ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- If handed a red & white maple leaf flag Feb. 24, James Hinchcliffe certainly would have reprised the pose struck following his initial IndyCar Series victory on the streets of St. Petersburg last March.
Hinchcliffe shared Canadian pride of the gold medal-winning Olympic men's and women's hockey and curling teams with everyone he met during the ceremonial start of the track build for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 28-30. More than 20,000 feet of steel-reinforced concrete block will line the picturesque but challenging 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit that incorporates a runway of Albert Whitted Airport.
"St. Pete has been a special race for as long as I've been going," said Hinchcliffe as he looked over the yacht club on Tampa Bay. "Being out there on the water, it's a cool atmosphere. It's a cool backdrop for the race. I'm pretty sure (teammate Ryan) Hunter-Reay parks his mega yacht out there for race week."
Hinchcliffe, who drives the Honda-powered No. 27 United Fiber & Data car for Andretti Autosport, was the seventh different winner in the nine years of the race. He went on to win twice more during the 19-race season and finish eighth in the championship standings.
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"Obviously, with what happened last year, it holds a special place in my heart," the Toronto native said. "It was a very emotional day last year on race day for all the right reasons. That's nice because in racing you normally have very emotional days for the wrong reasons more often than you do for all the right ones. For me, personally, on track it made a big difference because when I was then in situations later in the year where a win was on the line I felt a lot less pressure because I think there was a big amount of pressure to get that first win.
"I think it really does free your mind up a little bit when you're in those circumstances, again knowing that, 'Hey, I've been here, I know I can do it, let's focus and get the job done,' rather than make yourself over-analyze and make a mistake."
It is the first year for Firestone as the entitlement sponsor of the 110-lap "Fastest Spring Break Party," though it has been the Turn 1 grandstand sponsor since the first race in 2005 -- the IndyCar Series' inaugural non-oval race. Firestone is the Official Tire Supplier of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.
"On behalf of Firestone, we couldn't be more proud to be the title sponsor," Bridgestone Americas director of motorsports Lisa Boggs said. "Racing is part of our company's heritage dating to the days of Harvey Firestone, who used racing to test the performance of our tires. That history continues today as the title sponsor of this great event."
Brabham among Gorsline Scholarship nominees
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competitor Matthew Brabham, the 2013 Pro Mazda champion and rookie of the year, is among the three candidates in contention for the 20th Gorsline Scholarship.
The scholarship, presented by Gorsline Company of Rochester, N.Y., recognizes aspiring drivers and presents a program that provides tools that will assist the drivers in developing skills on and off the track to attain their professional goals. The winner will be announced March 13.
Brabham, who turns 20 on Feb. 25, won the 2012 USF2000 championship before moving up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder to Pro Mazda, where he won a series-record 13 races and 10 poles. He's competing for Andretti Autosport this season. Other nominees are Madison Snow, who competes in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, and Sean Rayhall, who won the 2013 Cooper Tire Prototype Lites Championship.
IndyCar Series drivers Josef Newgarden, JR Hildebrand and Conor Daly are former winners of the scholarship. IndyCar Series team owner and former driver Bryan Herta was the first recipient.
Dixon and Astor Cup at Pistons home game March 5
Reigning IndyCar Series champion and 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix winner Scott Dixon will be the guest of honor and participate in activities before and during the NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls on March 5 in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Fans can get a picture with the Astor Cup, the IndyCar Series championship trophy won by Dixon, along with the first-place trophy of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans.
Fans can purchase a special Pistons “Drive to Detroit” Ticket Package, which includes two game tickets, two postgame shots on the court, two autographed photos and a meet and greet with Dixon. Purchase tickets by calling (248) 377-0100 or visiting www.pistons.com/grandprix. Any fan that attends the game will receive a $5 discount on the purchase of any single-day admission ticket to the doubleheader race weekend May 30-June 1.