IndyCar: 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg entry list
By Asher Fair
The start of the 2018 IndyCar season is right around the corner. Here is a list of the drivers set to start in the season’s first race.
In just a few days, the green flag is set to wave on the 2018 IndyCar season as the field heads down the front straightaway of the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street course on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
In the field for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the 110-lap race that is set to kick off what is scheduled to be a 17-race season, 24 drivers are set to take the green flag, a total only surpassed last season by the 33 drivers racing in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.
Last year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg featured only 21 drivers. In fact, the race hasn’t featured at least 24 drivers since 24 drivers competed in the 2015 running of the race, and no non-Indianapolis race has featured at least 24 drivers since 25 drivers competed in the 2016 Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
More from IndyCar
- IndyCar: Two teams with no drivers confirmed for 2024
- IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing news hints Alex Palou announcement
- IndyCar: ‘Addition by subtraction’ could pay off in a big way
- Team Penske should make a bold driver signing for 2024
- IndyCar: 5 teams that still have open seats for 2024
Several drivers are driving for new teams as full-time drivers this season, and there are several part-time drivers as well, many of whom are new to the series.
Of the 24 drivers set to drive in this weekend’s race, 20 are full-time drivers. Of those 20 full-time drivers, 15 were full-time drivers last season. And finally, of those 15 drivers, only eight are driving for the same team this season that they drove for last season.
Last year’s St. Petersburg race was won by Sebastien Bourdais in his #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda after he crashed in qualifying and was forced to start in last place as a result of the wreck. He used pit strategy to get to the front and went on to dominate much of the race.
Here is the full entry list for the 2018 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | #1, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 2 | Matheus Leist | #4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 3 | James Hinchcliffe | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 4 | Robert Wickens | #6, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 5 | Scott Dixon | #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda |
| 6 | Ed Jones | #10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda |
| 7 | Will Power | #12, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tony Kanaan | #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 9 | Graham Rahal | #15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda |
| 10 | Sebastien Bourdais | #18, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda |
| 11 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | #19, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda |
| 12 | Jordan King | #20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
| 13 | Spencer Pigot | #21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Simon Pagenaud | #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 15 | Charlie Kimball | #23, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet |
| 16 | Zach Veach | #26, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 17 | Alexander Rossi | #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 18 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | #28, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 19 | Takuma Sato | #30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda |
| 20 | Rene Binder | #32, Juncos Racing, Chevrolet |
| 21 | Max Chilton | #59, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet |
| 22 | Jack Harvey | #60, Michael Shank Racing, Chevrolet |
| 23 | Gabby Chaves | #88, Harding Racing, Chevrolet |
| 24 | Marco Andretti | #98, Andretti Herta Autosport, Honda |
Next: Top 10 most unbreakable records across Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar
Be sure to tune in to ABC on Sunday, March 11th at 12:30 pm ET to catch the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the race that is set to open up the 17-race IndyCar season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.