'No place we'd rather be': Firestone Grand Prix back for 19th year in St. Pete
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Firestone Grand Prix is back in town in St. Petersburg. You may have heard the cars warming up Thursday if you were in the area.
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch and other city officials raised the flag to officially kick off the big weekend Thursday morning. It’s the event’s 19th year in St. Pete.
"It feels like the need…the need for speed," Welch told the crowd.
"It really goes without saying that this premier international sporting event is so very special that every major city in the United States would love to have the chance to be in our shoes right now, but we are St. Pete and the Firestone Grand Prix is a special combination of our downtown, our waterfront and the thrill of IndyCar racing," Welch said.
The feeling is mutual.
"For St. Petersburg, for Visit St. Pete Clearwater, it’s really a three-hour television show that highlights everything that you know that you get to live every day," Kevin Savoree, Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete co-owner, said.
"There’s no place we’d rather be than St. Pete this weekend," Jay Frye, IndyCar’s president, said. "We love coming here."
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City officials said the event is expected to draw more than 150,000 people to the area with an economic of more than $50 million.
Before they hit the track, some of the drivers put smiles on the faces of kids at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The charity Racing For Kids has been coordinating driver visits at hospitals across the world for 34 years, and coordinated Thursday’s visit.
They’ve raised close to $8 million for the hospitals too.
"To see these kids smile, be happy, come back the next year, maybe some of them are still in their treatment, but they’re excited to see us, really, it’s just a feel good, and the other thing about the drivers, IndyCar drivers are special," Pat Wright, the CEO and executive director of Racing For Kids, said. "They understand their relationship with their communities that they race in."
Drivers Santino Ferrucci and Joey Brienza met with kids at the hospital Thursday.
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"It’s really good to see kids smile. Sometimes their parents will tell us this is the first time they’ve smiled in a long time and also, it’s great to see the parents smile," Wright said.
Friday, the charity takes children who’re outpatients to the track to meet the drivers. For those who can’t leave the hospital, they’re actually able to see the track from parts of the hospital.
You can check out the Grand Prix St. Pete’s website for a day-by-day schedule of events and activities and ticket information.