ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The next 18 days will be crowded in downtown St. Pete as track construction begins ahead of the Firestone Grand Prix.

What You Need To Know

  • From first block to final teardown, the work is expected to last 27 days

This year’s Grand Prix will run from March 8 to March 10.

The track will take just shy of three weeks to set up and less than seven days to tear down, according to event organizer Kim Green. The 1.8 mile and 14 point track loops through parts of St. Petersburg’s waterfront, including Pioneer Park, around Mahaffey Theater and the Dali Museum, and onto the runway of Albert Whitted Airport.

The temporary street course will be constructed using 18,000 feet of steel-reinforced concrete block totaling 20 million pounds. Roughly 300 workers will be out in force over the next 18 days to complete the track construction.

From first block to final teardown, the work is expected to last 27 days.

“This racetrack races very well,” Green said. “It lends itself to great racing and being on the water, it shows itself so well and that’s what St Pete is all about.”

The Firestone Grand Prix is once again the first race of the season for this IndyCar Series. The unique street track and location is something drivers say is hard to prepare for.

“There’s very little room for error because of those walls being there,” explained driver Angus Rogers. “A race like this will reward precision and very technical so over the course of the race we’re learning to push the car further and further within inches of those walls and whoever wins does that the best.”

The Firestone Grand Prix’s 2023 champion Marcus Ericsson says preparing for this race is tricky. Drivers often practice in simulator because there’s no way to hone in their skills on the real street track.

“It creates a new challenge where you have to build up to it. You get as close as possible to the walls without hitting the walls and this type of driving and thinking is quite unique and I like that, I think it’s really cool,” he said.

The Grand Prix will include special events for its 20th anniversary including a 5K where runners can get on the track and a free concert.