The good news is that IndyCar has scheduled a race just three weeks after the season opener at St. Pete. The Thermal Club Grand Prix weekend begins tomorrow with the green flag shortly after 3 pm Eastern on Sunday.

The 3.067 mile layout that IndyCar will use is the longer of two tracks at the private club. I spoke with a friend who drove the short track last month. He described it as a narrow, rough surface with lots of tight hairpin turns. The start and restarts may be tricky.

The hybrid system may be more effective at this layout with the long straights. The biggest concern is tire wear.

Tire Strategy

The key to winning on Sunday will come down to tire wear and how many pit stops are necessary. Firestone has reverted to the traditional allotment of six sets of primary tires and four sets of alternate tires for this event due to the abrasive surface.

I could see the entire field starting on alternates and hoping for an early caution to run the rest of the way on primaries. Even then, will the primaries last a full fuel run?

Instead of fuel saving will we see tire saving?

Early Season Pressure

Just one race into the season, two drivers need a good result Sunday after a disastrous St. Pete outing.

Will Power, in a contract year, failed to make the second round in qualifying, and was eliminated in the first lap crash in the opening race. A win this weekend would go a long way to enhance his future prospects.

Colton Herta started second in St. Pete, but bad pit stops dropped him to 16th at the end. Many thought he would win the race. Herta is considered a title contender, and he needs at least a top 10 to get back in the running.

Pato O’Ward, another possible championship driver, salvaged an 11th place finish after a disappointing 23rd starting spot. A decent qualifying position will propel to a good result.

TV Times

All pre-race activity is on FS1, and the race is on FOX. There is heavy competition on the airwaves Sunday with the NCAA tournament and a NASCAR race. It will be interesting to see the numbers on Tuesday.

The schedule:

Times Eastern/Pacific

Friday, March 21 FS1

Practice 1 6:30 pm/3:30 pm

Saturday, March 22 FS1

Practice 2 1 pm/10 am

Qualifying 5:05 pm/2:05 pm-6:35 pm/3:35 pm

Sunday, March 23

Warmup 11 am/8 am FS1

Race 3 pm/Noon FOX