The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Kicked Off With Practice 1 For the Firestone GP of St. Pete

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
PRACTICE NOTES / QUOTES – February 28, 2025

THE 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON KICKED OFF WITH PRACTICE ONE OF THE FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE

1)         Kyle Kirkwood                       1:00.4409 / 107.212 mph      
12)       Louis Foster                          1:01.6124 / 105.174 mph            (3rd in Group 2)
20)       Graham Rahal                       1:01.9510 / 104.599 mph            (8th in Group 2)
26)       Devlin DeFrancesco             1:02.3068 / 104.001 mph            (12th in Group 2)

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car reacted somewhat the way we expected it to. We’ve got a bit of an imbalance with understeer but (race engineer) Yves expected that. Our focus overnight is to get some rotation in the car but we have a good starting point. On the alternate tires, we just didn’t maximize those at all. Louis went off in Turn 4 and I had to bail out of my lap, and that lap was up so much. It just seems like the tire has a one lap peak and everything has to come together on that one lap to get your best lap time.”

• FAST FACTS: Will make his 18th start at the track… His best start here is pole in 2009 and best finish is a win in 2008 in his IndyCar Series debut – both history-making moments at the time as he became the youngest race winner in series history (2008), and youngest pole winner in series history (2009). Both records were eclipsed in 2019 by Colton Herta but he held them for 10 and 11 years, respectively.  Overall, he has earned one top-five and seven top-10 starts here and has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including sixth place here in 2023. Year-by-year details are available upon request… Has SIX INDYCAR SERIES wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2; 2023 – IMS road, Portland road) and five poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO, No. 30 EVTEC Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Generally, I think the track was more gripped up than we were expecting. We just need to chase the balance a bit overnight. I think we’ll make a good step forward tomorrow. It was good to get everyone working on a race weekend pace and go through the motions. I think we’ll make a good step forward tomorrow.”

• FAST FACTS: Devlin will make his return to the INDYCAR SERIES after a year away and his third INDYCAR SERIES start here. Since last being in an INDYCAR in 2023, he has only tested one day at Sebring, but he ranked 11th overall on the combined report. He has made two INDYCAR SERIES starts in St. Pete (2022-2023) where he qualified 18th for both races and finished 22nd in 2022 and 25th in 2023. Prior to that he competed in two INDY NXT races in St. Pete in 2021. He qualified third for both Race 1 and Race 2 and finished 12th in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2. He is optimistic of a strong start in St. Pete.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a good first session. I need to look at the data and look at the video and see where we can improve; I think there are definitely places we can improve. It was good to run the alternate tires for the first time; that was quite insightful for me as a driver. So far, so good. We just need to keep building and working on things and I’m sure we’ll be competitive come Sunday.”

• FAST FACTS: Will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in St. Pete. Since being announced as a driver for the team, he tested at The Thermal Club and Laguna Seca in late 2024 as well as the series open test in Sebring last week. It will be his fifth race in St. Pete and first as an INDYCAR driver. In INDY NXT, Foster started on pole in St. Pete in 2023 and finished 14th and started fourth and earned a third-place podium finish in 2024. Prior to that, he competed in the Indy Pro 2000 doubleheader here in 2022 with a third-place finish in Race 1 and a second-place finish in Race 2. He is looking forward to getting his rookie season started in St. Pete, a track where he has run well… He won eight races en route to the 2024 INDY NXT championship.

NEXT UP:  Practice 2 will take place from 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. ET tomorrow (FS2) and qualifying will take place from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (FS1). The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be televised live on FOX beginning at 12:00 PM ET on Sunday, March 2.