Green Savoree was able to work with the state of Florida, the St. Petersburg local government and IndyCar to host the season finale on Oct. 25, 2020.
The schedule was reshuffled because of COVID in 2021 with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama as the season opener and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 18.
It returned to its traditional season-opening slot on the schedule last year.
“Date equity is so important and St. Pete has enjoyed that lead-off spot on the calendar,” Savoree said. “We bounced around with late February last year, but for us being the lead-off race and having the early March date, the weather down here is incredible.
“They call it the Sunshine City for a reason. The IndyCar guys put on such a great show. The drivers feel it. They feel the energy. They feel the buzz in the downtown area. They are proud to be a big part of it.
“Great partners with Firestone now. Firestone picked up the entitlement years ago and have been such a great partner helping us grow the event. Last year was the first year RP Funding became a presenting sponsor and they have helped us take it to a new level.”
The race has become a “must-attend” event. It has revitalized a city that 20 or 25 years ago, was pretty sleepy.
“St. Pete was a sleepy little town,” Savoree said. “The mayors of St. Petersburg have been champions to our event.
“It starts with all the great relationships we have here in St. Petersburg with the mayor’s office, now the new mayor, with the city council and the city staff. It’s something that Kim Green and I have worked very hard on.
“It’s Team First. Something we live by, and St. Petersburg is a great example of an incredible team effort. The city jumps in and helps, whether it’s marketing, public relations, city service and safety services. It’s an incredible relationship.”
Ten years ago, St. Petersburg came up with a marketing program “Embrace the Race.”
It has lived up to that motto.
“This city has truly embraced the race,” Savoree said. “St. Pete has experienced incredible growth. So many of our fans walk a few blocks and they are at our front gate.
“It has literally become the event in St. Pete every year. I’m so proud to keep it going.”
It’s important to have that spring-break vibe to the event. It encourages fans from the Midwest and the Northeast to head to Florida.
The weekend provides a spectacle with racing, exhibits, food, fun, sand and sun.
It also joins a list of impressive motorsports events held in the state of Florida that begins with the Rolex 24 At Daytona IMSA Sports Car race in January, the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series race in mid-February, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IndyCar race in early March, the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville the following week and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18.
Beginning last year, Formula 1 visits Miami in early May.
Mark Miles, CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp., which owns IndyCar, says the sanctioning body is thrilled with the St. Petersburg GP’s place on the racing landscape.
“They do a great job. The race is embraced by the entire community and by the spring-break crowd that travels to the South to get sun,” Miles said. “Everybody looks forward to it. It puts heads in beds for that city. It’s a real party. A real festival. It’s a gorgeous spot.
“In addition to that, it’s a great race. It’s very compelling, very challenging. It’s a race all the drivers really want to do well in because it sets the tone for the rest of their pursuit of the championship. They start off with momentum or they don’t.