Inside Line: Wishes for St. Petersburg?

Today’s question: What’s something you want to see happen this weekend in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener at St. Petersburg?

Curt Cavin: I’d like to see Rinus VeeKay (photo, above) get Juncos Hollinger Racing off to a solid start, something like a Firestone Fast Six qualifying effort or a top-eight finish in Sunday’s race. VeeKay has won a race in this series, and he’s coming off a strong season with Dale Coyne Racing where he finished second in Toronto. Wouldn’t it be great if VeeKay could give JHR its first series victory this season? In a macro sense, I’d like to see the teams we’ll call “midfield” to realize the benefit of impressive offseasons. Beyond JHR, I’m thinking of Rahal Letterman Lanigan after it has beefed up its management group, Dale Coyne’s team as it rides with Romain Grosjean, INDY NXT by Firestone champion Dennis Hauger and an experienced staff, and ECR as it rides a wave of momentum in the aftermath of last year’s race at the Milwaukee Mile won by Christian Rasmussen’s win and Alexander Rossi’s fourth-place finish. The series benefits when those teams put the hurt on the traditional powers.

Eric Smith: I’d love to see a little chaos between Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward (photo, top). This matchup has the makings of a compelling rivalry for years to come. Palou and O’Ward have combined to win the last two St. Petersburg races. Palou captured the first street race of the 2025 season on these same city streets, while O’Ward closed the year by winning the final street race of 2025 in Toronto. They finished 1-2 in the championship standings last season and enter 2026 as favorites to hoist the Astor Challenge Cup this fall. An intense, head-to-head battle for the season-opening victory would be a thrilling way to launch the 2026 campaign into the spotlight.

Arni Sribhen: I’d like to see something historic this weekend. Maybe that’s Scott Dixon (photo, above) finally winning at St. Petersburg after 21 tries, or Will Power winning his debut race with Andretti Global. Maybe it’s just a new race winner (are you reading this David Malukas?), which would be the 300th different driver to win an INDYCAR SERIES race. But really I just would like to see something that gets people to change the subject from the offseason or the storyline about who can beat Alex Palou.

Paul Kelly: I would like to see Mick Schumacher (photo, above) get off to a strong start in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Schumacher is arguably the most globally known driver to join the series since fellow Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean in 2021, but he’s facing a steep challenge with learning an all-new car, all-new circuits and a different style of racing than in F1, Formula 2 or World Endurance Championship sports cars, his last three stops. I would like to see Mick keep his No. 47 Honda out of trouble and reach the finish, perhaps even in the top 10. That would be a sterling start and momentum he will need entering the first oval race of his life Saturday, March 7 at Phoenix Raceway. Plus, I was a big fan of the driving career of his father, seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, so I would like to see the Schumacher legacy of excellence extend to the most competitive championship in the world.