What To Know After Qualifying For INDYCAR Opener At St. Pete
#INDYCAR#St. Petersburg#qualifying#Firestone Grand Prix#Scott McLaughlin#Team Penske#pole position#championship
📌 Key Takeaways
Scott McLaughlin won pole for St. Pete as Team Penske showed mixed qualifying results
Several surprises in qualifying as Ericsson, Hauger, and Grosjean joined Palou in top six
New tire rules require teams to use at least two sets of softer tires this season
Historically, St. Pete winners have gone on to win the championship six times
📖 Full Retelling
Several drivers experienced crashes during the weekend, including Scott Dixon and Louis Foster on Friday, and Will Power and Christian Rasmussen on Saturday. Despite these incidents, all drivers avoided needing backup cars, with Foster starting ninth, Power 13th, Rasmussen 14th, and Dixon 16th. A significant rule change for 2026 requires teams to use at least two sets of softer (red-lettered) tires during the race, up from just one set last year. Drivers will get their best understanding of tire performance during the 30-minute morning warmup before the race. Historically, the St. Pete race has been indicative of championship success, with six of the 22 previous winners going on to capture the INDYCAR title, including last year's champion Alex Palou who won his fourth championship.
🏷️ Themes
INDYCAR racing, Team performance, Championship implications
Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske.
Auto racing sanctioning body for North American open wheel racing
IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis 500 as its centerpiece, and the developmental series Indy N...
Team Penske (formerly known as Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team made its competitive debut at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona and ha...
- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on NTT INDYCAR SERIES NTT INDYCAR SERIES What To Know After Qualifying For INDYCAR Opener At St. Pete Updated Feb. 28, 2026 8:13 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Bob Pockrass FOX Motorsports Insider St. Petersburg, Fla. — One of the biggest questions entering the 2026 INDYCAR season is: Will Team Penske rebound? And the answer going into the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday ( noon ET, FOX ) is a little bit of apparently yes, and a little bit of not so sure. Scott McLaughlin won the pole for the race and his new teammate, David Malukas , who replaced Will Power , will start fifth. But two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, will start 23rd. So there are still many questions as the season kicks off Sunday. Here’s what to know: When is INDYCAR's St. Pete green flag? The FOX coverage begins at noon ET with green flag slated for 12:29 p.m. ET. It can also be streamed live on the FOX Sports website , FOX One and the FOX Sports App . How long is the race? The race is 100 laps on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course on the streets — and airport runway — of St. Petersburg. Is Scott McLaughlin on the pole a big deal? Scott McLaughlin after being the fastest qualifier for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Absolutely. He finished 10th in the standings last year with one pole — also at St. Petersburg. He has a new strategist – former Newgarden strategist and former Penske executive Tim Cindric, who has returned to the organization in a role just for the race weekend. McLaughlin appears ready to take over as the organization leader after Will Power’s move to Andretti after a 17-year stint. He also has a new engineer in Raul Prados. "All the guys that I lost are some of my best friends, but they've gone on to cooler things for their careers, and I can only wish them well, and now I've go...
