Finally, the start of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season is at hand.

The first of the 18 races is this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a street course event hosting the season opener for the fifth consecutive year and the 13th time in the past 15 years. Alex Palou won last year’s race, one of his eight race wins that helped to a third consecutive season championship and fourth in five years.

SEE: St. Petersburg Event Details

Hope always springs eternal amid the season’s fresh start. At present, everyone has as many points as Palou, who sprinted away last year by winning five of the first six races. Currently, there is no discrepancy among the teams, just a large collection of people and their machinery ready for battle. Sunday’s race (noon ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) is the first of three events to be held on consecutive weekends to open the calendar. In other words, it’s important to be ready right from the get-go.

Six drivers in this 25-car field have won series races on St. Petersburg’s 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit, including Will Power and Josef Newgarden, who have won two races each. Power has been the fastest qualifier an event-leading nine times. Among the other former St. Petersburg pole winners are drivers whose teams have renewed optimism thanks to offseason changes. They include:

  • Team Penske drivers Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, respectively, have won the past two St. Petersburg poles, and they are eager to bounce back after subpar seasons a year ago. McLaughlin, who won the race in 2022, finished 10th in the standings with Newgarden 12th, and only Newgarden won a race (the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway). Team Penske seemed to regain its footing late in the year after being rocked by Indianapolis 500 penalties and the subsequent release of three key management personnel. How the new-look organization, which includes David Malukas replacing Power, responds will be one of the intriguing aspects of 2026.
  • Romain Grosjean, who won his St. Petersburg pole in 2023, was the last driver named to this year’s full-season grid. He has returned to Dale Coyne Racing, which employed him in 2021. Dale Coyne’s team also is fielding INDY NXT by Firestone champion Dennis Hauger, and the hiring of veteran engineer Bill Pappas to reunite with team manager/engineer Mitch Davis provides optimism for the organization.
  • Graham Rahal won a St. Petersburg pole in 2009, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has undergone several management changes during the offseason. Brian Barnhart, the former INDYCAR SERIES president, is regarded as one of the paddock’s better race strategists, and he was hired to work with Rahal. Gavin Ward also joined RLL recently as a special advisor.

Alex Palou

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson (2023), Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (2024) and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Palou (2025, photo, above) are the other recent St. Petersburg race winners. Newgarden is the only driver to have won this event in consecutive years – in 2019 and 2020.

Power’s presence is always felt in St. Petersburg, and he is even more in focus this year as he will make his debut with Andretti Global after 17 years and two series championships at Team Penske.

The season’s first race also offers a chance for something new to occur. Malukas could win his first race for Roger Penske. Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong, who took a big step last year, also could earn his first victory in the series. Rinus VeeKay, who finished ninth in last year’s race, could give Juncos Hollinger Racing its first series victory.

And then there’s Palou, who won last year’s title by a staggering 196 points. But at least for now, everyone is even with him.

The first practice of the season is at 1:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS2. Saturday’s action includes the weekend’s second practice at 9:30 a.m. on FS1 with qualifying for the NTT P1 Award at 4:30 p.m. on FS2. Sunday’s pre-race practice is set for 9 a.m. on FS1.