Firestone Grand Prix: The impacts it has on the Tampa Bay area
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The track is set, and in less than 24 hours, cars will race through the streets of downtown St. Pete in the 20th Firestone Grand Prix.
Drivers start practicing, qualifying and racing Friday morning.
Drivers Sting Ray Robb and Santino Ferruci had a warm up race of sorts Thursday morning. They visited kids at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, signing hats, handing out goodie bags and racing kids down the halls, like Blake Sopcich.
READ: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2024: Here’s what to know for race weekend
"It’s tough," Blake’s dad, Ron Sopcich, said. "We’ve been here for four weeks going through the first round of chemo, but he’s doing really well and staying strong," he said.
"This is great," he said about the drivers’ visit. "Blake is extremely excited. He’s very competitive and into just about any sport he can play, so this is great and puts a smile on his face for sure."
Let’s just say Blake won fair and square, beating the two professional drivers.
"It was fun," Blake said. "I was just happy."
MORE: Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg kicks off this weekend, officials preparing
It was part of Racing for Kids, a non-profit that travels across the world with races, and brings IndyCar drivers to the bedsides of kids who can’t make it to the races.
"They'll see a driver, and maybe they haven't followed this driver before, but after this race they watch from on TV, and they'll do that all year long," Patrick Wright, the CEO of Racing for Kids, said. "So, it's a wonderful race. It’s a great way to start. It's a beautiful community. It's great weather and I know the drivers look forward to it."
There’s also a window in one of the hallways at the hospital that overlooks part of the track where the kids can watch part of the races. Racing for Kids is in its twentieth year in St. Pete, and is celebrating its thirty-fifth year worldwide.
The non-profit Karts 4 Kids, a Pro-Am Charity Challenge, raised more than $345,000 for All Children’s by Thursday afternoon.
Organizers said they have an art show at the James Museum this week with proceeds going to the hospital as well. The art show runs March 6-10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There will be a reception on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as well.
READ: Firestone Grand Prix will return for 20th year in St. Pete
At Thursday morning’s flag raising ceremony at City Hall, the race’s co-owners, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree, said the Grand Prix is about so much more than the race itself. They’ve donated $270,000 to the Police Athletic League of St. Pete to date, and a portion of the proceeds from Friday’s twentieth anniversary celebration at the Mahaffey Theater will also go to PAL.
Money from the 5K Thursday night will be donated to PAL too. Green and Savoree also donated $100,000 total to four local groups this year, including the automotive program at Pinellas Technical College of St. Petersburg.
"Kim and I really believe that that's part of our stewardship is to give back to this community, and so, we're very, very proud that we're able to do that," Savoree said.
Green and Savoree said the race is the perfect example of a public-private partnership with city officials. They added that they’ve seen the race grow along with the city in its two decades. It’s something driver Scott Dixon, who has raced in every Grand Prix in St. Pete, echoed.
"It has been amazing to see the city transform from where it was, you know, 2005, 2004, to what you see now, a lot of high rises, the popularity," Dixon said. "How cleaned up it is, how beautiful the beaches are, you know, to see the city transform has been fantastic."
"It's a special, special place, and each track is unique in each year because it is on the streets, you know, it changes, it evolves. There are new patches. There are different parts of where the wall can be and things like that. So, it's a challenge every year," Dixon said.
The drivers said they recognize the scale of the event, the impact they can make and the impact the Grand Prix will have on the Tampa Bay area.
"The amount of people that come into the city, the tourism, the amount of people that are at hotels and restaurants and bars and everything, and just the overall event energy that comes into the city once a year is a positive thing," driver Alexander Rossi said. "It's why we keep coming back, and I think it's a win win for the series, the city and obviously for the drivers and teams as well," Rossi said.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater’s CEO Brian Lowack said last year’s Grand Prix had a $61 million economic impact, and he expects this year to be even bigger. It’s an impact felt by local businesses.
"Saturday or a Sunday during season, we usually seat anywhere from 4 to 600 guests, and that number can easily double during the week of Grand Prix before even dinner," Jessica Haynes, the front house manager at Cassis St. Pete on Beach Drive, said. "It’s huge."
Haynes said they’ve been preparing for the event for the past two weeks. The fact that the race will be televised, local businesses and officials said, is like free advertising for the region that will bring even more visitors in the future.
Parking for the weekend will be available at Tropicana Field in Lots 1 and 2 for $15 per day. There will also be a free shuttle from Tropicana Field to the racecourse with pick-up on 10th Street South and drop-off at Second Street South and Fifth Avenue South.
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