ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Michael Weinberg’s brief balancing act – barbeque turkey leg in one hand and beverage in the other while snapping a photo of Verizon IndyCar Series cars flying past – drew polite applause from spectators.

Weinberg joined two friends and longtime Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg ticket-holders for the trip from Naples, Fla., for the race weekend.

“And I’m glad I did,” the first-time Verizon IndyCar Series race attendee said. “The cars are cool-looking, they’re fast – faster than they appear on TV – the weather is wonderful and we’re just having a great time.”

If St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman would have been nearby, he probably would have helped and/or hugged Weinberg. The comments support the city’s “Embrace the Race” campaign.

“An event like this has such an impact on our city and we wanted to try to make everyone feel like they’re a part of it,” Kriseman said. “When you do that, you have so much more fun, too. I look forward every year to this weekend, and to see the community embrace it through the years, and especially this year, has been wonderful.

“The downtown has changed a lot since the first race (2003) and in the next few years I expect it to look totally different with all the construction going on and new restaurants, and I see it as more opportunities to get people downtown on this weekend.”

The picturesque setting alongside Tampa Bay, spectacular early-spring weather, palm trees, yachts offering a great view, concessions, a family fun zone and more drew tens of thousands of fans each of the three days and complemented the on-track action.

“It’s just a special place to go racing,” said Green Savoree Racing Promotions president and COO Kevin Savoree, who noted that there was a waiting list for suites. “The fans love this race, and I share with everyone that Kim and I are just the stewards of this race. It really belongs to everybody in St. Pete, and I’m sure that every year they put an X on their calendar for this race weekend.”