New qualifying format set for St. Petersburg

At most tracks the Firestone Indy Lights races, starting position doesn't matter as much as finishing position. On the streets of St. Petersburg, starting positions often plays a big role in where a car finishes, placing premium on qualifying sessions.

With that in mind, a new street course qualifying format will greet Firestone Indy Lights teams when preparations for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg begin on April 3.

Teams will be split into two groups with the fastest overall time determining the race's polesitter. The fastest car from the non pole-winning group will occupy the other front-row starting spot with the remainder of the polesitter's group occupying the odd positions, while the outside polesitter's group will make up the even positions.

"With 28 cars entered for our races, we felt like this was the fairest way for everyone to have a chance to compete for pole," said Tony Cotman, vice president of competition for the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of Firestone Indy Lights and the series' race director. "This format mimics the system used by IndyCar Series where we've seen that splitting the field increases the opportunities for a clean lap in qualifying."