20th annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg jam-packed with races and entertainment

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Day 3 of the 20th Annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was jam-packed with races, food, and a live performance from a rock legend.

Spectators flooded Downtown St. Pete's bayfront that was transformed into a 1.8-mile street circuit to watch practice, qualifying, and official races. The Grand Prix of St. Pete is the first race of the season for the nearly 100 drivers competing between its 5 series.

"When drivers go to a street course, their mind does go crazy because there’s no room for error. But it just makes us stronger drivers," said INDY NXT racer Josh Mason. "St. Pete is a tough track, the corners, they can punish you very quickly. It helps us to improve our skill and hopefully become professional racing drivers."

Mason came all the way from London, England to compete on the Abel Motorsports team. On Saturday, the 21-year-old qualified for the 45-lap INDY NXT series that takes place at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday.

"To be able to come to America and have that opportunity with Abel Motorsports, they gave me the opportunity to race here, and I’m going to grab it with both hands and run with it," he said.

Pictured: Josh Mason

Rock legend Brett Michaels closed out the festivities Saturday night with a performance.

The headlining 100-lap NTT IndyCar Series starts at 12:30 p.m. Jon Bon Jovi will lead its 27 racers to the green flag shortly before.

"It’s a two-seater Indy car that he’ll ride in along with the IndyCar driver, Helio Castroneves, he’s won this race three times," said Jack Carney, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete.

It's not too late to purchase tickets for Sunday's races. For more information, click here.

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