A street course is a race track made from city streets that are closed for racing, which makes the race tricky because the roads are narrow and have walls close by.
Formula One is a type of car racing with very fast and special cars that race all over the world. It's the top level of racing for these kinds of cars.
A World Driving Champion is the best driver in a racing series for a whole year. Michael Schumacher won this title eight times, making him one of the best ever.
In races, a caution flag means there's danger on the track, so cars slow down and can't pass. This lets teams fix their cars or change tires safely and can change who is winning.
A tire rule is a rule that tells racing teams how they can use their tires during a race, like which types they must use or how many times they can change them.
Hard tires are tougher tires that last longer but don't stick to the track as well. They help cars stay on the track for a longer time without changing tires.
Festival Plaza is a fun place at the race where people can hang out, eat, and watch the race on big screens.
LIVE
The first race of the IndyCar season is a great one.
Here's a 5 minute briefing on the GP of St. Pete.
I'm IndyCar Dad and whether you're at the racetrack or watching from home, I'll help
you have the most fun possible.
St. Pete Grand Prix is a great kickoff to the IndyCar season.
Every driver is hungry and the St. Pete street course is a prime destination for both passing
and for hitting the wall.
So, expect a chaotic race with a chaotic start.
Here's some drivers you can watch during the race.
Will Power lost his Penske ride last year and was wisely picked up by Andretti.
He's one of the fastest guys in the history of the sport and I smell a little bit of redemption
in Will Power this year.
David Maluchus is the young guy who moved into Will Power's old car.
He's got big shoes to fill on Sunday.
Romain Grosjean is back in the series.
He skipped out last year but he's back for 2026.
Man's a former Formula One driver and he's known to drive aggressively and often contact
follows him around the racetrack.
Another guy to watch, Mick Schumacher, the son of 8-time World Driving Champion Michael
Schumacher.
Mick was also a Formula Two champion and was a Formula One driver at one point.
He lost his ride and he's been without a single seat to ride for a while.
No one knows what Mick Schumacher is going to do on Sunday.
Exciting to watch.
Another exciting thing to watch is the start.
Do not be late for this race.
Turns one and two are as busy as any corners in the entire season.
The race starts at 1229.
Have your popcorn ready and be in your seat.
So one thing to watch for is early cautions in this race.
If something goes bad at the start and there's a caution flag, a bunch of cars are going
to go into the pits to change tires and get fresh fuel.
But when they do, there'll probably be a few cars that we're lingering at the back
of the field not doing well that will move all the way to the front.
And then they'll be at the front with slow cars, old tires, and it gets chaotic.
Everything gets scrambled, chaos, chaos.
So another thing to watch for on Sunday is there's a new tire rule.
You probably know they have soft tires and hard tires.
The soft tires being green, the hard tires being black.
Well, this year the teams are mandated.
They have to run the green tires two times in the race.
And that's going to add probably an extra pit stop to this race.
And it will remove the fact that sometimes it turns into a fuel economy contest
where everybody's driving as slow as they possibly can not to get past.
Instead, we might have a balls out race to the finish with people burning up tires
and burning gas.
So those are exciting.
So the next thing to watch is fuel strategy.
If the teams do pit more often, that means they top off the gas tank more.
That means they can use a higher power setting on the engine that uses more fuel.
Here's my advice for enjoying the race more.
My first piece of advice is to use the IndyCar app.
The app is free and it gives you all sorts of information that's updated real time.
You can even watch driver in-car cameras.
You can listen to the radio conversations and you can see all sorts of data
about how many laps they've done, when the last time they pitted was, what tires they're using
and how fast they are compared to other drivers.
Fantastic.
The IndyCar app adds a tremendous extra level to watching the race.
If you're going to the races, great.
There's something about St. Pete that's different than a lot of IndyCar races and that is
you're not allowed to bring food and drink into the track.
I think you can get away with bringing in a water bottle, but leave your six pack of beer
and your rotisserie chicken at home because it'll just go to the security guards at the gate.
But here are some things you want to bring.
Sunblock, glasses.
I carry one of those emergency ponchos in case it rains.
Ear hearing protection is a must, trust me.
You want your phone, wallet keys, a power bank to recharge your phone if you need it.
Wear comfortable shoes, you'll be walking a lot.
We'll get a hat to keep the sun off your head.
A water bottle is a great idea and a credit card is a must because a lot of the concessions
don't take cash inside the track.
Some extras to really kick it up a notch.
Noise canceling headphones are nice.
A scanner is nice to listen to the race on the scanner.
An extra layer of clothing might be a good idea for if it gets colder.
And wear your swag if you've got it.
Where do you want to park when you're going to the race?
Well, Tropicana Field is a good place to park.
It costs $30 for Sunday and there's free shuttles back and forth to the track.
Where to watch the race?
If you have grandstand tickets or you're trying to get them.
I like grandstands in turn one and I like grandstands at the end of the pit lane.
If your general admission like I will be this year,
I like to watch it turn one for the start because that's where all the excitement is.
Then I go to the speed zone.
There's some stuff there and TVs and big screen TVs to watch from.
But the party is at Festival Plaza.
There's a large video board there too.
So that's a great place to watch.
Do I have advice for home viewers?
Of course I do.
I watch more than half of the races at home.
So even though I go to lots of races, I still end up at home a bunch.
So here's my advice.
Get your snacks in order before the race starts because that starts going to be exciting.
And with the app going and the TV going,
you might not want to take another break.
So the races on Fox TV.
I get it from an antenna or I can stream it through my cable service.
And I'll tell you what, the picture is better on the antenna.
So I use that IndyCar app.
That's another tip.
And then if you're looking for discussion,
live discussion about the race,
the best discussion online for IndyCar is on the IndyCar subreddit.
So go to reddit.com and look up IndyCar.
So again, I'm IndyCar dad.
I hope to see you at the races.
If you see me there, say hi.
I'm friendly.
You can also find me on Padcast Networks, YouTube.
I'm active on Instagram.
And this week, I even started a TikTok.
So if I make something I'm really proud of, I'll put it on Reddit as well.
Thanks for following me, IndyCar dad.
About this episode
Get a quick and lively preview of the 2026 IndyCar season opener at St. Pete, highlighting key drivers like Will Power, David Maluchus, Romain Grosjean, and Mick Schumacher. Expect a chaotic race with aggressive driving, strategic tire rules requiring two stints on soft tires, and potential early cautions shaking up the field. The host shares practical tips for both track-goers and home viewers, including what to bring, where to watch, and how to enhance the experience with the IndyCar app and online communities. A great guide to maximize your enjoyment of this thrilling street circuit race.
A quick preview of what you should be looking for at the Indycar GP of St. Pete. This preview covers the top stories, what drivers you should watch, what strategies might help win the race, and where and how you should watch the race for maximum fun. This is a shorter version of the weekly podcast.
