IndyCar News: 2024 Firestone GP of St Petersburg Race Preview
Reporting from sunny Florida for the 20th running of the Firestone GP of St Petersburg presented by RP Funding IndyCar race.
Some of the IndyCar drivers and some drivers from the other series racing here this weekend were in attendance at the annual Chamber Green Flag VIP & Media Luncheon this morning at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
The mayor of St Petersburg, Ken Welch, spoke during the luncheon about the amount of cooperation between the city and the downtown businesses. Welch along with his predecessors, Mayor Rick Kriseman (2014-2022), Mayor Bill Foster (2010-2014) and Mayor Rick Baker (2001-2010), will serve as grand marshals and will together give the command for drivers to start their engines before the NTT INDYCAR Series race on Sunday, March 10th.
Robert Palmer, the owner and CEO of RP Funding, also spoke at the luncheon. Palmer has been a partner supporting the Grand Prix for three years
“When we first sat down with Kim and Kevin, we did not know what to expect. We knew we liked the event and the area and they seemed like pretty nice guys. It has been amazing and I am looking forward to a continued partnership. This is one of the best events of all the sports sponsorship we do across the state of Florida.”
AR1 spoke with Jack Harvey, driving 14 of the 18 races this season in the No 18 for Dale Coyne Racing. Harvey was released early last season from Rahal Letterman Lanigan. And we asked how the ride with Coyne was organized.
“I started talking with Dale (Coyne) back at the Laguna Seca. I would contact Dale almost every week, working out the details for the 2024 season. I have some great investors behind me and we were finally able to work out the 14 race schedule.”
Nolan Siegel finished third in the Indy NXT series for HMD Motorsports in 2023. He was picked as the driver for the No 18 for the four races that Harvey will not drive.
AR1 spoke with the 19 year old American about his driving in the NXT series and the four IndyCar races. The four races he will drive are the Thermal Club, Long Beach, the Indy 500 and Toronto.”
“I am very excited to drive in the Indy 500 this year. I have never run the oval in Indy or never even done a proper superspeedway. I will be doing the open test in April.”
“I have only done one test day in the car. I need to get used to the bigger program with DCR than the NXT series. It will be interesting to get in with a whole new group of people.”
Looking forward to a sunny start to day one of the 2024 season.
Lucille Dust reporting live from St Petersburg, Florida