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Crews begin dismantling Grand Prix racetrack

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Published  March 3, 2025 9:07pm EST
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Tearing down the racetrack

FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy reports that crews began dismantling the racetrack from this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix auto race in downtown St. Petersburg, which is expected to take about three weeks.

The Brief

    • Crews began tearing down the racetrack of the Firestone Grand Prix auto race in St. Petersburg on Monday.
    • Street sweepers are cleaning the streets, and Albert Whitted Airport and the city streets are expected to be fully reopened by the end of the week.
    • Event owners talk about what type of undertaking the race is and how much the yearly event means to the city.

ST. Pete, Fla. - After a weekend of high adrenaline, racing, and cars revving their engines through the streets of St. Pete, the only noise on the track of the Grand Prix on Monday came from crews tearing it down. 

Crews tearing down the racetrack of the Firestone Grand Prix auto race in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Crews tearing down the racetrack of the Firestone Grand Prix auto race in St. Petersburg on Monday.

"It’s something akin to organized chaos, but they all know what they’re doing," event co-owner Kevin Savoree said. 

Dig deeper:

Savoree said that by Saturday at noon, every concrete block, fence panel, tire barrier, and pedestrian bridge will be back in storage spaces to reuse next year.

READ: Gulfport's Nikita Johnson accelerates on his hometown track at Firestone Grand Prix

"It’s very efficient, so we’ll be out of here literally in five and a half days," Savoree said. 

About 300 workers are breaking down the course, which includes 20 million pounds of concrete and 25,000 feet of chain-link fencing along the 1.8-mile course. 

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Crews tearing down the racetrack of the Firestone Grand Prix auto race in St. Petersburg on Monday.

"To me, it’s a little bit melancholy because everybody puts so much into this," Savoree said.

"I think for us, it's just that, you know, incredible sense of accomplishment for another great weekend, the twenty-first edition," Savoree continued. "Now that it’s in the record books, we’re already thinking about planning for next year, and how can we make it even bigger and better. So, we'll look forward to another chapter, but right now, we got to get out of the way. Job done." 

What's next:

The runway at Albert Whitted Airport will reopen Thursday morning, and Savoree says taking apart the grandstands and suite structures, which total millions of pounds of steel, will take about three weeks.

The runway at Albert Whitted Airport.

The runway at Albert Whitted Airport.

READ: Grand Prix partnership helps St. Pete organization serve dozens of children

"It’s pretty crazy to think, literally you have like a Super Bowl experience coming every year," Savoree said. 

Street sweepers cleaned the course during the event, and according to Savoree, they’ll be back out to clean the streets before the end of the week, too. 

The streets around the track are expected to reopen by the end of the week, too. 

Monday through Wednesday, those visiting the Dalí Museum can park at Tropicana Field Lot 9, and a free shuttle will take them to the museum.

The Source: FOX 13's Kailey Tracy collected the information in this article.

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