Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race setup

 

TV broadcast: NBC Sports Network (noon ET) March 24 (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640). Check local listings for other cable/satellite outlets ... Chief announcer: Leigh Diffey

Radio broadcast: IMS Radio Network affiliates, Sirius and XM 211, America Forces Network, INDYCAR 13 app, indycar.com ... Chief announcer: Mike King

Timing & Scoring: INDYCAR 13 app, Race Control on indycar.com
Twitter: @IndyCar (#indycar), @GPSTPETE (#gpstpete)

Track layout: 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street course ... Race length:  110 laps / 198 miles
2012 winner:  Helio Castroneves ... First IZOD IndyCar Series event at venue: 2005

Pace car: 2013 Honda Accord Coupe with three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford driving

Start: Rolling ... Restarts: Double file ... Push to pass: 10 pushes for 15 seconds each (no activation delay)

Pole sitter: Will Power earned the Verizon P1 Award with the fastest lap in the Firestone Fast Six. It was his fourth consecutive pole on the St. Pete street circuit and 30th of his Indy car career (eighth on the all-time list).

He said it: “It’s a very good start to the season. We just had to get through the fast six and look after our tires in the first two rounds then see what we could do that last one."

What to watch: The circuit is unique because it includes both a runway of Albert Whitted Airport and the streets of St. Petersburg, which include different surfaces and grip levels. Another element to watch is if it rains, which can be the “great equalizer” in a street course event.

 

There are also 10 more laps added to the race.

 

“Pit stops will be different, what happens if it’s in the rain, things like that,” said 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. “It will be an interesting race no matter what I’m sure.”

Did you know: Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves is also the only three-time winner of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. ... Reigning series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay topped the morning warmup. There were eight Honda-powered cars in the top 10.

Up next: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 7 (NBC Sports Network live at 3 p.m. ET)