IndyCar Notebook From St. Petersburg

Added Siegel to FOX Sports: “Everyone checked up in 3 and I got hit from behind and there wasn’t anything I could do. The day is done before it even started. It sucks, it really sucks. … We were all really excited for this. It’s a bummer. I feel we executed well this weekend and if we continue to do that, we’ll have a lot of strong weekends.”

And just like that, the 27-driver starting field was cut to 24 after just the first three turns on Lap 1. Power, meanwhile, was not interviewed by FOX Sports.

It’s not surprising that the incident occurred as Turn 3 has been the sight of numerous incidents and mishaps during the weekend’s two practices and qualifying.

Plus, the opening lap in St. Pete has historically been one of the most challenging – and damaging – laps of the Firestone Grand Prix, as Sunday marked the eighth time that there has been a crash on the opening lap.

CONFOUNDING FOR COLTON

Colton Herta had an incident on pit road on Lap 36 – his crew member couldn’t get the right rear tire on, needing several attempts before it was finally able to be set, secured and away Herta went.

While the mishap added about just four extra seconds to the length of a routine pit stop, it cost him several spots on-track. Herta also had another slow pit stop later in the race, adding insult to injury and leaving him with a disappointing 16^th-place finish, far from where he started the race, on the outside of the front row.

ST. PETERSBURG CONTINUES TO BE A THORN IN DIXON’S SIDE

Dixon came into Sunday’s race never having won at St. Petersburg, one of only a few current tracks on the schedule where he hasn’t taken the checkered flag first.

Just a few hours after taking the green flag, Dixon, who turns 45 in early July and is now in his 25^th IndyCar season, once again left St. Petersburg still winless at the 14-turn temporary street course layout.

When he took over the lead on Lap 38, he received a rousing round of applause. But Dixon’s lead was short-lived, as he and Palou pulled onto pit road one lap later for routine service.

Still, that Dixon was able to run the full race with no radio and, as a result, no help from his pit box or spotters is yet another chapter in Dixon’s remarkable career. Yes, he didn’t win, but he finished higher than 25 other drivers who DID have working radios.

Unbelievable, indeed!

“We had no radio so we were kinda just flying blind out there,” Dixon said. “Definitely frustrating, we had the speed and had a great car, the pit stops were fantastic, it would just have been nice to have a radio so I could kind of know what was going on out there. … Yeah, frustrated man, I thought we really had that one but we came up short.”

TOUCHING TRIBUTE

Before the race, FOX Sports’ IndyCar announcers Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell sat down with Oliver and Sebastian Wheldon, sons of the late Dan Wheldon, who was killed in a tragic crash in Las Vegas in 2011.

Not only was it a touching interview, it also marked a touching anniversary, as Wheldon won the 2005 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

GREAT START FOR FOX SPORTS

The debut of FOX Sports as the TV home for IndyCar for the next several years went quite well.

Veteran racing announcer Will Buxton did an outstanding job in his debut on the job, while holdovers from NBC Sports – which previously televised IndyCar racing for the previous several years – James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell were definitely on their games, almost in mid-season form.

Veteran pit reporters Jamie Little and Kevin Lee showed why they’re pro’s pros, offering great interviews and analysis. And broadcast newcomer, sidelined IndyCar driver James Harvey, appeared nervous and at a loss for words at times, but he’ll hopefully get better as time goes on.

NEXT UP:

Race No. 2 of the 17-race NTT IndyCar Series season takes place in three weeks on March 23 with the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix just outside of Palm Springs, CA.

NOTES: Alexander Rossi, in his debut with new team Ed Carpenter Racing, had a strong outing. Rossi was as high as second place just past the midpoint of the 100-lap race before finishing 10th. … David Malukas, who saw his burgeoning career disappointedly fall apart when he was released last season after following an off-season biking injury, looked good in his debut for A.J. Foyt Racing, finishing 13th, while teammate Santino Ferrucci wound up 14th. The newest team in IndyCar, Italy-based Prema Racing, had a decent series debut. Callum Ilott finished 19th, while rookie Robert Shwartzman finished right behind in 20th. … NHRA defending Funny Car champion Austin Prock and Top Fuel champ Antron Brown attended Sunday’s race, preparing for next weekend’s drag racing season start just up the road in Gainesville, Fla.