IndyCar’s season opener will be held in St. Petersburg for the 8th consecutive year and promises close racing. Remind yourself of season openers past here.
Where better to start the IndyCar season than warm and sunny Florida? Since its return to the IndyCar calendar in 2005, the annual street race has been near the top of the calendar before taking its position as the season opener in 2009 and remaining there ever since, except in 2010.
Since 2010, Team Penske’s Will Power has had the outright top single-lap speed, claiming seven pole positions. In 2013, IndyCar went to a 110-lap race on the 1.8-mile street circuit and the racing has been exceptionally close, the 2017 race notwithstanding.
As we prepare for the 2018 season opener on Sunday, March 11, look back at the last five races on St. Pete’s streets.
2013
The 2013 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was the first race that ran 198 miles instead of the usual 180 — IndyCar added 10 extra laps to the race on the 1.8-mile street course. Will Power grabbed pole position, his fourth since 2010. The 2013 race was one of the most chaotic, with 29 laps under caution and eight cars classified non-running. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe overtook Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves on the green flag restart on lap 85 and led the final 26 laps for the win, with the winning margin just over a second at 1.098 seconds.
2014
The 2014 race was the first St. Petersburg race that a non-Team Penske car qualified on pole since 2009. A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Takuma Sato put his #14 Honda on pole, with Tony Kanaan qualifying 2nd. Despite not starting on the front row, Will Power, who started in 4th, led 74 laps in three different stints, including the last 33 for the win. Andretti Autosport suffered some friendly fire when Carlos Munoz, Jack Hawksworth and Marco Andretti collided on the front stretch on lap 83. Hawksworth and Andretti were forced to retire, while Munoz finished the race.
2015
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Team Penske locked out the top four spots with Will Power on pole. The Australian was followed by Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya. Aside from Jack Hawksworth leading five laps while under caution, the Penske drivers took turns leading the pack. Power led the most, leading 75 of 110 laps. Eventual race winner Juan Pablo Montoya led the last 27 laps and edged his Australian teammate by 0.993 seconds for the win.
2016
Team Penske locked out the top three spots after qualifying. Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya were 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The fourth Team Penske driver, Will Power, did not start despite qualifying on pole. Pagenaud led the first 48 laps before the first lead change. Conor Daly led 15 laps, mostly under caution. But the day belonged to Montoya. The final lead change from Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay to Montoya on lap 85 proved decisive. His 2.331-second margin of victory over Pagenaud gave Team Penske a 1-2 finish in the first race of the season.
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2017
Team Penske’s Will Power started on pole, but it wasn’t his day. The Australian was classified “too slow” due to a late puncture and finished in 19th place after 99 laps. Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais drove a great recovery race for the win after starting in last in 21st place. Bourdais led 69 of the race’s 110 laps. The 10.351-second margin of victory is the largest in the race’s 13-year IndyCar history.