st. Petersburg, Fla. (WFLA) – When the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg begins on Friday, February 28th, it’s time for everyone to start their engines.
Over the next three days, organizers expect over 100,000 people to attend to cheer on their favorite drivers.
It all began at 9:30am on Friday, with the first practice of the USF Pro 2000.
Drivers of the NTT IndyCar series take the track at 3pm for their first practice session.
The city streets have been transformed into St. Pete’s racetrack.
“I think we’re ready for the noise and race cars at St. Pete. It’s been a long winter, especially for the IndyCar Series and the road to the Indy. We haven’t raced at all since September,” said Kim Green, co-owner of the event.
The Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg is a three-day action-packed day.
“Five different racing series compete over all three days. So there’s practice, qualifying, racing, autograph sessions, many food vendors and live music in the Plaza on Saturday nights,” said Jack Carney, PR manager for the Grand Prix.
“Literally, we won’t be able to go out here and see it on the streets of town by noon on a great Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the next Saturday.
All the drivers trained so much to reach race day.
“They don’t just sit in the car, they cruise, they don’t have cruise control. They have to really be very fit and these race cars have power steering,” Green said.
“They’re going to avoid the track at about 60 seconds, 1.8 miles and 14th corner,” Saboly said.
“It’s one of the craziest adrenaline rushes you can get, and it’s not even comparable to your tram. You’re speeding up on the roads too. I don’t do that.
Driver Joey Brienza began his career with Kurt at the age of 10 and for years he said fans will influence them.
“It’s one of the coolest things to have 100,000 people cheering you on, so you have to be able to hear your voice on the engine, so cheer as loudly and as loudly as possible for those who are coming,” he said.
The main event will be held on Sundays and fans can cheer on drivers such as Josef Newgarden, Pato O’ward and Alex Palou.
Experts said these race cars could be as fast as 180 mph and could go even faster due to the new hybrid technology.
Click here for more details on the weekend.
