North America’s premier open-wheel race series will hold its inaugural 2025 contest in St. Petersburg.
The 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the 21st edition of the iconic downtown St. Petersburg waterfront event is set for February 28 through March 2, 2025, with a kick-off party on Thursday, February 27. This year's event will be headlined by the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ season-opening race for the 15th time.
The jam-packed weekend schedule also includes high-speed, open-wheel competition from INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire and USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire development series and sports car action from Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin.
Staging the St. Pete Grand Prix requires something of an engineering marvel. Transforming public streets into a track on which cars will race safely at an average of about 100 mph requires a lot of effort!
The temporary street circuit is a 1.8-mile, 14-turn configuration that uses the streets circling Pioneer Park, the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, The Dali Museum and extending onto the runway at Albert Whitted Airport, and borders the waterfront of Tampa Bay and picturesque St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina.
The track build is an impressive, speedy project, as just 27 days will elapse from the start of construction which began on February 6, to teardown by March 8, six days after the race. The construction process takes 18 days to complete the track.
About 18,000 feet of steel-reinforced concrete block, with each block 12 feet long, are placed around the circuit. Those nearly 2,000 blocks weigh a total of 20 million pounds. Fencing consists of 25,000 feet of chain-link spectator fencing lining the track, and 18,000 feet of panel fencing comprising 1,500 total panes securing the steel-reinforced concrete barrier blocks.
More than 12,000 tires – wrapped with 1,500 feet of 40-inch wide, half-inch reinforced rubber belt – are used to build the track’s tire wall safety system.
Local leaders believe the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will set new attendance, viewership and economic impact records, and the influx of cash and positive exposure couldn’t come at a more opportune time.
The race-turned-four-day festival begins Feb. 27, as many area residents and businesses are still recovering from an unprecedented 2024 hurricane season.
Brian Lowack, CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, expects the marquee motorsports event to generate over $60 million.
Lowack said the race would attract over 200,000 people to St. Petersburg and “keep registers ringing” at area shops, restaurants and museums. Attendees will also account for more than 15,000 overnight stays.“Last year’s numbers were record-breaking,” Lowack said. “There’s a chance we beat that this year.”
Mayor Ken Welch believes that the race is the perfect opportunity to show that St Pete is back, “We’re able to show folks that St. Pete is up and running – we’re back, we haven’t been devastated and the debris is gone.“
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding will bring fans three full days of family fun and nonstop racing action with eight total races from five different racing series.
St. Pete Grand Prix Race Schedule of Races & Related Events
The festival of speed has a jam-packed schedule both on and off the track
Thursday, February 27
The fun starts at 4 pm on Thursday, Feb. 27, with an IndyCar Party in the Park in North Straub Park that is free and open to the public. The party will be attended by drivers and will include music, giveaways, food and drink, through 7 p.m. that evening. It also offers a chance for fans to see race cars from each series up close.
Throughout the Weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
For the three days of racing, spectators can visit an IndyCar Series Fan Village, beer gardens, and a Speed Zone with interactive games and exhibits.
Friday, February 28
On Friday, Feb. 28, the track will be busy with all the race series, starting with a sportscar event, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, followed by the three open-wheel feeder series that are steps toward IndyCar, the USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire, the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire and Indy NXT Presented by Firestone. The day will end with the NTT IndyCar series cars on the track and a driver’s autograph session.
Saturday, March 1
Saturday, March 1, will again have the Mazda MX-5 Cup, the USF2000 and the USF Pro 2000 on the track. The Indy NXT carswill then have qualifying and an autograph session with these future stars. The day will conclude with practice and qualifying for the IndyCar racers.
Sunday, March 2
The action on Sunday, March 2, will start with a race for one of the feeder series. A 45-lap race of the Indy NXT cars will be held, followed by the grand finale, the 100-lap IndyCar race.
Tickets
Daily General Admission tickets are $30 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $65 for Sunday. Single Day Grandstand tickets are $130 for upper row and $105 for lower row seating. Junior pricing is available for attendees ages 12 and under.
Multi-day tickets can also be purchased for those wanting to attend all three days of the action-packed weekend. A 3-Day General Admission ticket offers the best value at $75, and 3-Day Grandstand seats are priced at $165 and $135 for upper and lower rows, respectively.
Fans looking to enhance their experience can also purchase Pit Passes and Firestone IndyCar Paddock Passes in order to get up-close to the action.
For all ticket pricing and event information, visit gpstpete.com.
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