How to watch 2026 IndyCar and NASCAR at St. Pete: Weekend schedule, start time, TV

The 2026 IndyCar season is about to get underway with the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Alex Palou enters as the defending champion, and the dominant Chip Ganassi Racing driver eyes a fifth crown.

There are several faces in new places, including veteran Will Power, who leaves Penske for a new home at Andretti. David Malukas will take Power’s place as the driver of the #12, and there are three rookies competing full-time. Those new challengers are Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, and Caio Collet.

IndyCar will be joined by the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at St. Pete, as the third level of NASCAR takes on a street course for the first time in its 30+ years of existence. Former IndyCar stars Dario Franchitti and James Hinchcliffe will be on the grid, as will IMSA veteran Colin Braun.

Recent Headlines

Friday, February 27

12:30pm EST — Indy NXT practice — FOX SPORTS 2

1:35pm EST — IndyCar Practice #1 — FOX SPORTS 2

4pm EST — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice — FOX SPORTS 2

5pm EST — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying — FOX SPORTS 2

Saturday, February 28

8:30am EST — Indy NXT practice — FOX SPORTS 1

9:35am EST — IndyCar Practice #2 — FOX SPORTS 1

12pm EST — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (80 laps) — FOX

3:05pm EST — Indy NXT qualifying — FOX SPORTS 2

4:30pm EST — IndyCar qualifying — FOX SPORTS 2

Sunday, March 1

9:05am EST — IndyCar warmup — FOX SPORTS 1

10:05am EST — Indy NXT race (45 laps) — FOX SPORTS 1

12pm EST — IndyCar pre-race — FOX

12:22pm EST — Green flag for IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (100 laps) — FOX

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

How can I watch the IndyCar season-opener at St. Pete?

Date: Sunday, March 1 TV start time: 12pm EST TV channel: FOX | TSN (Canada) | Other international viewing options Streaming: FOX Sports App Radio: IndyCar Radio

Weather forecast

While Sunday looks clear, there is a 50% chance of late afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, with that chance increasing to over 80% throughout the day on Saturday.

Who is racing this weekend?

There are 25 cars on the St. Pete entry list, and notably, no Prema as the team focuses on restructuring after some recent upheaval.

Car No. – Driver	Team	Manufacturer
#2 – Josef Newgarden	Team Penske	Chevrolet
#3 – Scott McLaughlin	Team Penske	Chevrolet
#4 – Caio Collet	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
#5 – Pato O’Ward	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
#6 – Nolan Siegel	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
#7 – Christian Lundgaard	Arrow McLaren	Chevrolet
#8 – Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
#9 – Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
#10 – Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
#12 – David Malukas	Team Penske	Chevrolet
#14 – Santino Ferrucci	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Chevrolet
#15 – Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
#18 – Romain Grosjean	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
#19 – Dennis Hauger	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
#20 – Alexander Rossi	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
#21 – Christian Rasmussen	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
#26 – Will Power	Andretti Global	Honda
#27 – Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global	Honda
#28 – Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global	Honda
#45 – Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
#47 – Mick Schumacher	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
#60 – Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian	Honda
#66 – Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian	Honda
#76 – Rinus VeeKay	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet
#77 – Sting Ray Robb	Juncos Hollinger Racing	Chevrolet

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