Fast facts, St. Petersburg 100
2013 FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS SEASON STARTS ON STREETS OF ST. PETEDate / Time3:30 p.m. (EDT)Saturday, March 24Track, Streets of St. Petersburg (14-turn, 1.81-mile temporary street circuit)Distance 45 laps/81.45 miles
TV 11 a.m., March 24 NBC Sports Network (Taped)Audio Webcast Indycar.com (Live)2012 Winner Tristan Vautier2012 Polesitter Tristan Vautier
2013 season begins on Streets of St. PetersburgThe Firestone Indy Lights kicks off its 12th season under INDYCAR sanction on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The challenging course has hosted Firestone Indy Lights events since 2005 and has been an indication of the series champion since 2007, where all but two race winners (Junior Strous in 2009 and Richard Antinucci 2008 Race 2) have gone on to win the series title. Will the trend continue in 2012?Repeat for Sam Schmidt Motorsports?Schmidt Peterson Motorsports returns to defend its 2012 drivers championship with a stout three-car lineup featuring promising graduates of the Mazda Road to Indy. Jack Hawksworth, the 2012 Star Mazda Champion, joins Sage Karam and Gabby Chaves in Schmidt Peterson Motorsports lineup. Can one of them be the fourth-straight SPM driver to win the title?Munoz returns to chase titleCarlos Munoz who claimed two wins as a rookie in Firestone Indy Lights returns to the series as part of Andretti Autosport's two-car lineup. Munoz, who will also compete in the Indianapolis 500, will race the No. 26 Dialy-Ser car in hopes of securing the Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to move to the IZOD IndyCar Series full-time in 2014.Talented field for 2013The 2013 season features a talented field of drivers with series veterans Carlos Munoz, Peter Dempsey, Jorge Goncalvez and Juan Pablo Garcia among the series' favorites. A promising rookie class includes Jack Hawksworth, Gabby Chaves, Sage Karam and Zach Veach (Star Mazda).Race Notes:Another debut winner at St. Pete?Ten (10) drivers have won their Firestone Indy Lights debut, including six who have won their first career race on the streets of St. Petersburg. Will another first-timer join Marco Andretti, Raphael Matos, Junior Strous, J.K. Vernay, Josef Newgarden and Tristan Vautier as a first-time Firestone Indy Lights winner at St. Pete?Carlos Munoz is the only driver who has won previously won a race in Firestone Indy Lights entered in the St. Petersburg 100.At least five (5) rookie drivers are entered in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. All will be making their series debut.
At-Track Schedule (all times local):Friday, March 2210:10-10:55 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights practice1:40-2:25 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights practiceSaturday, March 239:25 to 10:10 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights Sunoco Pole Qualifying (All cars/45 minutes)3:40 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights St. Petersburg 100 (45 laps/81.45 miles)(Taped, 11 a.m. March 24, NBC Sports Network)
***The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season opens with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 24 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be televised live at noon (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, on SiriusXM (Channel 211) and www.indycar.com. The 2013 Firestone Indy Lights season begins March 23 on the streets of St. Petersburg. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 11 a.m. (ET) on March 24, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.
