IndyCar's St. Petersburg race generates a whopping $60 million for Florida city: Report

The first race of the IndyCar season is completed as Alex Palou won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Grand Prix. With over 165,000 fans watching the race at the racetrack, along with over a million estimated viewers worldwide, the Florida city reportedly generated $60 million impact with the IndyCar season opener.

After a break of five months, IndyCar finally broke cover around the streets of St. Petersburg for its first race of the season. Scott McLaughlin qualified on pole after suffering a crash during the practice session earlier and led the majority of the laps.

However, a lap 1 caution aided drivers who gambled on starting on the alternate tires to get rid of them early on. This gave them a strategic advantage, and Alex Palou was the biggest benefitor of this as he won the race after starting from eighth.

With the race anticipated to be packed with action and standing strong on its expectations, over 165,000 fans were reportedly present to witness the racing spectacle. According to St. Pete Catalyst, the race generated $60 million in the immediate economic impact to the Florida city.

The St. Petersburg Grand Prix has been a staple on the IndyCar calendar since 2005, which city native Late Dan Wheldon won. This year's race was dominated by the Chip Ganassi Racing outfit as Palou led Scott Dixon to the chequered flag for a 1-2 finish for the team.

Alex Palou on St. Petersburg win

Alex Palou at the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

While McLaughlin started on pole, his race came undone due to the lap 1 caution. This caution catapulted drivers who started on the alternate tire to the top spots, and Alex Palou utilized this advantage graciously.

The 27-year-old started behind Dixon on the race start but got past him due to his strategy calls and the six-time champion's unfortunate radio woes. Alex Palou then held his lead despite a late race charge from Josef Newgarden after he was stuck behind a backmarker and won the St. Petersburg Grand Prix for the first time in his career.

Reflecting on his achievement, Palou said (FOX Sports):

"We’ve always struggled here for some reason, and we got it now to feel like what I need and what we need as drivers to push and to extract 100 percent. That being said, I don’t think that translates to other racetracks because in the past we’ve been struggling here but not at other places. I don’t think that what we learned here we can take to [the next street course at] Long Beach."

The next race will be held at Thermal Club. Palou is the reigning winner around the track and will hope to extend his lead in the championship standings by getting another victory under his belt.