Firestone becomes new title sponsor for St. Pete GP - MotorSportsTalk

IndyCar’s season-opening event in St. Petersburg, Florida will now be backed by its tire manufacturer, Firestone. A multi-year deal was announced this morning by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg promoters Green Savoree St. Petersburg.

Firestone also sponsors IndyCar’s summer event at Texas Motor Speedway, the Firestone 600. One month ago, Honda relinquished its sponsorship at St. Pete in a decision that apparently surprised race president Tim Ramsberger. Honda had been the race’s title sponsor since its first running under Indy Racing League/IndyCar sanction in 2005.

In a statement released today, Ramsberger sounded a lot happier.

“Firestone has been a first-rate sponsor of our event for the past nine years, and we can only express gratitude for having a partner who understands the value of our event,” he said. “It speaks volumes about Firestone and what we have built with all of our partners in our wonderful community.”

“Motorsports is an integral part of the Firestone brand marketing efforts and the entitlement sponsorship of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg aligns perfectly with our plans,” said Bridgestone Americas Motorsports director Lisa Boggs in her own statement.

“Our commitment to the race is a reflection of our longstanding relationship with Green Savoree and the terrific St. Petersburg community and fans. We are proud to have the Firestone name on this outstanding event.”

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set to open IndyCar’s 2014 calendar on March 28-30, 2014. Tickets for the race will go on sale Dec. 1.

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With three multiple winners now vying for the championship, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

Chase Sexton earned his second victory of the season in Detroit when Aaron Plessinger fell on the final lap. Though he was penalized seven points for disobeying a flag, Sexton is third in the championship race. The Honda rider trails leader Cooper Webb (two victories) by 17 points, and defending series champion Eli Tomac (five wins) is three points behind Webb in second with seven races remaining.

Tomac won last year in Seattle on the way to his second season title.

Honda riders have a Supercross-leading 20 victories in the Seattle event but none at Lumen Field since Justin Barcia in 2013. Tomac and Barcia are the only past 450 Seattke winners entered in Saturday’s event.

Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 11 of the 2023 Supercross season in Seattle:

(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 11 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock with a re-air Monday at 1 a.m. ET on CNBC. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race. Click here for the full schedule.

POINTS STANDINGS: 450 division l 250 division

ENTRY LISTS: 450 division l 250 division

EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Here are the start times for Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:

4:50 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:35 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
6:25 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:40 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:55 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
8:10 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
10:06 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:20 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:54 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:28 a.m.: 450SX Main Event