- Alex Palou has won three IndyCar Series titles, and only one included winning the season opener.
- IndyCar all-timers Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden complete the podium.
Alex Palou starts his quest for a third consecutive IndyCar Series Series championship with a win on the downtown street course in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Palou started 8th on the way to his first St. Pete win in six starts. He finished 2nd in 2022. Palou now has 12 IndyCar race wins.
IndyCar heavyweights Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden complete the podium, and pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin takes 4th.
Key moment of the race: Palou, the three-time series champ, pitted one lap ahead of Dixon — a six-time champ — on his last stop. Palou stormed to a lead of more than 5 seconds. Newgarden charged into Palou’s rear-view mirror before fading in the final couple of laps as his fuel ran dry, allowing Dixon to get by.
It’s Palou’s second season-opening win. He opened the 2021 season by winning at Barber on the way to his first championship.
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IndyCar race at St. Petersburg 2025 finish order: Race results, leaderboard standings
- Alex Palou
- Scott Dixon
- Josef Newgarden
- Scott McLaughlin
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Marcus Ericsson
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Christian Lundgaard
- Rinus VeeKay
- Alexander Rossi
- Pato O’Ward
- Graham Rahal
- David Malukas
- Santino Ferrucci
- Christian Rasmussen
- Colton Herta
- Conor Daly
- Kyffin Simpson
- Callum Ilott
- Robert Shwartzman
- Sting Ray Robb
- Devlin DeFrancesco
- Jacob Abel
- Marcus Armstrong
- Nolan Siegel
- Will Power
- Louis Foster
IndyCar live updates at St. Petersburg
Lap 95: Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon get around the lapped car of Sting Ray Robb.
Lap 90: Josef Newgarden has pulled within 1.5 seconds of Alex Palou, who is encountering lapped traffic. Scott Dixon is 3+ behind the leader.
Lap 73-74: Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou and Scott McLaughlin take their final pit stops. Coming out of those stops, Palou leads by 5+ seconds, followed by Newgarden, Dixon and McLaughlin.
Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 70
- Scott Dixon
- Alex Palou
- Scott McLaughlin
- Josef Newgarden
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Christian Lundgaard
- Alexander Rossi
- Santino Ferrucci
- Colton Herta
Lap 69: Christian Lundgaard pits to take on the alternate tires. Scott Dixon assumes the lead.
Lap 63: Alexander Rossi pits to take on the alternate tires and falls to 11th place. He will likely have to pit once more to return to primaries.
Lap 60: Christian Lundgaard leads Alexander Rossi by 1+ seconds. Scott Dixon remains in 3rd.
Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 50
Christian Lundgaard and Alexander Rossi have yet to use the alternate ‘green’ tires, which provide more speed but less durability. Scott McLaughlin used hits set for just 12 laps. Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden are in strong positions for later in the race.
- Christian Lundgaard
- Alexander Rossi
- Scott Dixon
- Josef Newgarden
- Alex Palou
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Scott McLaughlin
- Callum Ilott
- Pato O’Ward
- Rinus VeeKay
Laps 44-45: Marcus Armstrong and Scott McLaughlin pit again under green to return to primary tires. Drivers are required to run on alternate ‘green’ tires for a few laps. Armstong may have hit a wall, affecting his rear suspension.
Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 40
All the leaders make a pit stop under green. Marcus Armstrong’s is a little slow, and Colton Herta’s crew has trouble changing the right rear tire, costing several seconds. Drivers to lead during the pits include Armstrong, Herta, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon. Dixon and Alex Palou pit at the end of Lap 40.
- Scott McLaughlin
- Scott Dixon
- Alex Palou
- Marcus Armstrong
- Christian Lundgaard
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Alexander Rossi
- David Malukas
- Graham Rahal
- Santino Ferrucci
Lap 25: The Fox team reports Pato O’Ward had a punctured tire, requiting a pit stop under green. He is in 24th place, last on track.
Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 20
The field remains steady, with Scott McLaughlin holding a 1-second lead.
- Scott McLaughlin
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Marcus Armstrong
- Christian Lundgaard
- Alexander Rossi
- David Malukas
- Santino Ferrucci
- Graham Rahal
- Colton Herta
- Callum Ilott
IndyCar live updates at St. Petersburg
Lap 8 restart: We get through the lap without incident. The top 8 remain the same. Colton Herta passes Callum Ilott for 9th.
Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 5, after pit stops
Fifteen drivers pit to change to harder tires, 9 remain on track.
- Scott McLaughlin
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Marcus Armstrong
- Christian Lundgaard
- Alexander Rossi
- Davis Malukas
- Santino Ferrucci
- Graham Rahal
- Callum Ilott
- Colton Herta
Lap 1: Louis Foster, Nolan Siegel and Will Power crash. Caution. Update: All the drivers are OK.
IndyCar starting grid at St. Petersburg
Row 1
1. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
2. Colton Herta, Andretti Global
Row 2
3. Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank
4. Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank
Row 3
5. Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
6. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi
Row 4
7. Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
8. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi
Row 5
9. Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global
10. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Row 6
11. Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
12. Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne
Row 7
13. Will Power, Team Penske
14. Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Row 8
15. Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi
16. Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Row 9
17. David Malukas, A.J. Foyt
18. Robert Shwartzman, Prema
Row 10
19. Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt
20. Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter
Row 11
21. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
22. Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger
Row 12
23. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
24. Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter
Row 13
25. Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne
26. Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger
Row 14
27. Callum Ilott, Prema
2024 IndyCar at St. Petersburg results
When the cars left Florida, Josef Newgarden was shown as the winner, followed by Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin.
However, the Team Penske drivers (Newgarden and McLaughlin) were later disqualified for violating rules in their use of push-to-pass, while teammate Will Power was docked 10 points. O’Ward was declared the race winner, with Power second and Colton Herta third.
IndyCar at St. Petersburg expert picks, predictions
From Nathan Brown, IndyStar
Race winner: Scott McLaughlin won this race in 2022, crashed late while battling for the lead in ’23 and finished runner-up on-track in ’24 before being disqualified in the push-to-pass saga. After finishing 3rd in the championship the last two years, the Team Penske driver makes his presence felt early.
Something you might not expect: Callum Ilott took his first on-track test with Prema Racing in late January, but a top-15 finish would be an emphatic message that IndyCar’s newest team is a step or two ahead of other recent newcomers.
IndyCar schedule today at St. Petersburg
(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)
Sunday, March 2
10:10-11:05 a.m.: Indy NXT race
12:29 p.m.: IndyCar race
What channel is IndyCar race today at St. Petersburg on?
TV: Coverage begins at noon ET, Sunday, March 2, 2025, on Fox. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.
How can I stream IndyCar race at St. Petersburg today?
FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app.
Watch free with a Fubo trial
How can I listen to IndyCar race today at St. Petersburg?
IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race)
Who is favored to win IndyCar race at St. Petersburg today?
full odds via BetMGM
2025 IndyCar Series schedule
The 2025 IndyCar Series schedule includes 17 races, all televised on Fox. (Times are ET; %-downtown street course, &-road course, *-oval)
March 2, St. Petersburg, Florida %, noon
March 23, Thermal, California &, 3 p.m.
April 13, Long Beach, California %, 4:20 p.m.
May 4, Birmingham, Alabama &, 1:30 p.m.
May 10, Indianapolis &, 4:30 p.m.
May 25, Indianapolis 500 *, 12:45 p.m.
June 1, Detroit %, 12:30 p.m.
June 15, St. Louis *, 3 p.m.
June 22, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin &, 2:30 p.m.
July 6, Lexington, Ohio &, 2 p.m.
July 12, Newton, Iowa *, 5 p.m.
July 13, Newton, Iowa *, 2 p.m.
July 20, Toronto %, 2 p.m.
July 27, Monterey, California &, 3 p.m.
Aug. 10, Portland &, 3 p.m.
Aug. 24, Milwaukee *, 2 p.m.
Aug. 31, Nashville *, 2:30 p.m.
IndyCar drivers for 2025
(Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only)
- A.J. Foyt: Santino Ferrucci, David Malukas
- Andretti Global: Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson, Marco Andretti*
- Arrow McLaren: Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel, Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Larson* (with Rick Hendrick)
- Chip Ganassi: Kyffin Simpson, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou
- Dale Coyne: Jacob Abel, Rinus VeeKay
- Dreyer & Reinbold: Ryan Hunter-Reay*, Jack Harvey*
- Ed Carpenter: Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter*
- Juncos Hollinger: Conor Daly, Sting Ray Robb
- Meyer Shank: Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Armstrong
- Prema: Callum Ilott, Robert Shwartzman, Romain Grosjean (reserve)
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan: Graham Rahal, Louis Foster, Devlin DeFrancesco
- Team Penske: Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power