Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: St Petersburg

IndyCar Returns to Florida
Most of the major auto racing organizations begin their seasons here in Florida. A few weeks ago, the IMSA sports car series kicked off their year with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR followed up a couple of weeks later at the same venue with the Daytona 500. This past weekend, IndyCar started 2024 with the Firestone St. Pete Grand Prix on the streets of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg.
I spent last Friday at the track watching the teams prepare and practice for the race on Sunday. This year I was joined by my sister Sherry, who has several friends involved with IndyCar. She enjoyed getting to see some people that she hadn’t seen in a few years.
The start of each season in auto racing is like getting dealt a new hand of playing cards. The cards are rarely the same. So many race teams have different drivers, different sponsors and different color schemes. That’s why it’s good to walk through the garage area to get familiar with the new looks.
The weather was great the entire weekend with the only rain coming overnight on Saturday. The drivers had a beautiful day on Sunday for the race and it led to some great competition. In the end, one of our favorite drivers, Josef Newgarden drove a flawless race and won relatively easily. So 2024 is off to a great start and hopefully the schedule won’t change for 2025 and we’ll be back here next March to kick off another year. Stay tuned.
Josef Newgarden in Turn 1 at the St. Pete Grand Prix – 2024
Here is a link for more information on the race weekend and the final results.
- https://www.indycar.com/News/2024/03/03-11-InstantRecall-StPete
A few more pictures from the weekend are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.
- IndyCar
March 13, 2024
IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix
The IndyCar series rolled into St. Petersburg in early March for their annual street race. It was great to see the 2023 versions of teams and cars. Once again, the beautiful Florida weather cooperated for the three days the teams were here, and record crowds turned out to see the action.
Pato O’Ward on the Front Straight at the St. Pete Grand Prix – 2023
Race day turned out to be a tumultuous affair with several significant crashes. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured but there were a few bruised egos. Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner survived all the chaos for the victory.
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Motorsports
June 16, 2023
IndyCar in St. Petersburg
The NTT IndyCar series kicked off their 2022 season this weekend in St. Petersburg. My friend Art Nadelman joined me for a day at the track on Friday. The weather was amazing, and the cars were FAST! Scott McLaughlin was the winner on Sunday. It was the first IndyCar victory of his career.
Scott McLaughlin on the Front Straight at the St. Pete Grand Prix – 2022
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Motorsports
February 28, 2022
Reddish Egret
One bird that has become a favorite of photographers is a reddish egret. They are acrobatic feeders. There is one that people search for at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. If you find a group of people in the tidal flats, you can generally figure that a reddish egret is the focus of their attention. They typically favor the pools along the beaches created by the receding tide where fish get trapped.
Recently we found one that was fishing shallow inland waters. He was alongside a large flock of white pelicans.
Reddish Egret Watching for Fish
For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Egrets
January 26, 2022
Moon Over the Skyway

This past Monday there was a full “Super” moon. A super moon occurs during the full moon’s closest approach to Earth. As luck would have it, the path of the moonrise allowed for photos of the moon between the spans of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It took a little planning but with some collaboration with about 15 other photographers from around the Tampa Bay area, we were able to get positioned and capture some pretty cool images.
Super Moon Rising Above the Lighted Sunshine Skyway Bridge
It was a hazy evening which added to the challenge. But overall, the weather and the moon cooperated and made for some real fun. The next super moon occurs on May 26 this year.

May 2, 2021
St. Pete Grand Prix
This past weekend the IndyCar series returned to St. Petersburg for the annual Firestone St. Pete Grand Prix. I had the opportunity to attend one of the days and was able to snap some fun photos on a gorgeous day at the track. The event takes place on a temporary street course in downtown St. Petersburg on the shores of Tampa Bay. It’s a beautiful setting and a challenging track for the drivers.
Josef Newgarden Enters Turn 1 at the St. Pete Grand Prix – 2021
With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, we had limited access to some areas, but the reduced spectator numbers made for a very nice experience!
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
- Motorsports
May 1, 2021
Something a Little Different

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to join a group of photographers on an outing sponsored by a local camera store and the Tamron lens company. We went to Fort DeSoto State Park in St. Petersburg before sunrise to take some photos of the Sunshine Skyway bridge. Last year, the bridge was updated with new lighting, and it is beautiful. Unfortunately, clouds spoiled the sunrise, but the bridge was stunning anyway.
The bridge crosses Tampa Bay on interstate 275 right before the bay flows into the Gulf of America. The bridge is over 4 miles long and is tall enough to allow cruise ships and huge cargo ships to pass underneath.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge with Purple Lights Predawn

April 7, 2021

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