The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is set for something new this weekend, its first street-circuit race on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The 1.8-mile, 14-turn waterfront course has long been a challenge for the NTT IndyCar Series, and NASCAR will get its first taste of it this weekend.
The Truck Series is set for a Saturday matinee (Noon ET, FOX, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in St. Pete, sharing the stage with IndyCar, which opens its season Sunday with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Noon ET, FOX). Saturday’s start marks the third of 25 races this year for the Truck Series, which started the season with a pair of drafting-style tracks at Daytona and EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta.
This weekend’s event is far different, on a twisting layout that borders Tampa Bay and the St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina, and that circles Pioneer Park and the Salvador Dali Museum. The circuit uses portions of the runway of Albert Whitted Airport and Bayshore Drive in the heart of downtown.
That scenery becomes a center for speed this weekend. Here is a breakdown of the temporary street course, with Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin — last year’s IndyCar pole winner at St. Pete — as the in-car guide.
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Turns 1-2
The first corner will provide ample passing opportunity at the end of the long homestretch, a runway which ends with a sharply angled right-hander. The painted surface at the end of the braking area could be slick. There’s plenty of run-off area as well, should any driver overcook the corner and run wide. Those wayward drivers will have to regain composure quickly for a purposeful left-hand curve that comes soon after the initial bend, and a tire pack will be at driver’s left just off the Turn 2 curb.
Turn 3
Fast on the heels of the Turn 2 exit is a sweeping right as the course tightens through a slight esse, a continual turn where drivers will stand on the gas to build momentum onto another straight.
Turns 4-7
The course gets technical at the end of the backstretch with a snug right, followed by two tight left-handers. The demands on precision will be high before a right-hand kink provides an outlet.
Turns 8-9
A double set of right-hand, nearly 90-degree corners frames St. Pete’s Pioneer Park and tees the course up to head for home. The chute between the two doesn’t provide much of a breather, and the Turn 9 area has been bumpier compared to previous events there. The chute exiting Turn 9 is also where the orange “Choose V” for restart lane choice is marked.
Turn 10
Another long stretch with a slight left-hand kink sets up the entrance to Dan Wheldon Way in Turn 10, a sharp left just outside the doors of the Dali Museum and the Festival Plaza area for fans. The outside barrier comes up fast in the tricky braking zone on corner exit.
Turns 11-12
A quick chicane runs tight to the wall on the right turn before a left along rumble-strip curbing in the last section of the lap.
Turns 13-14
The 13th and 14th corner acts as one long turn, and getting it right is key to building speed on the start/finish straight — or executing a late pass for the win. This area is also the location for the restart zone, a 140-foot segment that starts where the inside curbing meets the service road. The zone will be outlined by red marks in the trackside grass. After exiting the final turn, pit-road entry comes up on the right.