IndyCar News: Morning Report From Firestone GP of St Petersburg

Good morning from the streets of St Petersburg for the start of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR Series.  The morning fog has lifted, and the sunshine is coming through. The temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 50% change of rain this afternoon.

The schedule is light today for the IndyCars, with Practice Session 1 at 1:30 pm ET.

Dario Franchetti Returns to Racing

The four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and three-time Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti, is coming out of retirement.  For at least one race this weekend on Saturday, driving the No. 1 Toyota for TRICON Garage in the NASCAR Truck Series.   

Franchetti retired from IndyCar after a horrendous accident on the final lap of the Shell-Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on October 6, 2013.  The Scottish racing legend suffered a concussion, two spinal fractures, and a fractured right ankle.

After returning to Indianapolis, the doctors advised him to stop racing or risk another bad accident and permanent paralysis.  Franchetti also suffered from memory loss and impaired decision-making skills after this crash.

Dario met with the media this morning to discuss his return to racing at St. Pete.

“I felt a bit different coming to the track this morning from my job at Ganassi, when all I have to do is tell these guys what they’re doing wrong. Now I have to do it right myself.”

“It’s exciting. It’s a very different feeling. It’s nice to experience it again. It’s nice to be sitting there last night, checking out all the data, looking at everything, preparing for the day. Getting here this morning, all that stuff, I was a bit late with the traffic.”

“Yeah, it will be very interesting to see how today goes. I have no real expectations. I think there’s a fair chance of rain, which could throw a bit of a spanner in the works. But
we’ll see.”

The truck race is scheduled for Saturday at Noon ET.

Lucille Dust reporting live from St Petersburg