In many ways the 2026 season starts just like most years do. Veterans are in new places, rookies are eager to prove they belong, some new sponsors are on board, and some new rules and procedures are in place.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg’s 22nd edition has all of the above. The focus as we begin a new season is mainly on three drivers- Will Power, Scott Dixon, and Alex Palou. Josef Newgarden also deserves some attention as well.

Power’s move to Andretti is arguably the biggest move in several years. Will he be able to push Andretti into the conversation a bit more? Andretti is the strongest team on street courses right now, and the early schedule has three street races among the first five races. The 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner could get off to a good start with his new team.

Scott Dixon has won 59 times in his IndyCar career, and he will likely reach the magic 60 mark this season. Of all his victories, not one has come at St. Pete. Could 2026 be the year?

Alex Palou enters the season on the brink of matching Sebastien Bourdais with four titles in a row. I don’t think he will lead wire to wire in 2026, but he is still the odds-on favorite for the title. Palou is the defending winner at St. Pete, and there has been a trend of this race producing back-to-back winners.

Procedural Changes

IndyCar has made several changes in procedures and regulations effective immediately. At street course races teams must use two sets of alternate tires during the race and one set of primary tires. Each tire must run a minimum of two laps after the green flag waveThere has been a change to the alternate tires themselves. The green bands are gone for the street course tire. Alternate tires will have a red band at all times. The guayule compound is no longer used. Instead, the alternates are constructed with recycled parts of older tires.

I want to see how this plays out. St. Pete is a track which eats alternate tires, but I hear that Firestone has added some durability to the reds.

Road and street course practices have changed format, and as a result, so have the method for setting qualifying groups. Both oractice sessions for the weekend will begin with a 40 minute period for all cars, followed by two 12 minute sessions for half the field, determined by pit box position.

Qualifying groups are now set by the qualifying order of the previous event. For St. pete, last season’s entrant points will determine the qualifying groups. Pato O’Ward will lead Group 1, and Palou leads Group 2.

Like I am with ovals, I prefer to have qualifying set by the results of the current weekend. While I am fine with the practice modification itself, I would prefer qualifying groups set by times during the current weekend.

Race morning warmup will return to 30 minutes, and will be part of a one hour broadcast by FOX on FS1.

IndyCar has expanded the windows for sending lapped cars to the rear of the field on late race restarts. For St. Pete, the window begins with 20 laps to go.

Officiating

The Independent Officiating Board has yet to name a managing Director of Officiating for IndyCar, and has rehired the entire race directing and technical staffs that has worked the last few years.

The pace at which the board came together, and the retaining of personnel makes the whole process look cosmetic in nature. I hope there is a method to this madness, but right now it appears nothing has changed.

Today’s Schedule

All times Eastern

Time	Series	Session
7:30 AM	Gates Open
8:00 AM – 8:35 AM	USF2000	Practice
8:55 AM – 9:40 AM	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Practice
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM	USF2000	Qualifying
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM	Mazda MX-5 Cup	Qualifying
11:30 AM – 12:10 PM	USF2000	Race 1
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Autograph Session – American Legion in Firestone Fan Experience
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM	INDY NXT by Firestone	Practice 1
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM	NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series	Autograph Session – Mahaffey Theater * Limited Wristbands Available
1:35 PM – 3:00 PM	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Practice 1
4:00 PM – 4:50 PM	NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series	Practice
5:05 PM – 6:00 PM	NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series	Qualifying

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