda

FIRST START

September 16, 2018 - Sonoma

FIRST START

March 26, 2006 - Homestead-Miami Speedway

FIRST WIN

Rookie

FIRST WIN

March 27, 2006 - Sonoma Raceway

FIRST POLE

Rookie

FIRST POLE

June 1, 2008 - The Milwaukee Mile

hardingsteinbrenner.com

ColtonHertaRacing

@ColtonHerta

@coltonherta98

The son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bryan Herta, Colton Herta will be competing in his first full NTT IndyCar season in 2019. In 2018, he was runner up in the Indy Lights championship. In his IndyCar debut at the Grand Prix of Sonoma he finished 20th.

marcoandretti.com

@marcoandretti

@marcoandretti

In 2018, Andretti secured eight top-10 finishes, with a season's best of 4th at the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit. In 2017, Andretti finished 12th in the points standings, with five top-10 finishes.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

51

ENTRY LIST

NTT INDYCAR SERIES #

DRIVER

HOMETOWN

CAR NAME

TEAM

ENGINE

2

Josef Newgarden

Nashville, Tennessee

Hitachi Dallara/Chevrolet

Team Penske

Chevrolet

4

Matheus "Matt" Leist

Novo Hamburgo, Brazil

ABC Supply Chevrolet

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Chevrolet

5

James Hinchcliffe

Toronto, Canada

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Honda

7

Marcus Ericsson R

Kumla, Sweden

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Honda

9

Scott Dixon

Auckland, New Zealand

PNC Bank Honda

Chip Ganassi Racing

Honda

10

Felix Rosenqvist R

Malmo, Sweden

NTT DATA Honda

Chip Ganassi Racing

Honda

12

Will Power

Toowoomba, Australia

Verizon Dallara/Chevrolet

Team Penske

Chevrolet

14

Tony Kanaan

Salvador, Brazil

ABC Supply Chevrolet

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Chevrolet

15

Graham Rahal

New Albany, Ohio

United Rentals

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Honda

18

Sebastien Bourdais

Le Mans, France

SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing w/Vasser-Sullivan

Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda

19

Santino Ferrucci R

Woodbury, Connecticut

David Yurman

Dale Coyne Racing

Honda

20

Ed Jones

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet

Ed Carpenter Racing

Chevrolet

21

Spencer Pigot

Orlando, Florida

Autogeek Chevrolet

Ed Carpenter Racing

Chevrolet

22

Simon Pagenaud

Montmorillon, France

Menards/DXC Technology Dallara/ Chevrolet

Team Penske

Chevrolet

23

Charlie Kimball

Camarillo, California

Tresiba Chevrolet

Carlin

Chevrolet

26

Zach Veach

Stockdale, Ohio

Gainbridge Honda

Andretti Autosport

Honda

27

Alexander Rossi

Nevada City, California

NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda

Andretti Autosport

Honda

28

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

DHL Honda

Andretti Autosport

Honda

30

Takuma Sato

Tokyo, Japan

Mi-Jack / Panasonic Honda

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Honda

59

Max Chilton

Reigate, England

Gallagher Chevrolet

Carlin

Chevrolet

60

Jack Harvey

Lincoln, England

AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda

Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM

Honda

81

Ben Hanley R

Manchester, England

DragonSpeed

DragonSpeed

Chevrolet

88

Colton Herta R

Valencia, California

Harding Steinbrenner Racing

Harding Steinbrenner Racing

Honda

98

Marco Andretti

Nazareth, Pennsylvania

U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda

Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian

Honda

R 52

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

Denotes Rookie Driver

As of Feb. 22, 2019

ENTRY LIST

INDY LIGHTS GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES Streets of St. Petersburg – March 8-10, 2019

TRACK RECORDS #

DRIVER

5

Lucas Kohl

13

Zachary Claman

21

Rinus VeeKay

27

Robert Megennis R

28

Oliver Askew

48

• QUALIFYING – Patricio O’Ward 1:05.0392 = 99.632 mph March 10, 2018 • RACE – Colton Herta 1:05.4946 = 98.939 mph March 10, 2018 HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

TEAM

SPONSORS

Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil

Miami, FL

Belardi Auto Racing

Bellko Trading/Kohltrade/IVI Vision

Montreal, Canada

Montreal, Canada

Belardi Auto Racing

Zoological Wildlife Foundation/ Abe & Mary’s/Paysafe/UPS

Hoofddorp, Netherlands

Hoofddorp, Netherlands

Juncos Racing

Mazda/Jumbo Supermarkets/ La Place Restaurants/KNAF Talent First

New York, NY

New York, NY

Andretti Autosport

Palo Alto Networks/CyberArk

Melbourne, FL

Jupiter, FL

Andretti Autosport

Andretti Autosport Dallara

Ryan Norman

Cleveland, OH

Aurora, OH

Andretti Autosport

EVO

67

Dalton Kellett

Toronto, Canada

Indianapolis, IN

Juncos Racing

K-Line Insulators USA, Inc.

79

David Malukas R

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

BN Racing

HMD Trucking

R

R

R

INDY PRO 2000 GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG PRESENTED BY ALLIED BUILDING PRODUCTS Streets of St. Petersburg – March 8-10, 2019

TRACK RECORDS

• QUALIFYING – Oliver Askew 1:08.1032 = 95.150 mph (March 9, 2018) • RACE – Sting Ray Robb 1.08.5144 = 94.579 mph (March 10, 2018)

#

DRIVER

HOMETOWN

RESIDENCE

TEAM

SPONSORS

1

Sting Ray Robb

Payette, ID

Payette, ID

Juncos Racing

Go Out Local/Big Idaho Potato Truck/ OMP/Intervention.com

5

Damiano Fioravanti R

Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy

RP Motorsport Racing

Marika

6

Moises de la Vara

Guadalajara, Mexico

San Antonio, TX

DEForce Racing

UAG/I.E.P./MOTUL/JUMEX/Oil Depot

7

Kory Enders R

Warwick, NY

Sugar Land, TX

DEForce Racing

MB of Sugar Land/Caliber Collision/ McLaren Houston

8

Bill Abel

Louisville, KY

Louisville, KY

Abel Motorsports

Abel Construction

10

Rasmus Lindh R

Gothenburg, Sweden

Kullavik, Sweden

Juncos Racing

Chicago Pneumatic/PWR Junior Team/SKF

11

Antonio Serravalle

Markham, Canada

Markham, Canada

Pserra Racing/Jay Howard Driver Tycoon Capital Limited Development

28

Kyle Kirkwood R

Jupiter, FL

Jupiter, FL

RP Motorsport Racing

Mazda/Firstex Industries/Bell Helmets/ Sabelt

51

Jacob Abel

Louisville, KY

Louisville, KY

Abel Motorsports

Abel Construction

68

Danial Frost R

Singapore

Singapore

Exclusive Autosport

Exclusive Autosport

83

Charles Finelli

New York, NY

Locust Valley, NY

FatBoy Racing!

Allsport

90

Nikita Lastochkin

Moscow, Russia

Los Angeles, CA

Exclusive Autosport

Russkaya Mekhanika

91

Parker Locke R

San Antonio, TX

San Antonio, TX

Exclusive Autosport

TBA

98

Phillippe Denes R

Los Angeles, CA

Carmel, CA

FatBoy Racing!

PR Energy LTD/Zoltan Denes MD/ Denes Realty

54

R

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

R

Denotes Rookie Driver

As of Feb. 22, 2019

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Official steakhouse of The 2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg INDULGE IN AN AWARD-WINNING STEAK, Enjoy innovative cocktail selections, try wines from our 700-label list that has received Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence five years in a row or join us on sundays for brunch at Rococo Steak. Happy hour is daily from 4pm 6:30pm.

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ENTRY LIST

COOPER TIRES USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP

ST. PETERSBURG GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ANDERSEN RACEPARK RACE 1 ST. PETERSBURG GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ANDERSEN INTERIOR CONTRACTING RACE 2 Streets of St. Petersburg – March 8-10, 2019

TRACK RECORDS #

• QUALIFYING – Alex Baron 1.12.2574 = 89.679 mph (March 10, 2018) • RACE – Alex Baron 1:12.2664 = 89.668 mph (March 10, 2018)

DRIVER

HOMETOWN

TEAM

SPONSORS

2

Darren Keane

Deerfield Beach, FL

Cape Motorsports

Cal Development/Keane Architectural Woodwork

3

Reece Gold R

Miami, FL

Cape Motorsports

Lucas Oil School of Racing/The Ticket Clinic

5

Matt Round-Garrido R

Stourbridge, England

Jay Howard Driver Development

Excel Labs/No Stone Unturned

6

Christian Rasmussen R

Copenhagen, Denmark

Jay Howard Driver Development

JHDD/CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil

7

Christian Bogle R

Covington, LA

Jay Howard Driver Development

Pelican Energy

8

Braden Eves

New Albany, OH

Cape Motorsports

MDRN Livery/Community Choice Financial

Mexico City, Mexico

DEForce Racing

TBA

Narbonne, France

Legacy Autosport

Metalloid Corporation

Oconomowoc, WI

Pabst Racing

S team Motorsports

R

12

Manuel Sulaiman

14

Alex Baron

21

Yuven Sundaramoorthy

R R

22

Hunter McElrea R

Los Angeles, CA

Pabst Racing

Mazda/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory Partners

23

Colin Kaminsky

Homer Glen, IL

Pabst Racing

Slick Locks

24

Bruna Tomaselli

28

Anthony Famularo

R

R

36

Nolan Siegel

40

Jack William Miller

41

Eduardo Barrichello

73

Cameron Shields

90

Manuel Cabrera

R R R

Caibi, Brazil

Pabst Racing

Bruna&Bia

Caracas, Venezuela

BN Racing

Andres carnes de res/3g Consulting

Portola Valley, CA

Newman Wachs Racing

Menio Ventures

Westfield, IN

Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Indy Dental Group, LLC/Lumist

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Bib's Chocolate

Toowoomba, Australia

Newman Wachs Racing

Dependable Sheds/HRX/Vision Sports Science

Mexico City, Mexico

Exclusive Autosport

Gateway Systems/Gateway Telecoms

PIRELLI GT4 AMERICA CAR MAKE/ MODEL

SPONSORS

Audi R8 LMS GT4

Highway Systems, Osteria Kitchen + Bar, Audi Tampa, Continental Benefits, Franklin Manor

McLaren 570S GT4

Blackdog Speed Shop

McLaren 570S GT4

Window World , MI Windows and Doors , Endurance Warranty

SILVER Flying Lizard Motorsports

Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR

TBD

PRO

SILVER PF Racing

Ford Mustang GT4

PF Racing

Jade Buford

PRO

SILVER PF Racing

Ford Mustang GT4

PF Racing

50

Ian James

PRO

SILVER Team Panoz Racing

Panoz Avezzano GT

TBD

66

Spencer Pumpelly

PRO

SILVER TRG- The Racers Group

Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR

LaSalle Solutions, Adobe Road Winery, The Racing Series Wines, Brooks Motor Cars, Branson Supply, OMP, Maglock, Passtime, Fastlife TV

71

Nicolai Elghanayan

PRO

SILVER Marco Polo Motorsports

KTM X-bow

Craftsmen Transporters, Performance Racing Tech Talk, Ferrari Electronics, Muellerized

74

Gar Robinson

PRO

SILVER Robinson Racing

Chevrolet Camao GT4

74 Ranch Resort

7

Alan Brynjolfsson

AM BRONZE Park Place Motorsports

Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR

VOLT Lighting

11

Tony Gaples

AM BRONZE Blackdog Speed Shop

McLaren 570S GT4

Blackdog Speed Shop

12

Drew Staveley

AM BRONZE Ian Lacy Racing

Ford Mustang GT4

G3 Racing, Ian Lacy Racing

24

Frank Gannett

AM BRONZE Ian Lacy Racing

Ford Mustang GT4

G3 Racing, Ian Lacy Racing

McLaren 570S GT4

Premiere Copier

Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR

Loop Tackle Design

Chevrolet Camao GT4

74 Ranch Resort

GT4 SPRINT

#

DRIVER

2

Jason Bell

PRO

10

Michael Cooper

PRO

GOLD

18

Jarett Andretti

PRO

SILVER Andretti Autosport

21

Michael Dinan

PRO

40

James Pesek

41

C AT

TEAM

SILVER GMG Racing

Blackdog Speed Shop

62

Mark Klenin

AM

69

Thomas Collingwood

AM

72

Shane Lewis

AM BRONZE Robinson Racing

BRONZE KPR TBD

BGB Motorsports Group

At press time, the TC America entry list was unavailable

56

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

R

Denotes Rookie Driver

As of Feb. 22, 2019

B:8.125” T:7.875”

SPGP2019_StPeteChamber.indd 1

THERE’S A NEW VINOY IN TOWN Elegant, old-world charm meets modern comfort at the newly renovated waterfront hot spot, The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. Just steps from stylish St. Petersburg, indulge at the chic Vinoy Club Grill, dine on fresh seafood and smokehouse favorites at Paul’s Landing restaurant, play a round of golf or rejuvenate at the day spa.

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2019-03-01 12:02 PM

INDY LIGHTS PREVIEW

By Jeremy Shaw

ndy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires serves as the top rung on the three-step Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires driverdevelopment ladder, which each year provides more than $2.5 million to allow talented young drivers to progress from the grassroots of the sport to the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. It has served as the primary proving ground for future IndyCar stars ever since its introduction as the American Racing Series in 1986. Over 150 drivers have graduated from Indy Lights to IndyCar, including all but three of the series’ 33 champions.

Last year no fewer than 25 of the 33 starters in the 102nd Indianapolis 500 were graduates of Indy Lights.

It’s not hard to see why.

The latest-generation of Indy Lights car, the Dallara IL-15, introduced in 2015, is fast, cost-effective and reliable.

It meets or exceeds all of the latest FIA/INDYCAR safety standards and is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter fourcylinder AER engine which

Ryan Norman topped the podium at Gateway last fall after eclipsing title rivals Colton Herta (left) and Patricio O’Ward.

I

is capable of achieving speeds well in excess of 200mph. Ask any of the drivers who have gained experience in the IL-15 what they think about the car, and they will be effusive in their praise.

Indy Lights always provides tremendous competition on the streets of St. Petersburg, and this year promises to be no

Robert Megennis will be seeking a podium finish for the third year in succession.

58

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

exception. Indeed the battle for supremacy looks set to be as intense as ever. On offer once again is a Road to Indy Scholarship to guarantee the champion a minimum of three NTT IndyCar Series starts in 2020, including the Indianapolis 500. And judging by the level of competitiveness on display during an open test held at

“I challenged for the championship the last two seasons in the Road to Indy so I don’t expect anything less.”

- Rinus VeeKay

Robert Megennis will be seeking a podium finish for the third year in succession.

Indy Pro 2000 champion Rinus VeeKay will carry Mazda’s “Soul Red” colors for Juncos Racing.

Florida’s Oliver Askew is continuing to make his way up the Road to Indy.

Circuit of The Americas last month, there is no shortage of talented youngsters ready and waiting to follow in the footsteps of Patricio O’Ward, who claimed the spoils in 2019 following a thrilling back-andforth tussle with Colton Herta.

So who are likely to be the primary protagonists? Well, right toward the top of the list must be Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Norman. The 20-year-old

from Aurora, Ohio, has made steady progress during the past two years after dominating the significantly less competitive Formula Atlantic championship in 2016.

Norman claimed his first podium finish at this level right here on the streets of St. Petersburg one year ago and claimed a breakthrough victory on the Gateway Motorsports Park oval following a thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel with Herta. Norman also secured a maiden pole position in the 2018 season finale at Portland International Raceway, earning fourth place in the championship standings.

“We’ve built a solid foundation over the past two years and I’m ready to fight for wins, podiums and ultimately the championship with such a great group of people who have become like a family to me,” said Norman.

The team spearheaded by former IndyCar series cham-

pion Michael Andretti hopes to replicate – or perhaps even improve upon – its one-two finish in 2018. In addition to Norman, Florida’s Oliver Askew and New York native Robert Megennis are sure to run up front after impressing previously in both the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and, last year, in the Indy Pro 2000 (Pro Mazda) Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

Askew, now 22, won the USF2000 crown as a rookie in 2017, and continued his rapid ascent last year by taking a win and three pole positions en route to third place in Indy Pro 2000. He was also fastest of all on his Indy Lights debut with Andretti Autosport during the Chris Griffis Memorial Road to Indy Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in September. After working tirelessly for the next four months on raising the necessary funding, Askew finally concluded a deal for the 2019 season midway through the first full series test at Circuit of The Americas in mid-February. He repaid the team’s faith immediately by posting the fastest time.

“It was great to be back in the car again,” said Askew. “It took me a session or so to get used to it, because the Indy Lights car is quite different to what I’m used to (in Indy Pro 2000), but it’s a great deal of fun. I got a really good feel for the car and I think it really suits my style quite well, so hopefully we can transfer that to the race season.

“I’m excited to start out at St. Petersburg because it’s the closest track to my home in Jupiter. Street circuits are always a difficult challenge but I’ve had some success here in the past and I hope I can continue that trend.”

Megennis, who celebrated his 19th birthday earlier this week, was one of only three drivers to beat Askew in 2017, winning the opening USF2000 race here in St. Petersburg. He also claimed a third-place finish

last year at St. Petersburg in Indy Pro 2000, so will be confident of continuing his podium streak on the Floridian streets.

Rinus VeeKay, too, is sure to be a front-runner. The 18-yearold Dutchman has mirrored Askew’s ascent up the Road to Indy ladder. He finished second to Askew in USF2000 in 2017, also his first season in cars, then vaulted ahead to win last year’s Indy Pro 2000 title – and a scholarship valued at almost $800,000 – to graduate into Indy Lights with Juncos Racing, which will also run series veteran Dalton Kellett. Consequently, VeeKay will carry the coveted “Soul Red” color scheme, and unsurprisingly he has been fast at every single test.

“I challenged for the championship the last two seasons in the Road to Indy so I don’t expect anything less,” said VeeKay. “I’m certainly going to try to win another championship. I think we have a good shot and I’m super-confident we can do it. Last year I learned that consistency is the key.

Winning is really nice but the real thing is to score the points and if you do that every race, the championship will come.”

Belardi Auto Racing is expected to have at least two cars on the grid this weekend – for Zachary Claman and Lucas Kohl. Still only 20 years of age, Claman, from Montreal, Que., Canada, won an Indy Lights race at Road America in 2017 before electing to pursue a partial IndyCar campaign in 2018, while Kohl, also 20, is stepping up to Indy Lights after three years of USF2000.

David Malukas is likely to be the youngest driver in the field, at age 17, but the Chicago native has already impressed during a partial season of USF2000 in 2017, followed by a full campaign in Indy Pro 2000 last year which netted three race wins.

Malukas has stepped up to Indy Lights with the same team, BN Racing, and is most certainly another name to keep an eye on for the future.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

59

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The Times is a proud sponsor of the 2019 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg PR93094

INDY PRO 2000 CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

Kyle Kirkwood swept all before him last year in USF2000, including a victory in St. Petersburg.

By Jeremy Shaw

he middle step on the highly acclaimed Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires has undergone a pair of significant transformations over the course of the past two years. First, in time for the 2018 season, came the introduction of a major chassis-engine upgrade.

The brand-new Tatuus PM18 replaced the Elan/Van Diemen/Crawford chassis, which had been in place since 2004, and was paired with the four-cylinder, 2.0-liter Mazda MZR-PM18A, prepared by Elite Engines, superseding the old “Renesis” rotary engine and benefiting additionally from both a modern fly-by-wire

T

throttle and Cosworth SQ6 engine management system.

Introduction of the PM-18 completed a revitalization of the entire Road to Indy openwheel development ladder.

The process had commenced in 2015 with the introduction of the Dallara IL-15 to the top rung, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, and continued two years later when the Tatuus USF-17 replaced the aging Van Diemen chassis which had provided the backbone of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship since 1999. The PM-18 comprises the same basic chassis and components as the USF-17, thereby assisting both teams and drivers in progressing up the ladder.

Guadalajara native Moises de la Vara will form half of a two-car attack from DEForce Racing.

Now, for 2019, the middle rung has been granted a new identity as the Indy 2000 Pro Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Indy Pro 2000 continues to fit neatly in between USF2000 and Indy Lights, perpetuating a legacy which was launched under the Star Mazda name in 1991.

Many of the current top names in American open-wheel and sports car racing have graduated through Indy Pro 2000, including NTT IndyCar Series stars Marco Andretti, Conor Daly, James Hinchcliffe, Spencer Pigot and Graham Rahal, and Zach Veach and sports car standouts Dane Cameron, Joey Hand, Jack Hawksworth and Tristan Vautier.

Talented young Dutchman Rinus VeeKay looks set to continue that tradition as he steps up to Indy Lights this year with the same team, Juncos Racing, which guided him to the championship spoils in 2018.

Entries were still being finalized as we closed for press, but all indications suggest that a strong field of potential rising stars will be in place this weekend for the pair of Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Allied Building Products races. All of the drivers will have one goal in mind: to gain a head start in what will be a 16-race quest for a scholarship valued at almost $600,000 to follow in VeeKay’s footsteps for 2020.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

61

Untitled-2 1

2017-02-27 1:39 PM

Sting Ray Robb claimed a fastest lap last year on the St. Petersburg streets.

Juncos Racing, which also won Indy Pro 2000 titles in 2010 (Conor Daly), 2014 (Spencer Pigot) and 2017 (Victor Franzoni), will run at least a pair of Tatuus PM-18s for Sting Ray Robb and Rasmus Lindh.

Robb, from Payatte, Idaho, will be undertaking his third season at this level but is still only 17 years of age. He will be looking to continue that streak.

Lindh, too, joins the team with high expectations. Also 17, Lindh, from Gothenburg, Sweden, burst onto the North American scene last year in USF2000, emerging from a tight pack to finish second in the title-chase behind runaway champion Kyle Kirkwood. Lindh also impressed during the traditional post-season Chris Griffis Memorial Road to Indy Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course when he tasted the more powerful PM-18 for the first time and was immediately on the front-running pace.

“I’m very happy to have the opportunity to go to the next step in the Road to Indy program with a championship winning team,” said Lindh.

“I really enjoyed working with Juncos Racing this past fall, so I am happy that we are back together for the 2019 season.”

After romping to the USF2000 championship with a recordbreaking run that included 11 consecutive race wins, Kirkwood, 20, from Jupiter, Fla., seems set to take his $325,000 Mazda Scholarship check to RP Motorsports Racing for his graduation to Indy Pro 2000.

Kirkwood, incidentally, padded his growing resume by also dominating the inaugural F3 Americas Championship in 2018, winning 15 of the 17 races.

RP Motorsports enjoyed a similarly impressive debut season.

The Italian-owned team showed precisely why it had proven so successful previously in Europe with a thoroughly professional appearance which netted a pair of race wins for talented Englishman Harrison Scott.

“It’s been a long winter with lots of hard work along

Nikita Lastochkin has joined Exclusive Autosport for 2019.

Sweden’s Rasmus Lindh will take over the Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18 used by 2018 champion Rinus VeeKay.

the way,” said Kirkwood.

“I can practically call St. Pete my hometown race, considering it’s the only race in Florida, although I am unsure whether that pressures me more or gives me confidence! One thing I am sure of is that I am ready, the car is ready and we are looking to carry that streak of Road to Indy wins. I would also like to express my gratitude to Mazda for what is being done for myself and the other Mazda scholarship drivers. It will definitely be a true honor to drive a Soul Red Mazda car in the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.”

Canadian-based Exclusive Autosport, which guided Parker Thompson to second place in the 2018 championship standings, looks set to field at least three cars in the upcoming campaign. Drivers are likely to include Los Angeles-based Russian Nikita Lastochkin, who will be undertaking a third year at this level, Singaporean Danial Frost, who contested a partial season of USF2000 with

FatBoy Racing! will field a second car for Phillippe Denes alongside veteran Charles Finelli.

the team in 2018, and Parker Locke, from San Antonio, Texas, who competed last year in both F4 and F3. Locke also honed his skills during January and February in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series.

Other confirmed entries at press time include a pair of PM18s from Texas-based DEForce Racing, at least a singleton car from Abel Motorsports and the potential of two more from FatBoy Racing!

Mexican Moises de la Vara, who finished a strong fourth at Gateway last year during a lateseason return to the Road to Indy, is set for a full campaign with DEForce. He will be joined

by Texas-based Kory Enders, who has concentrated on building his experience in USF2000 for the past couple of years while also dipping his toe in the Indy Pro 2000 waters with a pair of starts at Barber Motorsports Park last spring.

Jacob Abel, from Louisville, Ky., will step up with his familyrun team after racing previously in F4 and USF2000, while FatBoy stalwart Charles Finelli, from Locust Valley, N.Y., is likely to be joined in a second car by rapid teenager Phillippe Denes, who has displayed tremendous potential in F1600, USF2000 and a quartet of Indy Pro 2000 starts in early 2017.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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COOPER TIRES

USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP

USF2000 never fails to provide excitement in St. Petersburg, especially under braking for Turn One.

Cameron and Spencer Pigot, to name but a few.

Hunter McElrea is the most recent youngster who aspires to follow in their footsteps.

Born in Southern California and raised in New Zealand, McElrea has been racing for the past few years in Australia, where his father, Andy, a former New Zealand Formula Ford champion, is currently based. The younger McElrea

earned his ticket to the third annual Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout by virtue of winning last year’s Australian Formula Ford Championship. His prowess both in and out of the car, despite an extraordinarily deep and talented field, ensured he was a deserving winner.

McElrea, 19, has had his eyes set on the Road to Indy for several years. He showed

By Jeremy Shaw

he Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires has no equal in the world of auto racing. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship represents the first step on a unique, three-rung, open-wheel racing development ladder which provides scholarships and other awards worth more than $2.5 million so that talented young drivers may progress all the way from the grassroots of the sport to the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.

Introduced and managed by Andersen Promotions from its local base in Palmetto, Fla., the program leads off with a worldwide network of Official Feeder Series. Last December, 20 drivers under the age of 25, from as far afield as Australia,

T

Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom, were invited to attend a shootout at the Bondurant Racing School in Chandler, Ariz. Up for grabs was a $200,000 Mazda Scholarship to progress into USF2000, which has been at the forefront of driver development since being introduced from Europe as a National Championship in 1990.

In fact, the F2000 concept dates back even longer, to 1974, when it was first introduced in England as a stepping stone in between Formula Ford and Formula 3. The USF2000 championship has seen a host of talented alumni make their way up to the pinnacle of the sport, including Greg Moore, Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Dan Wheldon, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane

“His [McElrea's] prowess both in and out of the car, despite an extraordinarily deep and talented field, ensured he was a deserving winner.”

Hunter McElrea earned his opportunity with Pabst Racing by winning the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship Shootout in December.

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Alex Baron (pictured with driver coach and former IndyCar race winner Alex Barron) will be among the favorites for honors.

Jay Howard, who won the USF2000 title as a driver in 2005, is making his return as a team owner.

his capabilities with a series of quick lap times for Pabst Racing in the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis both in 2017 and 2018. So it came as no surprise when he confirmed he would be joining the two-time and defending Team Championship-winning organization for his rookie campaign in North America.

“I am ecstatic to be on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship grid this year in the Soul Red Crystal No. 22 Pabst Racing car,” said McElrea. “Without the amazing support from Mazda Motorsports and my personal sponsors, Doric NZ and Miles Advisory Partners, I would not be here, so I cannot thank them enough for giving me this amazing opportunity.”

McElrea’s teammates will include Colin Kaminsky, from Homer Glen, Ill., and Yuven Sundaramoorthy, who, coincidentally, was born in the same town, Oconomowoc, Wis., that is home to Pabst Racing.

Kaminsky finished 10th in the standings last year, while Sundaramoorthy claimed

a couple of solid top-10 finishes in three toe-in-thewater late-season starts.

As always, the Pabst team can expect some of its stiffest opposition to stem from perennial title favorites Cape Motorsports. The team based locally in St. Petersburg has amassed an astonishing record in USF2000, winning 12 of the last 16 drivers’ championships, including the most recent eight in succession.

In 2018, Florida native Kyle Kirkwood was a record-breaking dominant force, unbeaten in the final 11 races to finish with 12 wins from 14 starts.

This year the Cape brothers, Dominic and Nicholas, are

COOPER TIRES

USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP pinning their hopes on Darren Keane, 19, from Deerfield Beach, Fla., who has shown great promise over the past two seasons, former karting star Braden Eves, also 19, from New Albany, Ohio, who impressed on his series debut at Portland last year, and fellow rookie Reece Gold, just 14 years of age, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who impressed while winning last year’s Lucas Oil School Formula Car Race Series.

There are several other potential front-runners among a typically strong field of USF2000 entrants ready to contest this weekend’s pair of races that will comprise the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Andersen RacePark Race 1 and the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Andersen Interior Contracting Race 2. Prime among them is likely to be Alex Baron, who competed in only seven races last year but was the only driver to interrupt Kirkwood’s dominance. Baron, 24, from Narbonne, France, who carries dual French and British citizenship – and speaks with a pronounced Northern English accent – has joined the new Legacy Autosport team run by Mike and Butch Meyer, who, respectively, are great-grandson and grandson of the late Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

“We might be a new team but we have Mike and his dad Butch, who are so well known and have so much experience,”

said Baron, who first competed – and won – in USF2000 as long ago as 2013 and is finally set to contest an entire season.

“To be a part of Legacy Autosport is an honor. The crew guys have a great deal of experience as well – most have come from Indy Lights and other high ends of motorsports. We know what to do and what we expect from one another, so we can just go out and enjoy it. If you enjoy it, the results come.”

Others to watch from among a stacked field include Christian Rasmussen, from Copenhagen, Denmark, who moves to USF2000 with Jay Howard Driver Development after a strong season in F4; Cameron Shields (Newman Wachs Racing), who hails from the same small town, Toowoomba, in Queensland, Australia, as defending Indy 500 champion Will Power; Anthony Famularo (BN Racing), from Caracas, Venezuela, who impressed in testing at Homestead last December; and a pair of rookies who will run under the Miller Vinatieri Motorsports banner, Jack William Miller, from Westfield, Ind., and Brazilian Eduardo Barrichello, whose father Rubens enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in Formula 1.

All of these, and more, will be chasing a champion’s scholarship prize valued at $305,600 to graduate onto the next step of the ladder, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, in 2020.

Florida’s Darren Keane has shown excellent speed in testing with his Cape Motorsports team.

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PIRELLI GT4 AMERICA & TC AMERICA PREVIEW

With a range of manufacturers this year's grid is wide open

By Robbie Montinola // Photography SRO America

o class under the SRO America umbrella possesses more diversity than Pirelli GT4 America. From the number of manufacturers involved to the race formats to the drivers and teams involved, there's something for everyone in the GT4-based series.

Returning to the Streets of St. Petersburg, Pirelli GT4 America once again highlights sports cars fastest growing category.

This year’s race features a jam-packed grid with a variety of GT4-spec machinery that can't be found anywhere else: American muscle, European high performance, exotic luxury cars, and boutique racing marques are all represented in the field. Seven different manufacturers took overall wins in 2018 and this year's grid looks to be as wide open as ever with no shortage of potential race winning combinations.

Fan favorites Flying Lizard Motorsports has returned to its Porsche roots with an ambitious schedule for 2019.

Young gun Michael Dinan is slated to drive one of the team's Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport entries.

The popular Panoz Racing team returns to honor its

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namesake, Dr. Don Panoz, who passed away shortly after the 2018 season that saw his eponymous marque clinch the GTS Manufacturer's Championship. Driver Ian James returns for the Pirelli GT4 America season in the Panoz Avezzano GT4 looking for the Championship.

A new name to SRO America, but familiar to race fans worldwide from their open-wheel exploits, Andretti Autosport unites two famous racing names with its 2019 program.

Jarett Andretti will drive a McLaren 570S GT4 in the Pirelli GT4 America Sprint championship, uniting two of the most storied surnames in motorsports. The 26-year-old, who is the son of versatile driver John Andretti and nephew to team principal Michael Andretti, is an accomplished driver in his own right and makes the step to GT4 competition after debuting in the Touring Car ranks last year. In addition to his sports car racing plans, Andretti has an extensive USAC oval schedule planned for 2019.

The Racers Group (TRG) is making a full-season return to Pirelli GT4 America with multiple Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsports set to take to take part in the upcoming season

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

with a familiar face behind the wheel. Spencer Pumpelly returns to the team in search of a Pirelli GT4 America Sprint championship in the Pro class.

Park Place Motorsports is set to expand into the series with their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport queued up for Pirelli GT4 America for local Tampa driver Alan Brynjolfsson.

“Seven different manufacturers took overall wins in 2018 and this year's grid looks to be as wide open as ever with no shortage of potential race winning combinations.”

From the BMW camp, Texasbased Classic BMW returns with a Sprint effort for Toby Grahovec. The Classic BMW operation is always a threat for a race win and figures to be one to watch.

Robinson Racing made a splash last year with drivers Gar Robinson and Shane Lewis, and both are slated to return in pursuit of a Pirelli GT4 America Sprint Championship. The team will field a pair of Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R machines in the single-driver championship.

Former Camaro-entrants Black Dog Speedshop are back with a new two-car Pirelli GT4 America Sprint effort in the McLaren 570s GT4 with a Pro class entry for former series champion Michael Cooper and

an Am entry for team owner Tony Gaples. The team is a perennial contender and both drivers figure to be frontrunners in their respective classes this season.

The popular Touring Car classes are back at St. Petersburg for 2019 and will feature strong diversity in machinery throughout the TCR, TCR DSG Cup, TC, and TCA categories. Across the various classes, Touring Car is the place manufacturers like Honda, Volkswagen, Hyundai, MINI, Nissan, BMW, Audi, Alfa Romeo, Mazda, and Subaru fight for supremacy in some of the most intense, door-to-door road racing anywhere. From upand-comers to genuine stars, the driver lineup in Touring Car is just as dynamic as the mix of

OEMs, making TC America appointment viewing for the road racing enthusiast.

In TCR, FCP Euro returns to fight for the championship with a pair of Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR machines for drivers Nate Vincent and Michael Hurczyn.

The cars have been upgraded and updated in the offseason, and the team is anxious to challenge in the highly competitive class.

They will be challenged by Texas-based Risi Competizione which enters TCR with an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR, bringing extensive sports car experience to the TCR class. Driver James Walker Jr. has previous Ferrari Challenge experience with the team which is renowned for racing Ferrari GT cars at the highest levels of sports car racing. Armed with that experience and a new relationship with sister-brand Alfa Romeo, Risi figures to be a contender in its expansion into the touring car ranks.

Also of note, eEuroparts. com ROWE Racing joins the TC America series with an Audi RS3 LMS for American driver Bryan Putt, while McCann Racing brings its storied name back to SRO America with a pair of Audis for second-generation driver Michael McCann Jr. and Christian Cole.

BMW, Nissan, Hyundai, and Honda are set to contest the TC class in 2019 with BMW once again leading the way with entries from stalwart teams like BimmerWorld Racing, Classic BMW, and more.

For Bimmerworld, 2019 marks a full-time return to the team's roots in SRO America competition. The Virginia-based operation will enter two BMW M240iR race cars this year for series newcomers Cameron Evans and Chandler Hull.

Former championshipwinning operation Classic BMW returns to TC with a three car lineup, headlined by owner/ driver Toby Grahovec in the No. 26 BMW M240 iR which features a slight aerodynamic upgrade from its predecessor, the BMW M235 iR.

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

69

Several of the ultra successful older model BMWs will be on the grid this year, including three entries for Rooster Hall Racing. Previous race winners Steve Streimer and Johan Schwartz, who finished fifth and third in the TC championship last year, respectively, will be joined by Richard Zulman for the 2019 campaign.

Auto Technic Racing will also compete out of the BMW stable with three BMW M235 iRs for driver's Robert Nimkoff, John Allen, and Tom Capizzi as the team continues its growth.

Taking the fight to the BMWs will be Rearden Racing with driver Paul Terry replacing defending TC champion Vesko Kosarov behind the wheel of the team's Nissan 370Z and GenRacer driver Jeff Ricca in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe, among others.

The TCA category boasts serious efforts from Honda, Mazda, MINI, and Subaru with multiple strong teams and drivers vying for championship honors.

Headlining the class is newcomer Chris Haldeman's X-Factor Racing operation which is bringing a six car fleet of Honda Civic Si machines to TCA this year. X-Factor's driver lineup is a mixture of experience and young, hungry drivers, with Haldeman, Stephen Jeu, Taylor Hagler, Cole Ciraulo, P.J. Groenke, and Danni Soufi all in the fold.

X-Factor is also associated with the #TEAMSALLY Honda Civic Si entry for Sally McNulty who brings a wealth of time attack experience to the table in her debut season in TC America.

MINI is set to enter the series this year with a two car team fielded by the Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports outfit. Drivers Mark Pombo and Nate Norenberg bring extensive experience with the MINI Cooper platform to the new series and figure to be two of the newcomers to watch in the upcoming season.

Reigning TCA manufacturer's champion Subaru returns with TechSport Racing with an eye

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on defending that title with drivers Damon Surzyshyn and Robert Crocker slated to be behind the wheel of the team's two Subaru BRZ tS cars.

From the Mazda camp, 2018 TCA Most Improved Driver Jenny Gannett is back with Ian Lacy Racing, while Jose DaSilva and Ives Motorsports have big plans for their Mazda Global MX5 Cup entry.

For more information, visit www.world-challenge.com.

“From upand-comers to genuine stars, the driver lineup in Touring Car is just as dynamic as the mix of OEMs, making TC America appointment viewing for the road racing enthusiast.�

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

UNDER THE

HOOD

NTT IndyCar is lucky to have longterm partnerships with outstanding mechanical innovators.

ave you ever wondered what goes into making an IndyCar? The fastpaced world of IndyCar Racing couldn't happen without the support of dozens of dedicated companies providing the latest advancements in technology to ensure your driver has everything they need to compete at each race. Many use the IndyCar series as a testing ground for new products that will eventually appear in production vehicles. The rearview mirror is most often cited as an example of technology transfer from motorsport to production, but many more advancements have been proven first on the track.

From brakes to turbos to the fuel that powers it all, we've profiled a few of the partners that make IndyCars go.

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PFC Brakes has been the exclusive supplier of brake system components for all IndyCar entries since the start of the 2018 season. In the 2017 season, the brand’s carbon disc and pads were used in conjunction with Brembo calipers, as teams gradually moved to the new components. With the release of the new IndyCar areokit last season, PFC took responsibility for all braking components on the IR-12 chassis. Previously, the company was an Indy car supplier in the Champ Car World Series and is currently the brake supplier to all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy development series sanctioned

by INDYCAR. In 2017, PFC became the first brake company ever to be awarded with the Louis Schwitzer Award, which is presented annually for innovative technology concepts.

In November 2018, Speedway signed a multiyear agreement making it the Official Fuel and Official Convenience Store of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 beginning in 2019.

With nearly 4,000 stores across the United States, Speedway is the nation’s secondlargest chain and has locations in most of the states where IndyCars race.

As the Official Fuel for INDYCAR, Speedway will provide the fuel powering every car at every race in the IndyCar Series.

Speedway fuel also will power Hulman & Company’s fleet of trucks and IMS equipment.

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In December 2018, Borg Warner and IndyCar reached an agreement that will see the Michigan-based company continue as the official turbocharger supplier of IndyCar through the 2020 season.

Since partnering with INDYCAR in 2012, BorgWarner turbochargers have accumulated more than 1.25 million trouble-free miles on the IndyCar Series’ demanding array of racetracks that include temporary street circuits, permanent road courses, short ovals and superspeedways. Assembled in Asheville, North Carolina, the EFR turbos provide an unprecedented combination of advanced technologies.

“BorgWarner is honored to continue its partnership with INDYCAR and the IndyCar Series, America’s premier open-wheel racing series,” said Scott Gallett, vice president of marketing, public relations, government affairs and internal communications, BorgWarner Inc. “Our EFR turbochargers are the perfect match for INDYCAR, with their advanced engineering, low weight and proven durability, they truly are engineered for racing.”

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

Xtrac is one of INDYCAR’s longest-tenured partners and its parts are utilized across the motorsports landscape in disciplines such as Formula One, sports cars – including IMSA, GT and touring cars – and rally competition. Xtrac began supplying transmissions for several Indy car teams in the 1990s and became the exclusive supplier to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2000. In 2017, IndyCar and Xtrac signed an agreement to extend their partnership.

As part of the agreement, Xtrac will continue providing a championship award at the season-ending NTT IndyCar Series championship celebration and an award to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. The current Indycars feature the XTRAC #1011 gearbox, with six forward gears, one reverse gear and a MegaLine Assisted Gear Shift (paddle-shift.)

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POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE

DRIVES THE FUTURE OF ST. PETERSBURG “We grow great grown-ups!” Those five words explain the daily mission of the Police Athletic League (PAL) of St. Petersburg at its Woodlawn and Jordan Park locations.

AL programs foster relationships between local youth and police officers. Stated more specifically, its mission is to prevent crime among youth through recreation, education, and athletics from affordable after school programs to summer camps. These programs are based on the conviction that if young people are reached early enough, they can develop strong, positive attitudes towards police officers in their journey through

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life leading them to maturity and good citizenship.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is joining the charge this year through its 7th Annual MBA 5k Run happening on the racetrack on Friday evening, March 8th. Over 1,000 runners and walkers will directly support this important work with all proceeds going to PAL. More information about the event can be found at www.gpstpete5k.com.

“The Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg is extremely

grateful to our partners for their support and belief that all children, even the most at-risk living in our community, can grow to be healthy, productive adults,” said Heather Robb, director, Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg. “Since 2016, contributions from the Firestone Grand Prix and proceeds from the Modern Business Associates 5K race have reached nearly $120,000 enabling PAL to continue to provide enriching activities and eye-opening experiences to the

hundreds of young people who come through our doors. We are excited for another great race weekend.”

"We truly appreciate the support and partnership of Modern Business Associates to make this fantastic run and walk event possible on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg course,” said Kim Green, co-owner, chairman and CEO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions. “Over 1,000 runners and walkers will compete for a great cause! While it promotes health and wellness in our community, most importantly, this race weekend traditiion accelerates PAL’s mission to positively impact the lives of our local children and teenagers."

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is honored to be able to play a small part toward the life-changing work happening every day through the efforts of PAL and its leadership, staff and numerous volunteers to drive a better future for local youth.

To learn more about the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg, please visit www.stpetepal.org.

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TIPS AND TRICKS f this is your first or tenth time at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, there’s always something new to explore. Check out some of the ideas below to help you make the most of your race weekend! Have a GA ticket?

While there are lots of spots to watch all the action from, there are two great areas you might not be aware you can access.

The Waterside Club, located between turn 11 and 12, allows you to view the race from the water while enjoying a couple of cold beverages. What a great way to spend a day at the track!

If you’d rather stay on dry land, check out the Budweiser Party Pit, beside Grandstand 3. Open to the public, it offers a great unobstructed view with lots of beverage options.

As IndyCar fans know, access to cars and drivers is a hallmark of the series. With an upgraded Paddock Pass, you can walk through the whole paddock, watching teams and drivers get ready to make history on the track.

I

If you’re visiting with little ones, you will want to check out the Speed Zone, which has midway rides and interactive displays. In Albert Whitted Park, 5-Hour energy will have interactive games and samples. Be sure to check out the AutoNation display (near the Mahaffey Theatre) which will include arts and crafts, as well as an interactive photo booth and a gif booth.

Also, if you’ve forgotten your children’s over-the-ear earphones, they are sold at all of the IndyCar merchandise stands.

AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS FRIDAY 12:30-1:15 FRIDAY 3:00-4:00 FRIDAY 3:45-4:15 SATURDAY 1:00-2:00

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Firestone Fan Experience Firestone Fan Experience Firestone Fan Experience World Challenge Paddock

FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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ORIGINAL

Image courtesy of IndyCar

ALTERED

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

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2019 FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE FRIDAY, MARCH 8 TIME

8:05 AM 9:05 AM 9:55 AM 10:45 AM 11:45 AM 12:30 PM 12:40 PM 1:35 PM 2:20 PM 3:20 PM 4:10 PM 6:00 PM

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8:50 AM 9:40 AM 10:30 AM 11:30 AM 12:25 PM 1:15 PM 1:20 PM 2:05 PM 3:05 PM 3:55 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM

SERIES(S)

SESSION

INDY LIGHTS GT4 TC AMERICAS NTT INDYCAR SERIES USF2000 NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY PRO 2000 INDY LIGHTS NTT INDYCAR SERIES GT4 TC AMERICAS .....

PRACTICE 1 PRACTICE 1 PRACTICE 1 PRACTICE 1 RACE 1 AUTOGRAPH SESSION RACE 1 QUALIFYING 1 PRACTICE 2 PRACTICE 2 PRACTICE 2 MBA 5K RUN

SERIES(S)

SESSION

INDY LIGHTS GT4 TC AMERICAS NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY PRO 2000 USF2000 INDY LIGHTS NTT INDYCAR SERIES GT4 TC AMERICAS

QUALIFYING 2 QUALIFYING QUALIFYING PRACTICE 3 RACE 2 RACE 2 RACE 1 QUALIFYING RACE 1 RACE 1

SERIES(S)

SESSION

NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY LIGHTS GT4 NTT INDYCAR SERIES NTT INDYCAR SERIES TC AMERICAS

WARM UP RACE 2 RACE 2 DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS RACE RACE 2

L O C AT I O N

Firestone Fan Experience

North Straub Park

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 TIME

8:30 AM 9:15 AM 9:50 AM 10:25 AM 11:25 AM 12:20 PM 1:15 PM 2:30 PM 4:00 PM 5:15 PM

- 9:00 AM - 9:35 AM - 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM - 12:05 PM - 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM - 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM

L O C AT I O N

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 TIME

9:20 AM 10:05 AM 11:20 AM 1:00 PM 1:40 PM 4:35 PM

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9:50 AM 11:05 AM 12:20 PM 1:30 PM 4:30 PM 5:35 PM

L O C AT I O N

*Schedule subject to change without notice

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FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

S T. P E T E – C L E A R WAT E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L A I R P O R T

PIE

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over 55 cities fly2pie.com

Halifax Bangor Ogdensburg Toronto

Plattsburgh

Syracuse

Albany Niagara Falls/Buffalo Providence Flint Elmira/Corning Sioux Falls Milwaukee Stewart/Newburgh Grand Rapids Allentown Cedar Rapids Rockford Toledo Cleveland Moline/Quad Cities South Bend Harrisburg Des Moines Fort Wayne Pittsburgh Omaha Dayton Peoria Hagerstown Columbus/ Bloomington Indianapolis Rickenbacker Cincinnati Kansas City Huntington/Tri-State Richmond Roanoke Belleville/St.Louis Lexington Norfolk Louisville Appleton/Green Bay

Springfield Nashville

Tulsa Memphis

Tri-Cities Knoxville

Chattanooga

Raleigh/Durham Greensboro Asheville Concord/Charlotte Greenville/Spartanburg

Allegiant Air Beau Rivage Sun Country

Gulfport/Biloxi

Sunwing Airlines

Austin

PIE

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport

AllegiantAir.com 702-505-8888

BeauRivage.com 888-640-8973

SunCountry.com 800-359-6786

FlySunwing.com 877-877-1755

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