The roaring sounds of gear-shifting, high-speed rocket ships racing through the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., means the return of the NTT IndyCar Series to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Last year, New Zealander Scott McLaughlin dominated the weekend, surging to his first pole and initial IndyCar victory aboard the No. Though he hasn’t reached the top step of the podium since 2012, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will be looking to add a fourth Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg trophy on Sunday. It’s been five years since his last trip to victory lane (2017 Detroit Race No. 2), and three years since the last time he visited the podium more than once (2020). In 18 career starts in St. Petersburg, Dixon has four runner-up finishes, an average finish of 7.88 and seven consecutive top-10 finishes. • Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be Simon Pagenaud’s 200th career IndyCar start.

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