From Open Testing to the Track: Important Story Lines Going into St. Pete

For the fifth consecutive year, IndyCar will be racing on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida to open the long-awaited 2026 season. With Alex Palou chasing his fifth championship, here is everything you need to know about the 2026 IndyCar Season ahead of the season opener. 

(Image credit to Sydney Rae on Unsplash)

The 2026 season will open at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a 1.8 mile street circuit that is run for 100 laps. This year marks major growth as the series sees its longest season yet with a total of 18 races, three of which being new races. 

Alex Palou will be hoping for another strong start to the season, after winning the opening race at St. Petersburg in 2025, which started his run that saw him finish first in the championship. With a field of 25 drivers and potential new contenders for race wins, the 2026 season is shaping up to be an interesting one. Open testing in Phoenix saw drivers such as David Malukas (Team Penske), and Alexander Rossi (Ed Carpenter) top the speed charts (Pockrass, 2026). While potentially promising for the two teams with the highest speeds, it is important to acknowledge that performance in testing does not always translate to strong performance during the season. 

There is no shortage of competition for Palou with teammate Scott Dixon having a really strong season in 2025. Pato O’Ward, who came in second place in the 2025 championship will also be chasing his first championship in the series. 

With practice taking place on Friday February 27, we now have our first look at who might be competitive in St. Petersburg. Scott Mclaughlin racing for Team Penske topped the time sheets for Friday’s practice session, stating that the car felt good and comfortable. Coming in second and third, was Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood. Notably, Mick Schumacker completed the most laps out of everyone, citing the importance of maximizing track time over raw speed. 

With testing pace hinting at new challengers and Friday practice already delivering an early statement from Scott McLaughlin, the competitive order heading into Sunday remains anything but settled. Alex Palou will enter as the defending champion and race winner, but with contenders like Pato O'Ward, Scott Dixon, and a hungry field close behind, the streets of St. Petersburg will offer the first true glimpse at how the 2026 championship fight will unfold. 

Article by written by Israa Ihab

References:

Pockrass, B. FOX Sports. (2026, February 18). 4 takeaways from INDYCAR Testing: Mick Schumacher’s OVAL education continues. FOX Sports. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/motor/indycar-testing-phoenix-schumacher