The Firestone Grand Prix of St. P{etersburg track build begins next Monday as the city begins celebrating the 20th year of Indycar racing in the streets.

Mayor Ken Welch told the crowd gathered for the opening ceremonies this morning that the race is “part of the fabric of the city.”

I have attended the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg since 2013, and I can vouch for this. I have seen tremendous growth in the event and in the participation of local businesses.

Kevin Savoree, co-owner of Green Savoree Promotions, said that the track will stand for 26 days from building start to tear down. He said that the city allows them 75 days, but they have worked diligently to cut the time frame down. I remember when the building of the track took more than a month. When I arrived this morning the framework for the front stretch grandstands was already in place.

Co-owner Kim Green said that ticket sales are ahead of 202, which saw a record crowd attend the Grand Prix.

The organizers have enhanced some auxiliary events and added some new ones in honor of the special year.

The March 8-10 race weekend begins Thursday night with the Party in the Park, which will feature a parade of cars down Bayshore Boulevard. The 5k run on the track follows the party. More details will be in the next post.

A formal celebration of the 20th anniversary of the race will take place in the Mahaffey Theater. Many previous winners are scheduled to appear. Tickets are available to the public, but they are pricey.

Saturday night is a free concert with Brett Michaels.

Oh yeah. There’s some racing, too. In addition to the Indycar season opener, Indy NXT and the Road to Indy will begin their seasons, and the IMSA VP Challenge Series will race on Saturday. The series features two classes, LMP3 cars and GT4 sports cars.

Last year’s winner Marcus Ericsson attended today’s festivities. I spoke with him. Ericsson is excited to begin driving for Andretti Global. He feels his experience in F1 and his stint at the Rolex 24 in the GTP car will help him when the ERS component comes online later in the season. Ericsson seemed happy that the season will end on an oval, and he is happy that another oval is now on the schedule.

Another indication of the growth of this event I noticed today is what seemed to be a larger than usual media presence at this opening event.

We are just three weeks and a day from the first track action for 2024. After a long off season of turmoil, I can’t wait to focus on cars at speed.