Next year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg just went into overdrive: NASCAR is bringing its Craftsman Truck Series to share the weekend with IndyCar’s open-wheel racers.
The famed stock-car circuit released its 2026 schedule on Wednesday, revealing the modified pickups will be part of the annual road course lineup Feb. 27 to March 1.
It will be 1.8 miles of milestones on the downtown waterfront. For one, a national NASCAR series has never ventured into the Tampa Bay region. And it will place the trucks on a street circuit for the first time in 32 years.
The trucks will race on Saturday, Feb. 28, with the headline IndyCar event the next afternoon.
The series typically attract different fans, but there’s no denying the popularity of NASCAR events, especially in the South. So, expect attendance and national television exposure to swell for the already popular St. Petersburg motorsports festival.
Obviously, they have the first two street races they’ll have in their 30-year history, kicking off with the St. Pete Grand Prix, so it allows us to evaluate that market. Tampa/St. Pete is another huge media market.”Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR managing director of competition operations
The Craftsman series, which uses modified pickups, is a development proving ground for NASCAR’s premier Cup Series and second-tier Xfinity Series. It features a mix of younger prospects, career short-trackers and, often, veteran, well-known drivers from the Cup or Xfinity levels.
The NTT IndyCar Series, the premier open-wheel championship in the U.S., has opened its season in St. Petersburg the past four years. The cars can hit 215 mph on ovals, but on the 14-turn St. Petersburg course, average closer to 100 mph.
NASCAR sees street racing as vital for developing drivers, and integrating the event in a larger media market like the Tampa area aligns with that strategy. The schedule also includes a race at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado.
“Obviously, they have the first two street races they’ll have in their 30-year history, kicking off with the St. Pete Grand Prix, so it allows us to evaluate that market. Tampa/St. Pete is another huge media market,” Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR managing director of competition operations, said in a statement.
“We want to make sure that our development series are racing at track types that allow them to advance and be prepared for the Cup level. So, making sure we have a street race at the Truck Series level was something that we evaluated.”
The Tampa area has a deep short-track history that includes NASCAR-sanctioned events. But the last of those dirt tracks, East Bay Raceway in Gibsonton, closed last year.
Tickets for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will go on sale this fall.
