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Alex Palou, Honda win St. Petersburg, Again!

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

March 1, 2026 — ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou goes back-to-back in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener at St. Pete
Palou seeks his fifth series championship following stellar 2025 season
Kyle Kirkwood narrowly misses out on podium finish for Andretti Global

Reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou began his 2026 right where he ended 2025, at the top.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver drove his Honda-powered #10 machine to victory lane at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the second-consecutive year. The Spaniard is looking to repeat the success of his 2025 season, which saw him win eight races, including both St. Pete and the Indianapolis 500 en route to his third-consecutive championship and fourth title in five years.

This victory marks Alex Palou’s 20th NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 99 race starts—all powered by Honda.

Kyle Kirkwood drove an impressive Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing fourth in his home race. The Floridian started 15th and carved his way through the field over the 100-lap event. The Andretti Global driver climbed as high as second before increased tire degradation saw him slip to fourth place in the closing laps of the race.

Other Honda-powered finishers in the top-10 include Kirkwood’s Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson in sixth, Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean in eighth and Grosjean’s DCR teammate, Rookie Dennis Hauger in 10th.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Race Results

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
6th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
8th Romain Grosjean	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
10th Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
11th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
12th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
22nd Will Power	Andretti Global Honda – Not running, retired
23rd Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – Not running, off course
25th Mick Schumacher– R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda – Not running, contact

R – Rookie

Quotes

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished first: “We did it, we’re back baby! We just won here again in St. Pete and it was an amazing race. We just felt like we had so much power today from Honda. We couldn’t have started the season in a better way. I’m so pumped, so happy. Thank you to all the fans that came to the track this weekend and to those watching at home. I already can’t wait for Phoenix next week!”

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) finished fourth: “It was a great day overall for the #27 crew and for Honda with Palou’s win and us in fourth. We were running in second for the majority of that last stint, but I ultimately just had too much tire degradation. It was beautiful race, and we had some beautiful pace. Everything went great—reliability, fuel saving, everything was up to par. We drove from 15th to fourth, which is a huge deal in the IndyCar series. Everybody knows how hard that is to accomplish, so it was a big day for us in the #27 car.”

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “It’s so great to get the season underway. Congratulations to IndyCar, this place was packed this weekend. Racing is very much alive and well in St. Pete, which was delightful to see. Huge congratulations to the mythical Alex Palou, who did what Alex Palou does, with the mythical CGR team who did what they do best. And of course, my heartfelt thanks to all the men and women at Honda Racing Corporation USA who worked hard during the winter with full attention to detail and continue to show what they are made of and work together brilliantly. This is a great start to the season. We realize how tough this is to achieve and we take nothing for granted. Well done, team!”

Alex Palou, Honda win St. Petersburg, Again!

March 1, 2026 — ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou goes back-to-back in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener at St. Pete
Palou seeks his fifth series championship following stellar 2025 season
Kyle Kirkwood narrowly misses out on podium finish for Andretti Global

Reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou began his 2026 right where he ended 2025, at the top.

This victory marks Alex Palou’s 20th NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 99 race starts—all powered by Honda.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Race Results

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
6th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
8th Romain Grosjean	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
10th Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
11th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
12th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
22nd Will Power	Andretti Global Honda – Not running, retired
23rd Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – Not running, off course
25th Mick Schumacher– R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda – Not running, contact

R – Rookie

Quotes

Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES head to Phoenix for a doubleheader with the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway—the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday March 7th.

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Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg Post race

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESFirestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit St. Petersburg, FloridaSunday Race ReportMarch 1, 2026
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 1, 2026) — Pole winner Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet led the first 34 laps of the 2026 edition of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing the season-opening race in second place, the 23rd time he’s finished on the podium powered by a Bowtie-adorned engine. Christian Lundgaard, who scored six podiums for Team Chevy in 2025, began the 2026 season leading one lap and finishing third.
Five Chevrolet-powered drivers finished in the top ten, with Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet coming home fifth, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet coming home seventh and Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet coming home ninth, joining McLaughlin and Lundgaard.
McLaughlin and Lundgaard’s podiums are the 677th and 678th all-time for Chevrolet McLaughlin and Lundgaard’s podiums are the 363rd and 364th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012McLaughlin’s podium is his 23rd with Chevrolet power, tying him with Mario Andretti for 12th all-time, and moving him closer to 5th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 Lundgaard’s podium is his 7th with Chevrolet power, tying him Gil de Ferran for 21st all-time, and into solo 12th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 McLaughlin’s podium is Team Penske’s 325th with Chevrolet power, leading all teams on the all-time list, and the team’s 221st since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Lundgaard’s podium is Arrow McLaren’s 44th with Chevrolet power, leaving them one podium from third all-time, and keeps them in second since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Team Chevy drivers Rinus VeeKay and Christian Lundgaard led all drivers with 10 on-track passes

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Final Results

Arrow McLaren leads a strong papaya morning warm-up
Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet led the morning warm-up, where teams and drivers determined tire wear and fuel mileage, with a lap at 61.5944 seconds (105.204 mph). The Mexican’s teammates, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Nolan Siegel in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, were also in the top six.

Up Next
The Team Chevy drivers and teams in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES are right back in action next weekend for the Good Ranchers 250, a quadruple header with the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway.

What They’re Saying – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet finished: 2nd“Good start for the DEX Chevy and the Thirsty Threes. Alex was super fast, but I think it’s a mixed bag of what tire you start on. If we come back here again, do you start on Reds and just get them out of the way. We made the passes that we needed to make at the right time, and I thought we maximized what we needed to do.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished: 3rd“Our strategy was good; the car was really good. I think we missed it in qualifying. Ultimately, I just have to say thanks to Chevy and Arrow McLaren. We put so much into the off-season moving into a new shop. Pato and I were really fast there. It’s nice to get it done at the beginning of the year, so here we go!”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished: 5th“P5 was a good day for us. Obviously, we would have loved to have kept moving forward, but we were struggling a little bit there at the end with the race car. We’ll dive into it and see what we need to make better for the next street course race. Now it’s time to shift to oval mode going into Phoenix, and see what we can get done.”
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet finished: 7th “Just what you need on a day like today-just execute. Pit stops were incredible. The best I’ve seen in years. The strategy was pretty standard, but it was a good day for our strategy. Just what we needed to do. Nothing went against us, and we tried to use our speed when we could to climb. You just have to be happy with a day like this. It’s a shame how tough the weekend was. I wish we could have had made more of it by starting up front.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished: 9th“Really good race to start the season. Committed to a three stop, right away, and we nailed that. I think we really did all we could on that strategy. Yeah. A little bit of an unlucky yellow, at the middle of the race, kind of hit on the second pit window. I think it took some of our advantage away, our track position that we built on that three stop. I think we really maximized our race. Guys in pit lane were really quick. It’s been a good off season of practicing those, so good stuff. So got a few positions there. And then, we had a race car today, and we could really race. So that’s, something I’m very, very happy with. Makes my job a little easier. But I think altogether, the 76 Orion 180 Insurance team did a really good job. Really, you know, we maximized everything that today gave us, and, I think we, we’ve got a lot of good stuff going for us, especially with this first one out of the way.”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished: 13th“We made a mistake early on that made or tire explode and sent us to the back of the grid. Had a really strong recovery and got it back to P13, so we scavenged some sort of points. Not the start that we wanted, but I learned quite a bit. There is a lot of learning curves there from a race perspective. I think with the whole new crew, everything new, it is a big learning curve for the rest of the season. Not the start we wanted, but upward from here.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished: 16th
Caio Collet, No. 4 COMBITRANS AMAZONA Chevrolet finished: 17th“I think it was definitely a good race. We ended up on a positive note, moved forward. I think the strategy, we maximized what we could do, to be honest, and some moves out on track as well, and kept out of trouble. We were quite quick on the blacks and I think on the Reds is something that I need to work on myself, just trying to see where the limit of the tire and how the balance shifts between black and reds, and what I need to be confident and extract the limit of the car on the red tire, I think it’s something that I need to work on my driving. But I think overall, it was a good Sunday after a so-so Saturday, to be honest. Really happy, and just big thanks to AJ Foyt Racing, Combitrans Amazonia and Chevrolet. I think we all did a pretty solid, solid Sunday. Happy to end the weekend on a positive note.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet finished: 19th
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished: 20th“Overall, very mixed feelings about today. There were several positives, but it’s just a bummer that it feels so bad after such a bad result. We were really strong on the Firestone primaries, and the strategy was looking good. We caught a yellow that wasn’t helpful, and then our pace was just not there on the alternate. We built a foundation today but need to get better moving forward.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished: 21st“Really a shame for the day. So sorry to the No. 77 crew. The Goodheart team. They worked hard to get us a good car. And, turn four lap one, I mean, I don’t know what to say yet. Have to go back and take a look, but really is a shame. I think we had good pace once we got back going again. But laps down, not much to do. So, moving on to the next one. Think we can learn, but I I am so sorry.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Chevrolet finished: 24th“It’s just a shame to be out on lap one of something that’s not your doing. You know, it’s kind of weird—we all sit around and talk about it on the driver’s stand or in driver intros–let’s go easy on lap one. And every season, there’s a few of us that do that, and then there’s couple of us that just forget where the brake zone is. So, no, it’s a bummer. You know, Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet was so fast, and we’re just trying to be out here and be on the TV with those guys and driving to the top 10 to continue to raise awareness for them.
“With the track being as tight as it is in the brake zones and the track dirty, you just kind of have to be patient. You can’t really go anywhere until the field starts to separate. So, yeah, it’s just a shame, man.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSunday, March 1, 2026Scott McLaughlinChristian LundgaardPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up this year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Alex Palou, the champion, will be joining us shortly, as will Christian Lundgaard, who finished third today.
Joining us right now Scott McLaughlin who led 34 of the 100 laps driving, of course, the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet with the second podium here on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. 22nd career podium. Kind of a crazy race, tire strategies and what not. A better result for you this year than last year. A good start for 2026 for you?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, absolutely. Obviously you want to be top step. I think that was a solid day for us. I think we maximized our strategy. I think it was going to go one way or the other with tires.
I maybe thought the black tire could have probably performed a little bit better in that first stint, but yeah, my car just didn’t probably turn that tire on well enough. Wanted to pull a gap, but I was also trying to save fuel and make it a two-stop in some ways.
Yeah, it was a difficult first stint, and then I sort of got stuck behind the Andretti guys when they were losing their tires. I thought our car was really good. Just probably was a little bit hidden today just where it was position on track, but that’s okay.
Like I said, I think we maximized our day. No mistakes. Pit road was great. Yeah, just good start.
THE MODERATOR: The 27 was also saving fuel. It was frustrating when you’re sitting back there, right, behind those guys?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, and I knew I had a window to pass him before my tires went as well, and I think I just got him maybe like a lap before my tires went. Then I was sort of hanging on in front of CL.Yeah, anyway, it was a good day overall, and I felt really good. My driving was good, and it was, yeah, solid execution.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the start to 2026. Also joined now by Christian Lundgaard, who led a lap today. Comes home third, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Best ever finish here on the Streets of St. Petersburg and tied the race high with ten on-track passes in that race.
Christian, your thoughts? Podium, good way to start 2026.
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t know I led a lap, so that’s a bonus, I guess.
THE MODERATOR: Literally. By a point, yeah.
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: No, it was a good race. I think we just very clearly just missed it in qualifying yesterday. We made some changes after P2 that just simply didn’t work.Got out of the car. Obviously didn’t transfer from Q2 and wasn’t necessarily that upset, because I knew exactly where we had gone wrong. It was just undo that, and I think the car just came alive like we expected it to today.
Again, you have to do the job out there, and I thought it was a very exciting way to start out the season.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up to questions.
Q.  Despite the positives for both of you, you both sound happy with the way the car was and all that, but does it get a little frustrating —SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I knew that was coming. The Alex Palou one? Look, he’s just doing a great job, put himself in the right position, Bruce.
I think that they were on the right strategy today with the tire, and that’s a decision they made compared to us, but I thought we showed plenty of speed. Just, like I said, we were boxed in.
Yeah, you saw the DHL car. He knew where he qualified. He was going to be there or thereabouts. I knew when he was the third the first stint, that I was like, okay, well, he’s probably going to be the guy throughout the race, and it ended up he was.
Q.  Christian.CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, every time I’m on the podium, second or third, he’s first. It’s pretty annoying (smiling).
Q.  Also, Scott, new race strategist. Do you think you’re going to keep him?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, he’s not bad for a rookie.
Q.  I guess to follow up on that, I’ll go to you specifically, Scott, when you say Palou was putting himself in the right position, what has he done in all these races to puts himself in that position where he ends this race 12 seconds ahead?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: He uses car pace and gets track position. Obviously I think the correct decision today was probably to start on red tires, but we didn’t know that going in. It was sort of our gut feel and where we wanted to go,and we decided to go blacks. We didn’t have the pace on them, and he managed to.
Like I said, I think I was stuck behind Marcus for a bit, lost some time, and then when I came out, Kyle just jumped me in the pits.
Yeah, he won by 12 seconds or whatever, but I think I could have narrowed that gap down pretty well with the way that my car was handling.
Q.  Then for both of you, the pass you made near the end to be on the podium and to be second and third on the podium, what did you see there to get past Kirkwood and where he was?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: He was dying.
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah. I mean, we got around him at the same time, so I think — yeah, and then left him.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah.
Q.  Scott, yesterday you mentioned, you know, you qualified well here last year, but didn’t. Now you qualified well and finished well. How do you see this as jump-starting the season for you?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I think we’ve had a really good run the last, you know, even looking back at the end of last season. I thought we found our mojo a little bit and then this weekend as well.
Knew this was going to be a strong track, and I had to make the most of it. But, yeah, no, I think it was solid from my side.
Yeah, TC is new to me, but that felt like he fit in like a glove for me, like I’ve known him for so long. That was so good. Then Raul and me, I think we just missed the balance a little bit, probably being a little bit cautious and not trying to throw away a good car, but it was still decent.
I just think it was a really solid day for us on the 3 car.
Q.  Did anything you learned today, is that going to transfer to Phoenix next week?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Not Phoenix, but maybe Dallas.
Q.  Scott, talking about Raul, looks like the two of you are off to a fast start despite this being race one for you. Tell me about that relationship-building, and also you mentioned TC, rookie, ha ha, but this is really the first weekend of just being a strategist. Tell me about that and how your weekend has gone?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Firstly, with TC, he just made me look at the race from a completely different perspective. Not that my guys before me haven’t done that. I’ve really enjoyed working with Kyle, who is now on Christian’s stand, and Ben before that.But, you know, I think just the confidence I have in TC in terms of what he’s done in the past and to make the right calls at the right time is huge. It makes my focus more on driving, and that’s just a big thing.
Raul is the same sort of thing. I’ve known Raul since I got here, but even a little bit before when I was in supercars and always been friendly. That was a similar relationship to what I had with Ben beforehand.
There’s still some growing there for him. He’s sort of fresh off the IMSA, Porsche program and sort of learning these cars a bit more. I think the last time he worked on an INDYCAR was 2015. So learning a little bit more.
I think his big test is going to be Phoenix. I think having the confidence to go there and put the right front wing in at the right time for qualifying and all that stuff, there is a lot of trust there on both sides, and that’s a good thing to start with already in race one.
Q.  Christian, last year eighth place here. Had a really strong start to the season. Tell me, year two starting off for you with this program, new strategist but same race engineer, but does this feel like an even better momentum coming out of 2025 for you?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I feel like we very much left where we picked off in Nashville last year. I think next week will be very interesting for us with obviously Moyer on the stand, which feels very funny now sitting next to Scottie here.
But I think ultimately we knew the car was fast this weekend. We knew it was fast here last year. We simply just made a mistake in qualifying, and we made up for it in the race, but to go out there and put the results on a paper feels nice now.
It wasn’t really what I expected waking up this morning. It was what I hoped for. That was the mentality last year. It was just be competitive, knocking on the door, and the results will come. I think that was showcased today as well.
Q.  You and Pato running together quite a bit. Had some movement you had to make for it in the field. Tell me about that. You two seemed to be respectful, but also fought pretty damn hard.CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I think I was behind him for a good 20 laps when I started getting annoyed of seeing the back of his car. Then once the pit sequence started, some of the three-stoppers were holding us up at that point, and I got around him, which was around the Ericsson part.
Ericsson fought hard to try to keep that position. I had to fight to get by him. I had to be very aggressive to get by him, which was very nice. It gave me some clean air to catch up to Scottie at that point, but ultimately, I think our cars are good, and I think we will be in the hunt this year.
Q.  For either of you, definitely Marcus was racing hard at times. I just wondered if you were surprised at the way the race played out with people’s driving or anything like that, or would you say it was just kind of what you expect at St. Pete?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: From my end, pretty standard, and the guys that I was racing, I have raced probably four or five days today, and they’re the guys that I have raced with in the past and very fair, very clean and hard. Yes, it’s what you sort of expect.
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I agree, yeah.
Q.  Apologies if this has already been asked, but just kind of wanted to talk about the importance of tire management in modern street course racing. I know that Alex seems to do it the best, but maybe talk about how that has changed over the past couple of years.CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, it’s hard to really explain, because the tires are different. The tires are different this year. I think we learned pretty early in the weekend that it was similar tires to 2024, so you already have an idea of how the race is going to play out, which I think is why everybody was on a two-stop, at the end of the day. Not like last year.
I think we’ll see when we get to Texas.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I agree. Right now it’s pretty raw and fresh until we do a debrief and think about what these tires look like and stuff. All I can say is I probably wish I started on the reds, because my car felt better on the reds, but that’s all hindsight.THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the start of the season, and we’ll see you in a couple of days at Phoenix Raceway.

Chevrolet history on the Streets of St. Petersburg
Wins – 9
2024 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2020 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske2015 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – James Hinchcliffe – Team Penske2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske

Podiums: 25
Chevrolet driver podiums on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Will Power (5), Josef Newgarden (4), Helio Castroneves (3), Pato O’Ward (3), Simon Pagenaud (3), Juan Montoya (2), Marco Andretti (1), James Hinchcliffe (1), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Tony Kanaan (1), Scott McLaughlin (1)
Chevrolet team podiums on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Team Penske (18), Andretti Global (3), Arrow McLaren (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (1)
Laps Led: 754
Chevrolet driver laps led on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Will Power (213), Scott McLaughlin (127), Josef Newgarden (83), Helio Castroneves (73), Juan Montoya (71), Simon Pagenaud (64), James Hinchcliffe (26), Christian Lundgaard (23), Pato O’Ward (23), Oriol Servia (16), Rinus VeeKay (13), Ryan Briscoe (9), Jordan King (5), Tomas Enge (4), JR Hildebrand (3), Mike Conway (1)
Chevrolet team laps led on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Team Penske (640), Arrow McLaren (46), Andretti Global (26), ECR (19), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (16), Panther Racing (7)

Manufacturer History on the Streets Of St. Petersburg
Wins (with competition)
9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)6 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2005)
Poles (with competition)
11 – Chevrolet (2025, 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)5 – Honda (2023, 2021, 2018, 2014, 2005)
Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Final Results

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Justin Peck Dominates to Win Sonoran Clash Night 3 at Central Arizona Raceway

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

CASA GRANDE, AZ (Feb. 28, 2026) — Justin Peck and the Rudeen Racing team are on fire in the desert.

Peck, 27, of Monrovia, IN, drove the Rudeen Racing No. 26 to his second American Sprint Car Series Feature win in his last three starts at Central Arizona Raceway Saturday night, leading all 25 laps of the main event to bank his fifth career Series victory on night #3 of the inaugural Sonoran Clash.

The win comes one race after suffering a DNF while leading on night #2 of the two-weekend event last Sunday, when a flat right-front tire dashed Peck’s chances for a repeat after going to Victory Lane the night before. Across all three races, Peck has now led a combined 52 of the 80 total Feature laps contested.

In short, Peck has been the man to beat at the track, and showed exactly why Saturday night, jumping out to the early lead from the pole of the starting grid. For 25 laps, Peck held the top spot, relinquishing it only once on Lap 2 to Sam Hafertepe Jr. before the caution flag was thrown, negating Hafertepe’s pass.

After a second caution period with 8 laps complete, Peck took off with Hafertepe following not far behind until lapped traffic came into the picture on Lap 16. Peck made his moves without much hesitation while Hafertepe took more time getting around the slower cars, widening the gap between the two.

“I was really kinda nervous about it because I kinda figured everyone was rolling around the middle-bottom area, and it seemed like that was the only spot you could make grip,” Peck said. “For the most part, I was wrong because those first couple guys that I got to were higher on the racetrack and I was shocked to see that. I was able to get by a couple of them pretty quick.”

Good decisions in traffic gave Peck the advantage needed to open up a gap of over two seconds by the checkered flag while Hafertepe settled for a runner-up finish.

“Hats off to my guys — for me to stand here and say that I didn’t feel like we were perfect tonight and still be standing up here with a W is pretty awesome,” Peck said. “It’s just a testament to our race program. We’ve got Kevin and Monika Rudeen here today, car owners on this thing. They give us a first-class operation and it’s our job to go out here and win races, and I’m glad we could do that for them here tonight.”

JJ Hickle held his spot on the podium throughout the event to finish third while 2024 Series Rookie of the Year Hank Davis climbed three spots to finish fourth and 15-year-old Levi Hillier completed the top five.

UP NEXT

The American Sprint Car Series is back in action at Central Arizona Raceway for the finale of the Sonoran Clash on Sunday, March 1. Tickets will be sold at the track.

If you can’t be there in person, how can you watch the race? Every American Sprint Car Series event is broadcast live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Justin Peck Dominates to Win Sonoran Clash Night 3 at Central Arizona Raceway

CASA GRANDE, AZ (Feb. 28, 2026) — Justin Peck and the Rudeen Racing team are on fire in the desert.

Good decisions in traffic gave Peck the advantage needed to open up a gap of over two seconds by the checkered flag while Hafertepe settled for a runner-up finish.

UP NEXT

The American Sprint Car Series is back in action at Central Arizona Raceway for the finale of the Sonoran Clash on Sunday, March 1. Tickets will be sold at the track.

If you can’t be there in person, how can you watch the race? Every American Sprint Car Series event is broadcast live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 3. 17W-JJ Hickle[2]; 4. 17GP-Hank Davis[7]; 5. 26R-Levi Hillier[3]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 7. 45X-Kyler Johnson[6]; 8. 29K-Levi Kuntz[10]; 9. 23-Seth Bergman[11]; 10. 2B-Garrett Benson[15]; 11. 15-Nick Parker[17]; 12. 88C-Brogan Carder[23]; 13. 34-Sterling Cling[12]; 14. 11J-Wyatt Miller[13]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[9]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[24]; 17. 3-Cole Schroeder[25]; 18. 42-Caleb Saiz[21]; 19. 88R-Ryder Laplante[22]; 20. 13-Elijah Gile[14]; 21. 8-Jake Helsel[18]; 22. 23N-Skylar Gee[19]; 23. 2-Whit Gastineau[8]; 24. 31BW-Braxton Weger[16]; 25. 77X-Alex Hill[20]

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O’Neal Goes Back-to-Back in Wieland Winter Nationals at Ocala

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

O’Neal Goes Back-to-Back in Wieland Winter Nationals at Ocala

OCALA, FL (February 28, 2026) – Hudson O’Neal took over the lead on lap 37 after race-long leader Brandon Overton suffered a left-rear flat tire, then led the remainder of the race to win the $25,000 Wieland Winter Nationals 50-lap feature Saturday night at Ocala Speedway. It marked O’Neal’s second straight win at Ocala as he led Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, and Drake Troutman across the finish line. Overton grabbed the lead at the start of the race with O’Neal, Troutman, and Brandon Sheppard in pursuit. Looking for his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since last May at Circle City in Indiana, Overton maintained a two-to-three car-length advantage as the top four ran within striking distance during much of the first 15 laps. The top four remained unchanged until Overton slowed under caution with a flat left-rear tire, sending him to the Heartbeat Hot Sauce Hot Pit. O’Neal inherited the lead, and Sheppard moved past Troutman for third on lap 37. Sheppard then advanced to second before suffering a right-rear flat tire with 40 laps complete. Moran moved into the runner-up position as he and sixth-starting McCreadie attempted to chase down O’Neal over the final five laps. However, O’Neal pulled away, crossing the finish line 1.474 seconds ahead to earn his nation-leading seventh win of the season. The victory marked O’Neal’s 37th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph. The 25-year-old Martinsville, Indiana native will head to Golden Isles Speedway next week as the series points leader. “I’m speechless right now. I don’t even know what to say. What an amazing start to the year for this SSI Motorsports team,” said O’Neal. “We have to give credit where credit is due to Kevin Rumley and Longhorn Chassis, who have helped us along the way. It’s so awesome to be in this position. When I crossed the finish line, the first word that came to mind was ‘speechless.’ I just try to give glory to God and do the best we can every day. It wouldn’t be possible without all of you fans, these amazing racetracks, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series giving us a great place to race.” “Even though we had a lot of rain yesterday and it was kind of uncertain today, Bubba and everyone here at Ocala Speedway worked their tails off to give us the best racetrack possible, and it turned out to be pretty good.” Moran finished second after starting fifth, continuing his streak of top-10 finishes at Ocala. He has never finished outside the top 10 in LOLMDS competition at the Bubba Clem-promoted facility. “It was a good points night. The 71 car is just a little bit better than we are right now,” Moran said. “He can get to the front quicker than we can. I’ve got to figure out why the only two heat races we’ve won this year, we’ve gone on to win the feature that night. We just need to work on our early-night package and start up front more often.” “Honestly, Bubba and those guys did a way better job than any of us expected. We all thought it was going to get really rough and be really bad. It had a little chop, but all-in-all they did a great job,” added the Dresden, Ohio native, who currently sits second in the championship standings. “If I was going to pass Hudson, it was going to have to come from his mistake — maybe if he got over the banking in turns three and four or pushed up into the wall in one and two. I was trying to stay close but also avoid flat tires or hurting the engine. We went four-for-four on the podium here this week, and I can’t complain.” McCreadie, Thursday night’s Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third during Saturday’s finale. “It stayed pretty tacky the whole time. Hats off to Bubba and his guys — they could have easily written it off and quit because it was such a big purse. I don’t think anybody would have blamed them, but they worked hard, and I hope we did it justice for everyone tonight. It was about all you could get tonight.” The winning SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by Clements Racing Engines and sponsored by Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Merrill Bonding Company, Professional Concrete Cutting and Drilling, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lineal Contracting, Beeman Lumber, Seven Spurs Ranch, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Lucas Oil Products. Completing the top 10 were Brendan Smith, Max Blair, Kyle Bronson, Ricky Thornton Jr., and Clay Harris. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Wieland Winter NationalsSaturday, February 28, 2026Ocala Speedway | Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Drake Troutman | 14.525 secondsFast Time Group B: Brandon Overton | 14.338 seconds (Overall) Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 22*-Drake Troutman[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 4. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 6. C4-Freddie Carpenter[9]; 7. 58V-Daulton Wilson[2]; 8. 79-Cory Hedgecock[5]; 9. 32J-Justin Weaver[8] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 3. 111-Max Blair[5]; 4. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[6]; 6. 11-Josh Rice[7]; 7. 13-Dallon Murty[4]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]
Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 9-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 5. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 7. 77-Preston Luckman[7]; 8. 09-Michael Leach[8]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 4. 19M-Brenden Smith[4]; 5. 6-Clay Harris[5]; 6. 8-Dillon McCowan[7]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 15K-Cody Overton[6] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (6 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[4]; 4. C4-Freddie Carpenter[3]; 5. 13-Dallon Murty[6]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 7. (DNS) 58V-Daulton Wilson; 8. (DNS) 79-Cory Hedgecock; 9. (DNS) 32J-Justin Weaver
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 5. 77-Preston Luckman[5]; 6. 09-Michael Leach[7]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 9. (DNS) 15K-Cody Overton Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $26,2002 – 5 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $11,1003 – 6 – 9 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $6,0004 – 9 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $4,0005 – 1 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $3,5006 – 16 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $3,4007 – 11 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,5008 – 25 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $9009 – 8 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $3,30010 – 18 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,80011 – 7 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,00012 – 20 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – $1,90013 – 17 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,50014 – 15 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,40015 – 3 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,30016 – 22 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,50017 – 2 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,30018 – 21 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $2,20019 – 14 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,50020 – 10 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,20021 – 23 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $2,20022 – 12 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – $1,50023 – 19 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,20024 – 13 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – $1,50025 – 24 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – $2,200 Race Statistics Entrants: 34Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Drake TroutmanMD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-36); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 37-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon OvertonWieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealMargin of Victory: 1.474 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Cory Lawler (Lap 10); Garrett Alberson (Lap 21); Brian Shirley (Lap 36); Carson Ferguson (Lap 39); Brandon Sheppard (Lap 43)MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Cory Lawler; Cory HedgecockFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Kyle BronsonTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadiePenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Drake TroutmanBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadiePEM 4th Place Feature: Jonathan DavenportDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Drake TroutmanWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Max BlairWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Brian ShirleyVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Daniel HilsabeckXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Kyle Bronson (Advanced 17 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (36 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’NealMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton | Lap 22 | 14.174 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Brandon OvertonVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon SheppardOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason DurhamARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brenden Smith | 14.693 secondsTime of Race: 28 minutes 39 secondsBig River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1185 – $63,2002 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1135 – $46,8003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1045 – $21,6004 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 945 – $29,5755 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 920 – $20,0006 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 920 – $10,1007 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 900 – $12,9008 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 890 – $12,3509 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 870 – $9,60010 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 865 – $11,32511 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 855 – $10,50012 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 840 – $10,32513 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 795 – $8,80014 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 785 – $12,00015 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 720 – $7,97516 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 715 – $6,95017 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 655 – $4,65018 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 640 – $4,55019 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 640 – $3,50020 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 635 – $3,67521 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 625 – $5,90022 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 625 – $3,92523 – 77 – Preston Luckman – Coos Bay, OR – 610 – $3,02524 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 540 – $70025 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – 515 – $5,400

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Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

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Marcus Ericsson, Dennis Hauger lead Honda qualifying effort at St. Pete

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

February 28, 2026 — ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson scores front-row start in opening race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season
Rookie Dennis Hauger qualifies third for his very first IndyCar start
Honda powers four of six, seven of top 10 in qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson notched a front-row start for the opening race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, qualifying second for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Ericsson considers 2026 a ‘bounce back year’ for the 2023 St. Pete winner and 2022 Indy 500 champion following a difficult season in 2025.

Rookie Dennis Hauger will start third aboard the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda in his very first IndyCar start. The 2025 INDY NXT champion set a time that was just three one hundredths of a second off of pole position in an impressive debut outing.

Reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou lines up fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing. The Spaniard won this race in 2025 starting eighth on the grid, kicking off an incredible campaign that saw him win eight races—including the Indy 500—en route to his third consecutive championship title and fourth in five years.

Hauger’s DCR teammate Romain Grosjean also made it through to the Firestone Fast Six, making it two Dale Coyne Racing cars through to the final round of qualifying for the first time since Detroit 2022.

Other Honda-powered drivers starting in the top 10 include Marcus Armstrong, seventh; 2025 Rookie of the Year Louis Foster in ninth; and Kyffin Simpson in P10.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Qualifying Results

2nd Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
3rd Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
4th Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Romain Grosjean	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
7th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
9th Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Will Power	Andretti Global Honda
15th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
16th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
21st Mick Schumacher– R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) qualified second: “I’ve worked really hard this off-season. The whole #28 Honda crew has put in the hours and we’ve had a really good pre-season. To come to St. Pete—one of my favorite places on the calendar—and kick it off with a qualifying performance like this and be starting from the first row tomorrow feels great. The team did a great job, Honda did a great job as usual, and we have all the power we need to go win tomorrow.”

Dennis Hauger (#19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) qualified third: “Can’t ask for much more in my first qualifying session! I mean, it could have been pole—we were only three hundredths off so it was pretty close—but I’m super happy. The team did an amazing job. I think we started a bit on the back foot, but we really turned it around. I felt pretty good in the first run and then we just kept the momentum going from there.”

Romain Grosjean (#18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) qualified sixth: “This is awesome for Dale Coyne Racing, for Dennis, and for myself. We had a good pre-season test, and this has been a strong weekend for us so far. We’ve been working with Honda and getting the most out of the car and the data that we have. I’m happy, it’s great to be back in the Fast Six in my return to IndyCar.”

Honda at St. Pete

Honda-powered drivers have won 12 of the 21 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at St. Petersburg since the event was revived for the 2005 season. The late Dan Wheldon led a Honda and Andretti Green Racing sweep of the top four positions in the inaugural 2005 event.
Alex Palou kicked off his incredible 2025 championship run with a victory at St. Petersburg last season, finishing just ahead of teammate Scott Dixon in a Honda-powered 1-2.
Other Honda winners on the streets of St. Petersburg include Marcus Ericsson in 2023; Colton Herta in 2021; Sebastian Bourdais in 2017-18; Dario Franchitti in 2011; Will Power in 2010; Ryan Briscoe in 2009; Graham Rahal in 2008; and Helio Castroneves in 2006 and ’07.

Where to Watch

Marcus Ericsson, Dennis Hauger lead Honda qualifying effort at St. Pete

February 28, 2026 — ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson scores front-row start in opening race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season
Rookie Dennis Hauger qualifies third for his very first IndyCar start
Honda powers four of six, seven of top 10 in qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson notched a front-row start for the opening race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, qualifying second for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Ericsson considers 2026 a ‘bounce back year’ for the 2023 St. Pete winner and 2022 Indy 500 champion following a difficult season in 2025.

Other Honda-powered drivers starting in the top 10 include Marcus Armstrong, seventh; 2025 Rookie of the Year Louis Foster in ninth; and Kyffin Simpson in P10.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Qualifying Results

2nd Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
3rd Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
4th Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Romain Grosjean	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
7th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
9th Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Will Power	Andretti Global Honda
15th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
16th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
18th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
21st Mick Schumacher– R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

R – Rookie

Honda at St. Pete

Honda-powered drivers have won 12 of the 21 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at St. Petersburg since the event was revived for the 2005 season. The late Dan Wheldon led a Honda and Andretti Green Racing sweep of the top four positions in the inaugural 2005 event.
Alex Palou kicked off his incredible 2025 championship run with a victory at St. Petersburg last season, finishing just ahead of teammate Scott Dixon in a Honda-powered 1-2.
Other Honda winners on the streets of St. Petersburg include Marcus Ericsson in 2023; Colton Herta in 2021; Sebastian Bourdais in 2017-18; Dario Franchitti in 2011; Will Power in 2010; Ryan Briscoe in 2009; Graham Rahal in 2008; and Helio Castroneves in 2006 and ’07.

Where to Watch

Television coverage of Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts at 12:00 PM ET on Fox. Co

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Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Circuit of the Americas–AJ Allmendinger

March 4, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 28, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, met with the media onsite at Circuit of The Americas in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ third points-paying race of the 2026 season.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESCIRCUIT OF THE AMERICASTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 28, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:

There’s a lot of tire packs out there. What do you think about how that affects how you guys manage this course and what kind of damage could it do? “A lot… especially through the esses, it’s going to be a lot of damage. I mean, I don’t mind them. It’s nice to have kind of the limitation. When you’re out there, I wouldn’t say you’re guessing, but you’re always on the edge of track limits. Especially in the race when you’re behind somebody, you can’t see in front of you. You just see the car. But yeah, in qualifying especially, it’s going to be, how close do you want to cut it? I think you saw Connor (Zilisch) yesterday, his lap, he about skimmed it through turn four. He made up time doing it, so it’s risk versus reward. But you know, to me, it’s nice to at least have something there to show what the track limit is and not always kind of be — like last year, through turn six, you’re guessing whether it’s track limits or not. So yeah, I’m sure I’ll hate it if I hit it, but you know, I think that goes without saying.” (No Mic…)“I don’t know… that’s a good question. I don’t know what the best way to do it. You know, I didn’t mind the first year we came here and we had that yellow curbing there, and that was kind of the judge of it, of going inside that curb. But with anything, if you run it over or if you hit it, it’s going to do damage to the car. I guess, in a way, that’s our own fault. We’re the ones inside controlling it. So, I don’t know if it’s the best way. I didn’t mind that curb, but you know, at least there’s something.” Is the narrative frustrating or more motivating when we come to road courses now and it’s — alright, well it’s SVG and Connor Zilisch, and everyone else is kind of just showing up to run behind them? “I mean, the way we change that narrative is you go beat them, right? But for the most part, we didn’t do that at most of the road courses last year. It’s not frustrating to me. I think, for me, the most frustrating thing was just, in general, we didn’t run great at the road courses last year. You know, I put a lot of that on my shoulders. I think as Goodyear softens the tire, it gives the advantage to a guy like SVG that really knows how to save the tires. It’s something that, whether it was setup-based or my own doing, I struggled with it last year of trying to be good on long runs. I don’t really put stock in how good SVG is, in that sense. Like for me, it would be different if I ran second every weekend to him on the road courses and you can’t beat him, then that kind of gets frustrating. But we weren’t even in that ballpark, so I think it’s more focusing on myself. You try to learn from them; study it, try to figure out what makes them so good and try to go out there and be better. That’s kind of what I focus on. The only thing I get frustrated with is myself.” With the reduced help this year, how does that affect you at road courses?“Well, I mean, I think over these next five, six or seven weeks, we’ll kind of really see where we are. Of course, it’s a limitation and it’s a different challenge for us. I think there’s benefits inside the shop of the people that we’ve added and some of the stuff that we’re doing. But there’s also a negative to it, especially if we show up on a weekend and we’re off and you have nothing to kind of fall back on. That’s part of it. That’s part of where we’re at on the Cup side of it with our organization. You know, at the end of the day, it’s still figuring out where your weaknesses are and trying to strengthen them. I think I’ll probably have a better answer for you on that in the next five, six or seven weeks. These first two weeks, we kind of know that it doesn’t really show anything of what you are or aren’t as a race team. But yeah, it’s a new challenge and we just try to make the best of it.” With you guys having a familiar tire this year but increased horsepower, how does that I affect the balance of the tire saving as the run goes on?“It probably gives SVG more of an advantage, honestly (laughs). I mean, it’s a decent size gap of horsepower from then to what we have now, but it’s not massive. I definitely think if you’re burning the rear tires off, it’s going to make it worse or you’re just going to have to really be gentle with the throttle. I don’t think it changes it a big difference, but it definitely is going to be more keen on trying to save tires, and if you abuse them, it’s going to be more extreme.” Take me through that last lap the 2022… what do you remember from that battle with Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman. “I don’t have any recollection of it. It’s out of my memory.” You’ve seen a lot of kids come and go. What can you say about Connor Zilisch? Have you been just aware of what he’s achieving under the Red Bull banner?“I mean, I think it’s very rare. There’s a lot of great race car drivers. I think word ‘phenom’ kind of gets used too much sometimes,. but it definitely should be used on him. You know, what his career goes to, we’ll all see in live time and if he completely lives up to the hype. But to start with, he is and probably exceeding it. You saw even yesterday, I mean he’s super quick. I think there’ll be mistakes made. Even like last year, you watch the Xfinity race – I think he made mistakes, but was still fast enough to make up for it. The biggest thing is that he gets in everything and he’s fast. It’d be different if he got just in a Cup car and he was fast, but he gets in an IMSA car, he got in that GTP, and he was fast. When he was karting, to do it on the world stage and go beat some of the best, that’s hard to do. Karting in Europe, for people that don’t know what it is, it’s a different level than what karting in North America is. It is a completely different level. It’s a profession over there. He was able to go over there and compete, win and do things that a lot of Americans couldn’t. So yeah, I mean we’re going to see what he lives up to. But from what he’s shown so far, it’s going to be pretty special.”

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Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Circuit of the Americas–Carson Hocevar

March 3, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 28, 2026

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media onsite at Circuit of The Americas in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ third points-paying race of the 2026 season.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:

Can you talk about the new challenge with the track limits being maybe slightly differently enforced with those new barriers there? Also, what speed and gear will you be pulling through that section?“Yeah, I think it helps a little bit for the driver’s standpoint… now you have something to obviously hit, which is more risky. But the biggest thing is sometimes it’s hard to really 100% gauge because you want to be on the limit of the track limit, so it’s really difficult to judge at times. So as long as we’re not hitting a tire barrier, you know you’re pretty safe. And you know you’re probably not losing time to others that are really, really good at maximizing it all, whereas if you’re trying to be a little bit more conservative with it.  Yeah, I think it helps a lot of us just kind of know exactly how far we’re on the limit. You can kind of tell how close you are to that barrier, versus it’s such a different perspective when you’re looking up and you’re giving up two feet. Yeah, it’s hard to judge 100% when you know the penalty is pretty steep that you’ve got to do a stop and go.”    What’s your mindset coming into these road course races?“I would like to stay on the tarmac… that’s a big one. You know, just not make any mistakes; know the track limits, don’t hit the tire barrier and hurt my toe, right? Just start with there and race the racetrack. Really, just not trying to get too much. I know this isn’t a place for us to go out and stack a huge points day. But, you know, just maximize whatever it is… whether it’s single digits, whether it’s teens. Just get as many points as possible for us to help us towards next week for the metric. That’s the biggest thing. If I can break even on points, I think that’s a win. If I gain points, that’s really, really above expectations. But the goal is just not to lose any points on the gap to the cut.”
I was curious with the speed that you guys had at COTA last year. Will that be a matter of trying to just build that cushion so you guys are fourth in points, as opposed to, hey, maybe we can try to hang around late and try to fight for a win?“Yeah, I mean, for me, if there’s stage points available, I’d love to get it. Even if it’s like just two points, I just think it’s super important. And, you know, knowing how chaotic turn one restarts can get, it seems like you can always kind of get track position late. Yeah, obviously not to win the race or be super far from it, but I feel like you can kind of get back to where you were in stage three more likely to have even more restarts.  So, yeah, for us, I just think just continuing to build our points is just the biggest thing. If I could leave plus-29 points heading into Phoenix — whether I’m still fourth or seventh or whatever, if I’m still plus-29 points, I’d be really happy. On the network this week, there were comparisons made to you and Dale Earnhardt. Have you watched videos of Earnhardt? I mean, because clearly you weren’t old enough to kind of live out those glory days of Dale, but what do you think about the comparisons that fans are making to you at this juncture in your career?“Yeah, I’ve watched every documentary of every driver. I’ve watched the Dale documentaries, the Tim Richmond specials, Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki. You know, I’ve watched it all, even as a kid.  Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, everybody’s open to their own interpretation. I feel like you’re always just going to be compared to somebody, whether they’re good or bad. You know, if I was really, really slow, there’s probably comparisons of guys that were really, really slow back in the day, too.  I just go out and race and I enjoy it. I take it as a massive compliment, you know, from Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Dale Jr., all of them making comparisons. I’m appreciative of that. I would like to just have half the success any of those guys did. But I think we’re getting ready to get our cars in a really good spot to be able to be in position. I think we’ve been in position to win three of these races. I don’t know if this week we’ll show that, but I think we have really good tracks coming up that we can do that. But for me, I’m just going in the merch hauler and signing 77 diecasts. You know, that’s me. Maybe in 20-30 years, somebody’s hopefully making comparisons of myself to the next kid that was doing it and running good.  So, yeah, I just think it was a compliment, but you know, I’m not hanging up No. 3 posters on my wall and trying to pretend to be anything I’m not.”
Is there any one style, though, from doing the research and watching the videos or just watching over the last two decades that you’ve been alive that you’ve emulated their styles?“Well, no, not really. I think if you’re building a perfect race car driver, I think you want to be able to emulate a bit of this guy, a bit of this guy, a bit of this guy. You know, you don’t want to just emulate one whole driver. I think you just want to be successful or be versatile in all areas. So, yeah, there’s not like a direct style. I just want the style of whatever it takes to succeed, whether it’s being aggressive in this spot or letting somebody else be aggressive for me and taking that spot. It’s just all circumstantial. You’re racing at different corners at different times. You’re playing different people, right? You know, it’s not like any other sport where you’re just playing the same guy over and over and over. You have one restart and you have totally different guys than you’ve been racing around all day. You’re going to have to be able to change with them.”
  I know wins and losses are in a driver’s stack column, but considering how much you won on the local scene as a kid, is it something that you think about now at the national level, like, oh, I’m 0 for such and such, and that kind of plays a role in your mentality on the track every Sunday?“You know, I feel like going into my rookie year, that was 33rd in owners points when I got into it, right? So, I think from Spires Motorsports’ steps, I think every team that’s not the big three teams that are basically dominating, they’re all trying to emulate Spires’ progression. You saw 23XI, they’re super successful. Trackhouse Racing is super successful. But now, we’re on that. It’s a lot easier to say it and say you have a five-year plan, but it’s really hard to actually pull it off because when we get faster, the big teams see it and they want to get faster. So it’s like, did you actually get faster or did everybody else just get faster with you? So if everybody else got faster, did you actually get faster? The field just keeps getting tighter. The floors are raising higher than the ceiling right now. We continue to keep adding people, parts and pieces and processes that — I think it was known to all of us after the second year that it was expected to have won already, just because I think if we weren’t so fast, people would still think Spire is this little team. But there’s been a lot of times we’ve been in contention and we’ve changed that narrative ourselves.  So, yeah, I’m excited about it. I think we’re still really early here a little bit. I think we can do it. There were times where I felt like we were in impossible positions and there were things I couldn’t do from behind the seat that took us out of contention.  I think the track record so far this year of being up front in every race is holding a lot of weight for us and our confidence.”
The debut of 750 horsepower with this car on road courses this year, what changes do you foresee in handling and passing ability this weekend compared to the last?“I feel like tire wear is probably going to be a little bit more of an issue, or at least higher heat, which could have more comers and goers and probably reward the guys that can create speed without upsetting the tires. Just being able to make speed while keeping it under control and being on the limit there. So, yeah, I think there could be opportunities for more passing if guys really burn up their stuff early.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESCIRCUIT OF THE AMERICASTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 28, 2026

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Kyler Johnson Refocused After Strong Runs in Round 1 of Sonoran Clash

March 3, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

CASA GRANDE, AZ (Feb. 27, 2026) — Only three weeks removed from a crash that destroyed a brand-new race car, Kyler Johnson is back in the hunt for his first American Sprint Car Series championship.

Johnson, 22, of Quinter, KS, found needed momentum with the Series at Central Arizona Raceway last weekend with his first top-10 finish of the season on Saturday and a runner-up effort after leading several laps during Sunday’s main event. But those efforts didn’t come without a little resilience, having to get acclimated to a car he’d raced only once before.

For the start of his 2026 campaign, Johnson and his family had put together a brand-new car, which they debuted in the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in January. That car met a disastrous fate when Johnson hit the outside wall in Turns 1 and 2 during his Heat Race on Saturday, resulting in terminal damage to the car’s frame.

The team turned to their backup car, which had not yet been raced, and finished the weekend before setting sights on the Sonoran Clash at Central Arizona. With only one night of racing on the car, Johnson came to Casa Grande with the kind of speed and skill seen from veterans in mid-season form, matching his career-best Series finish Sunday night.

“It’s good to pull the backup car down and be able to, basically, translate our speed from car-to-car,” Johnson said. “That just [shows] our efforts in the offseason of making both our cars identical. Everything’s just perfect on these things.”

Johnson began Sunday’s program by turning the fastest Qualifying lap of all 34 entrants before crossing the finish line second in the Honest Abe Roofing Dash to grid him on the outside front row for the main event. The green flag dropped, and while polesitter Justin Peck first looked to be the man to beat, a flat right-front tire dashed his chances for a repeat after winning Saturday and handed the lead over to Johnson with 13 laps complete.

Johnson led the field around for the next 10 laps, favoring the bottom lane around the 3/8-mile oval. His closest competition, Series points leader Matt Covington, had been making his way to the front with great speed on the top side and was rapidly closing the gap to the leader. With only five laps left, Covington zoomed past Johnson to his outside and into the lead before driving off with the victory.

“Early in the race, I was able to keep pace with Peck,” Johnson said. “After that yellow, I thought like the top was kinda too dry. Whenever I was running up there in traffic, I just felt like I was losing ground. I guess the top came in there toward the end of the race.

“Once I moved up there, I was just locked down. Matt was able to find it before I did, and that’s kind of the end of the story there.”

Despite falling one spot short of his first career American Sprint Car Series win, Johnson was still in good spirits after the race, knowing he and brother/Crew Chief Kahne Johnson’s efforts showed how capable they are of competing with the best in 360 Sprint Car racing and how close they might be to finally reaching Victory Lane.

“Any time you just have that one extra hand… [Kahne’s] really knowledgeable about setups,” Kyler said. “We’ve kinda got a whole new package going on this year compared to what we were doing last year, and we’re able to adjust on it the same way we had been. Definitely good to have speed early in the year, we’ve just gotta maintain it to have a fight at the championship here.”

The American Sprint Car Series is back in action at Central Arizona Raceway this Saturday and Sunday night, Feb. 28–March 1, in the finale of the inaugural Sonoran Clash.

Kyler Johnson Refocused After Strong Runs in Round 1 of Sonoran Clash

CASA GRANDE, AZ (Feb. 27, 2026) — Only three weeks removed from a crash that destroyed a brand-new race car, Kyler Johnson is back in the hunt for his first American Sprint Car Series championship.

“Once I moved up there, I was just locked down. Matt was able to find it before I did, and that’s kind of the end of the story there.”

The American Sprint Car Series is back in action at Central Arizona Raceway this Saturday and Sunday night, Feb. 28–March 1, in the finale of the inaugural Sonoran Clash.

Tickets can be purchased at the track on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, how can you watch the action? Every American Sprint Car Series race is live on DIRTVision.