2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

IndyCar race held in St. Petersburg, Florida February 2025 USA Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg street & airport racing circuit.svg Layout of the Streets of St. Petersburg circuit April 2 2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2nd IndyCar St. Petersburg Street Circuit, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States Temporary street circuit 1.800 2.897 100 180.000 289.682 82 F, sunny Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing 1:02.2753 GBR Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 1:03.5842 71 BRA Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Brazil Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing NZL Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Brazil 2005 2007 The 2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was an IRL IndyCar Series open-wheel race that was held on April 2, 2006, on a temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the second round of the 2006 IRL IndyCar Series and the third running of the event. Hélio Castroneves, driving for Team Penske, won the 100-lap race. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon finished second, and Tony Kanaan came in third for Andretti Green Racing. Dario Franchitti won the pole position and led the first fourteen laps, but retired early due to mechanical issues. Dixon inherited the lead and held onto it for 26 of the next 28 laps until an issue with the front wing slightly slowed his performance. Throughout the second half of the race, Castroneves was a dominant factor, leading a race-high 40 laps. Dixon was looking to challenge Castroneves for the win after his final pit stop, but a caution with less than five laps to go ruined his strategy and handed the victory to Castroneves, the eighth of his IndyCar Series career. There were eight lead changes amongst five different drivers, and two cautions which slowed the race for eleven laps. Due to the win, Castroneves also took the Drivers' Championship lead, while Dan Wheldon, who crashed under caution, fell to third. Dixon also improved to second. Background 2006 IndyCar Series#Teams and drivers left|thumb|250x250px|The St. Petersburg Street Circuit (pictured in 2012), where the race was held. The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was confirmed to be on the Indy Racing League (IRL)'s 2006 schedule in September 2005.Lewandowski Dave September 13, 2005 Shorter IndyCar Series 2006 schedule still long on scintillating action http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=5437 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051214160605/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=5437 December 14, 2005 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com It was the second of 14 scheduled races for 2006, the third edition of the event (dating back to 2003), and the only street circuit race of the season.September 13, 2005 IRL: 2006 schedule announced https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-2006-schedule-announced/2071086/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250730025753/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-2006-schedule-announced/2071086/ July 30, 2025 August 1, 2025 Motorsport.com It took place on Sunday, April 2, 2006, in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, on a 1.8 mi km on, fourteen-turn street circuit, and was contested over 100 laps and 180 mi km off.Lewandowski Dave March 30, 2006 E ticket ride http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6225 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060524153520/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6225 May 24, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.comIRL: St. Pete: Firestone preview https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-st-pete-firestone-preview-2008-03-27/2079603/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250114111032/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-st-pete-firestone-preview-2008-03-27/2079603/ January 14, 2025 August 1, 2025 Motorsport.com Dan Wheldon was the defending race winner.Lewandowski Dave March 29, 2006 Click 4 preview http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6216 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060427013728/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6216 April 27, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com Heading into the event, Wheldon obtained the Drivers' Championship lead with 50 points, ahead of Hélio Castroneves with 40 points and Sam Hornish Jr. with 38 points. Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon rounded out the top five, with 32 and 30 points, respectively.March 26, 2006 OFFICIAL BOX SCORE http://www.indycar.com/stats/boxscores/2006/homestead_03262006.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060516051515/http://www.indycar.com/stats/boxscores/2006/homestead_03262006.pdf May 16, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com Two days after the series' previous round at Homestead–Miami Speedway, the drivers took to the track's 2.21 mi km on road course configuration for an open testing session.January 12, 2006 One-day tests added to schedule http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=5860 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060524150637/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=5860 May 24, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com Castroneves lapped the quickest time of 1 minute and 10.5399 seconds, ahead of teammate Hornish Jr., Bryan Herta, Tony Kanaan, and Marco Andretti.March 28, 2006 IPS: IRL: Homestead/Sebring test notes 2006-03-28 https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/ips-irl-homestead-sebring-test-notes-2006-03-28/2079467/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250114171520/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/ips-irl-homestead-sebring-test-notes-2006-03-28/2079467/ January 14, 2025 August 1, 2025 Motorsport.com Interestingly, veteran road course driver Roberto Moreno drove the No. Car Number 20 entry for Vision Racing during the session, as Ed Carpenter was not cleared to race at St. Petersburg.March 28, 2006 Castroneves tops road-course test http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6222 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017151621/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6222 October 17, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com He was fifteenth quickest in the session.March 29, 2006 Carpenter denied St. Pete return https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/carpenter-denied-st-pete-return-4401451/4401451/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230531170946/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/carpenter-denied-st-pete-return-4401451/4401451/ May 31, 2023 August 1, 2025 Autosport.com Later that day, Vision Racing announced that Moreno would fill in for Carpenter in the race, marking his first start in American open-wheel racing since 2003.March 28, 2006 Moreno sits in for Carpenter at St. Pete http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6217 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017151028/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6217 October 17, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com IndyCar Series drivers and teams continued mourning Paul Dana, who died on the morning of March 26 following a crash during the warmup session at Homestead. A memorial service was held at the Mahaffey Theater on Thursday, March 30, to celebrate the life of Dana, who was described as passionate and tenacious by Rahal Letterman Racing spokesman Tom Blatter.Lewandowski Dave March 30, 2006 A celebration of Dana's life http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6235 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060524153534/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6235 May 24, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com Dana's teammates, Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick, called Dana a nice person who was ecstatic following his qualifying result at Homestead. While Patrick admitted that she was surprised to learn of Dana's signing, she and Rice defended Dana from his critics and insisted that he belonged in the IndyCar Series.Beer Matt March 29, 2006 Rahal drivers defend Dana https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/rahal-drivers-defend-dana-4401432/4401432/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20240715220049/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/rahal-drivers-defend-dana-4401432/4401432/ July 15, 2024 August 1, 2025 Autosport.com Out of respect for Dana and his family, Rahal Letterman Racing had withdrawn their No. Car Number 17 entry for the race at St. Petersburg. They planned to announce a replacement driver in the near future.March 28, 2006 Rice, Patrick mourn teammate Dana http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6218 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060408193534/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6218 April 8, 2006 August 1, 2025 IndyCar.com Practice and qualifying thumb|314x314px|Dario Franchitti (pictured in 2011) broke the track record and won the pole position. Three practice sessions preceded the race on Sunday; the first two sessions were held on Friday, and the final session was held on Saturday.IPS: IRL: St. Pete: Round two preview, schedule https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/ips-irl-st-pete-round-two-preview-schedule/2079587/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250801234602/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/ips-irl-st-pete-round-two-preview-schedule/2079587/ August 1, 2025 August 1, 2025 Motorsport.com Unlike the oval races, practice played a crucial part in determining the starting grid on road course events. All entries were permitted to put down laps during the initial 120-minute session on Friday morning, which would determine the two groups for the next two pre-qualifying sessions, both of which were split into 30 minutes for each group. The driver with the fastest overall lap on Friday would decide whether the single-lap qualifying order will proceed with the fastest driver first and the slowest driver last, or invert the qualifying order. The first practice session on Friday morning was led by Dixon, who set a time of 1 minute and 2.9515 seconds.Lewandowski Dave March 31, 2006 Practice progress http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6240 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017155126/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6240 October 17, 2006 August 2, 2025 IndyCar.com Castroneves, Franchitti, Kanaan, and Hornish Jr. were second through fifth.Olson Jeff March 31, 2006 Franchitti fastest in St. Pete practice https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-fastest-in-st-pete-practice-4401345/4401345/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240723201213/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-fastest-in-st-pete-practice-4401345/4401345/ July 23, 2024 August 2, 2025 Autosport.com The only red flag of the session was issued twenty minutes after it began, when Moreno's car lost power on the thirteenth turn.March 31, 2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Daily Trackside Report -- March 31 http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6246 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017152002/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6246 October 17, 2006 July 11, 2025 IndyCar.com Franchitti went on to set the fastest lap of the second session and the overall day, with a time of 1 minute and 2.7967 seconds. Dixon was second, Kanaan third, Rice fourth, and Kosuke Matsuura fifth.Lewandowski Dave March 31, 2006 Franchitti's choice http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6242 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060408193542/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6242 April 8, 2006 August 2, 2025 IndyCar.com As a result, Franchitti was given the responsibility to decide the qualifying order on Saturday. During this practice session, Eddie Cheever and Andretti collided in turn four, causing Andretti's car to go airborne for a brief moment and crash into the tire barriers. Hornish Jr. would also crash into the tire barriers almost an hour later in turn eight. None of the drivers were injured. Franchitti continued showcasing his speed during the final practice session on Saturday morning, setting the fastest time of the weekend thus far at 1 minute and 2.1850 seconds, ahead of Castroneves, Dixon, Kanaan, and Herta.April 1, 2006 Record outlook http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6248 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060427013423/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6248 April 27, 2006 August 2, 2025 IndyCar.com P. J. Chesson crashed into the barriers in turn six, and was able to drive back to pit road. Tomas Scheckter later made contact with the turn twelve barriers and spun in the next corner. He and Chesson were both uninjured in their separate crashes.April 1, 2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Daily Trackside Report - April 1 http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6257 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017152607/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6257 October 17, 2006 July 11, 2025 IndyCar.com Qualifying was held on Saturday at 1:45 PM local time, and lasted for 90 minutes. All nineteen drivers were required to make one lap in their qualifying attempt. The fastest six drivers in the first round would advance to the next round, named the "Firestone Fast Six", which was a ten-minute, European-style session that determined the first three rows of the starting grid. The first round of qualifying was run without incident, and Franchitti, the last car in the qualifying order, set the fastest lap of the round with a time of 1 minute and 2.5314 seconds. He and Kanaan, Hornish Jr., Dixon, Castroneves, and Herta set the six fastest laps and advanced to the Firestone Fast Six.Lewandowski Dave April 1, 2006 Street cred http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6254 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060408193551/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6254 April 8, 2006 August 2, 2025 IndyCar.com Under ambient temperatures of 82 F C on, Franchitti scored the pole position for the third time in his IndyCar Series career and broke the track record set by Herta the year prior with a time of 1 minute and 2.2753 seconds. It was also Franchitti's first pole position at a non-oval track circuit. Dixon started alongside Franchitti in second, and Kanaan, Hornish Jr., and Castroneves took the third, fourth, and fifth starting posiions, respectively. Herta, Rice, Scheckter, Matsuura, and Andretti rounded out the top ten, and Moreno, Vítor Meira, Wheldon, Patrick, Scott Sharp, Felipe Giaffone, Cheever, and Chesson filled out the rest of the starting grid.Olson Jeff April 1, 2006 Franchitti grabs St. Pete pole https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-grabs-st-pete-pole-4401293/4401293/ August 2, 2025 Autosport.com Qualifying classification KeyMeaningorange R silverRookiegold W silverPast winner Pos Position No. Car Number Driver Team Chassis R1 Time Lap time recorded during first-round qualifying R2 Time Best lap time recorded during Firestone Fast Six Finalgrid Final starting grid position for race 127 GBR Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing Dallara1:02.53141:02.27531 29 NZL Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz1:02.77471:02.59512 311 BRA Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara1:02.67781:02.61273 46 USA Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Team Penske Dallara1:02.73101:02.67584 53 BRA Hélio Castroneves Marlboro Team Penske Dallara1:02.80561:02.74825 67 USA Bryan Herta Andretti Green Racing Dallara1:03.16941:02.87746 715 USA Buddy Rice Rahal Letterman Racing Panoz1:03.5648—7 82 ZAF Tomas Scheckter Vision Racing Dallara1:03.7143—8 955 JAP Kosuke Matsuura Super Aguri Fernández Racing Dallara1:03.8033—9 1026 USA Marco Andretti orange R silver Andretti Green Racing Dallara1:03.8853—10 1120 BRA Roberto Moreno Vision Racing Dallara1:03.9455—11 124 BRA Vítor Meira Panther Racing Dallara1:04.0206—12 1310 GBR Dan Wheldon gold W silver Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz1:04.0267—13 1416 USA Danica Patrick Rahal Letterman Racing Panoz1:04.4436—14 158 USA Scott Sharp Delphi Fernández Racing Dallara1:04.8588—15 1614 BRA Felipe Giaffone A. J. Foyt Racing Dallara1:05.3845—16 1751 USA Eddie Cheever Cheever Racing Dallara1:05.5475—17 185 USA Buddy Lazier Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara1:06.2425—18 1991 USA P. J. Chesson orange R silver Hemelgarn Racing Dallara1:08.8266—19 Official qualifying results Warm-up The drivers took to the track at 10:15 AM local time on Sunday for a 30-minute warm-up session. Franchitti continued his near flawless weekend by setting the fast time at 1 minute and 3.6419 seconds, ahead of Wheldon, Dixon, Kanaan, and Castroneves.April 2, 2006 IRL: St. Pete: Final practice times https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-st-pete-final-practice-times/2079911/ August 2, 2025 Motorsport.com However, Franchitti experienced his first setback of the weekend with nine minutes remaining when he crashed into the tire barriers in turn eight after Matsuura had already crashed at the same spot.April 3, 2006 To veterans, crowd recalls glory days in streets https://books.google.com/books?id=2OpRAAAAIBAJ&dq=helio+castroneves+st+petersburg&pg=PA41 August 4, 2025 St. Petersburg Times 41 After the crash, Franchitti's team replaced the broken piece of his car,April 2, 2006 Franchitti Suffers Suspension Failure at Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg http://www.andrettigreenracing.com/02_DF_Race.cfm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060504235714/http://www.andrettigreenracing.com/02_DF_Race.cfm May 4, 2006 August 3, 2025 AndrettiGreenRacing.com while Matsuura's team was able to repair his broken suspension, sidepod, and undertray.Lewandowski Dave April 2, 2006 Wheldon's rough day ends early http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6261 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060404224913/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6261 April 4, 2006 August 4, 2025 IndyCar.com Race The race was held on Sunday, April 2, at 3:45 PM local time. Television coverage of the race began at 3:30 PM local time on ESPN, with Marty Reid serving as the play-by-play commentator and Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear serving as race analysts.Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg http://www.indycar.com/schedule/?event_id=49 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060426101835/http://www.indycar.com/schedule/?event_id=49 April 26, 2006 August 3, 2025 IndyCar.comLewandowski Dave March 24, 2006 Broadcast team prepares for 'show time' http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6169 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017155133/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6169 October 17, 2006 August 3, 2025 IndyCar.com Race conditions were dry and relatively hot, with air temperatures reaching a peak of 82.4 F C on.Weather History for Saint Petersburg, FL on April 2, 2006 https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/FL/Saint%20Petersburg/2006-04-02 August 3, 2025 Almanac.com Gene Simmons gave the command for drivers to start their engines, and all nineteen cars rolled off of pit road to begin the race.April 3, 2006 How the race unfolded https://books.google.com/books?id=2OpRAAAAIBAJ&dq=helio+castroneves+st+petersburg&pg=PA41&article_id=5598,3649333 August 4, 2025 St. Petersburg Times 41 Most of the grid maintained their starting positions in the opening laps of the race, with the exception of Rice, who passed Herta for sixth. Wheldon, who qualified a disappointing 13th,April 1, 2006 Saturday 01 April 2006 - Wheldon to Start 13th in Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg http://www.danwheldon.com/news.cfm/title/Wheldon%20to%20Start%2013th%20in%20Honda%20Grand%20Prix%20of%20St.%20Petersburg/flag/2/id/185 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061030124223/http://www.danwheldon.com/news.cfm/title/Wheldon%20to%20Start%2013th%20in%20Honda%20Grand%20Prix%20of%20St.%20Petersburg/flag/2/id/185 October 30, 2006 August 4, 2025 DanWheldon.com was climbing his way up through the field when on lap 7, he made contact with the right-front wheel of Andretti's car in turn two, which nearly sent Wheldon spinning.April 2, 2006 Sunday 02 April 2006 - Wheldon's Day Ends Early in Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg http://www.danwheldon.com/news.cfm/title/Wheldon%27%27s%20Day%20Ends%20Early%20in%20Honda%20Grand%20Prix%20of%20St.%20Petersburg/flag/2/id/186 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061030124126/http://www.danwheldon.com/news.cfm/title/Wheldon%27%27s%20Day%20Ends%20Early%20in%20Honda%20Grand%20Prix%20of%20St.%20Petersburg/flag/2/id/186 October 30, 2006 August 4, 2025 DanWheldon.com St. Petersburg, Florida He recovered, though he lost some positions. thumb|293x293px|Hélio Castroneves (pictured in 2015) won the race with a well-timed pit strategy. On the 15th lap, problems arose for Franchitti, who had led every single lap up to this point when he reported damage to the right side of his suspension and slowed down in turn five to allow the other drivers to pass by him. Franchitti was forced to retire from the race due to these issues, becoming the race's first retiree. Franchitti later said that he first noticed the problem on the fifth lap, but he persevered for the next ten laps. Wheldon simultaneously entered pit road for new tires due to his contact with Andretti. Dixon, who was running in the second position, capitalized on Franchitti's misfortune and maintained a three-second lead over Kanaan. While no cautions were issued throughout the first half of the race, a close call occurred in the final corner on lap 28, when Moreno's front nose made contact with Meira's right-rear tire. Moreno pitted five laps later with a damaged suspension and retired from the race. Green-flag pit stops began on lap 33 when Kanaan entered pit road for four tires and fuel. Dixon pitted three laps later and was one of the last drivers to pit.April 2, 2006 Dixon overcomes broken wing for runner-up finish http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6267 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060426102044/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6267 April 26, 2006 August 4, 2025 IndyCar.com After Hornish Jr. led two laps, he entered pit road and gave up the lead to Dixon, who rejoined the track in the second position.April 2, 2006 SAM FINISHES P8 IN ST. PETERSBURG http://www.samhornish.com/HTML/News/Detail.php?ID=210 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060518011911/http://www.samhornish.com/HTML/News/Detail.php?ID=210 May 18, 2006 August 4, 2025 SamHornish.com However, Dixon began experiencing issues with his front wing, which was rubbing against his left-front tire. Castroneves would soon take advantage of the situation and overtake Dixon for the lead on lap 45. Kanaan remained third, not far behind the two leaders. Castroneves experienced minor troubles getting by slower cars, such as Giaffone and Sharp, but held onto the race lead ahead of Dixon and Kanaan. The first caution was issued on lap 53 when Chesson locked up the brakes and stalled in turn ten. Chesson subsequently retired from the race. As most of the leaders entered pit road, Castroneves gave up the race lead to Rice, who stayed out, while Wheldon improved his position from tenth to fourth (of the drivers who pitted). Wheldon exited pit road ahead of Hornish Jr. but paced behind him on the track, and IndyCar chief steward Brian Barnhart ordered Wheldon ahead of Hornish Jr. As Wheldon attempted to pass Hornish Jr., his car suddenly jerked left and made contact with Wheldon, spinning him out.Sumers Brian April 3, 2006 Bad brakes leave Hornish pondering what-ifs https://books.google.com/books?id=2OpRAAAAIBAJ&q=wheldon&pg=PA39 August 4, 2025 St. Petersburg Times 39 Wheldon was eventually able to get his car restarted, but he had sustained enough damage to the rear suspension to take him out of the race. Andretti also retired from the race, citing a broken drive shaft as the reason for the second consecutive race. He had been running just outside the top ten prior to the retirement.April 2, 2006 IRL: St. Pete: Marco Andretti race report https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-st-pete-marco-andretti-race-report/2079983/ August 4, 2025 Motorsport.com Three laps after the race's restart on lap 60, Castroneves passed Patrick, Herta, and Rice to retain the first position. Rice and Herta later pitted on lap 69, in hopes of an incident-free finish so that the leaders would be forced to pit one last time. Patrick and Hornish Jr., utilizing the same strategy as Rice and Herta, pitted a handful of laps later in what was their final pit stops of the race. Meanwhile, Castroneves and Dixon, the latter of whom had to persist through issues with his front wing and radio communications, remained in the first and second positions, respectively, and stretched out their fuel as long as they could.April 3, 2006 Grand Prix https://books.google.com/books?id=2OpRAAAAIBAJ&q=scheckter&pg=PA41 August 4, 2025 St. Petersburg Times 41 With eighteen laps to go, Hornish Jr. was running solidly in ninth when his car suddenly locked up the brakes entering turn ten. Hornish Jr. luckily slowed his car enough to complete the turn, but he had lost several crucial positions in the process. Unfortunately, Hornish Jr.'s brake issues only intensified in the coming laps, as his car drove into the run-off area in turn four on lap 85. Two laps later, Castroneves entered pit road for the final time for a splash of fuel, giving up the lead to Dixon. With the finish rapidly approaching, Dixon no longer tried to save his fuel and attempted to gain a large enough gap from second position so that he could remain in contention for the win, even after his final pit stop. His strategy was initially successful, as he had gained a 15-second lead over Castroneves by the time he entered pit road for fuel on lap 95. Additionally, when Dixon rejoined the track, he placed himself in between Castroneves (now in first) and Kanaan (in third), meaning that he was in a perfect position to overtake Castroneves for the win. However, Dixon's strategy was ultimately hindered when Rice and Scheckter, who was running in fourth, made contact in turn four, sending Scheckter airborne and into the tire barriers on lap 96.Lewandowski Dave April 2, 2006 'I drove like I stole it' http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6266 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060408193557/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6266 April 8, 2006 July 11, 2025 IndyCar.com The final four laps of the race were run under caution, and Castroneves was scored as the race's victor. Dixon finished second, and Kanaan third. Herta, Meira, Patrick, Matsuura, Hornish Jr., Giaffone, Sharp, and Cheever took positions three through eleven, and were the last of the classified finishers.2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2006_Honda_Grand_Prix_of_St._Petersburg/O live https://web.archive.org/web/20250525053009/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2006_Honda_Grand_Prix_of_St._Petersburg/O May 25, 2025 August 4, 2025 Racing-Reference.info Castroneves' win was the eighth of his IndyCar Series career, his first of the season, and his first win on a road course. Prior to this, Castroneves had never even finished an IRL-sanctioned race on a road course.Olson Jeff April 2, 2006 First IRL road win for Castroneves https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/first-irl-road-win-for-castroneves-4401261/4401261/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250804200615/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/first-irl-road-win-for-castroneves-4401261/4401261/ August 4, 2025 August 4, 2025 Autosport.com Post-race After the race, Castroneves commenced his usual victory celebration of climbing the catch fence before driving to victory lane. He earned $125,800 in race winnings. Castroneves was happy with the result and described his thoughts leading up to the finish: "Everyone was telling me, ‘Go for it. Go for it.’ I drove it like I stole it. You know, it was awesome. We didn't have many yellows, which made a very intense race probably for three of us. That was fun until I got the lead. I was like, 'OK, you guys better back off.' But they never did." Dixon, who finished second, lamented about his race performance: "The first stint we were consistently quicker, I think. We were running fairly lean. The car was doing good lap times. Once we got to the second set of tires, and about the fourth, fifth lap, it just started to fall off. It got worse and worse over that run. That’s when (Castroneves) started to catch me; I got traffic. I think with a good front wing, we would have been pretty solid. I just couldn’t turn right." Third-place finisher Kanaan was content with his result: "I believe we had a third place car today and we finished third. I think the guys that finished ahead of us deserved to finish where they finished, so I'm pretty happy."April 2, 2006 An Interview With Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon And Tony Kanaan http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6272 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060426102048/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6272 April 26, 2006 August 4, 2025 IndyCar.com After several years of missteps, the event was considered a success. It marked the first time in over a decade that a motor race was held at St. Petersburg, Florida for two consecutive years. The corporate suites were completely sold out, and grandstands were packed with fans. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker also attended the race, and was bombarded with requests for autographs and pictures.Weimar Carrie April 3, 2006 Who won the race? The city, mayor says https://books.google.com/books?id=2OpRAAAAIBAJ&q=success&pg=PA5 August 4, 2025 St. Petersburg Times 5 Kanaan also praised the atmosphere of the event and revealed that Hornish Jr., who was primarily successful on oval tracks, told him that "[IndyCar] should have more races like that." Due to the fans' support of the event, the IRL announced on April 1 that the event would return to the series' schedule in 2007.Lewandowski Dave April 1, 2006 April 1 announced for third Honda GP of St. Pete http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6251 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061017154327/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6251 October 17, 2006 August 4, 2025 IndyCar.com For the first time since September 2003, Castroneves led the Drivers' Championship as a result of his win; he earned a total of 93 points.Lewandowski Dave April 3, 2006 Welcome sights http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6274 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060426102124/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=6274 April 26, 2006 August 4, 2025 IndyCar.com Dixon also improved his position in the standings from fifth to second with 70 points. Wheldon gained 64 points and suffered a blow to his position, falling to third due to his poor finish. Hornish Jr. had two less than Wheldon and was placed fourth, while Kanaan climbed six positions in the standings and grabbed fifth with 54 points. Race classification Pos Position No. Car Number Driver Team Chassis Laps Time/Retired Grid Laps Led Pts. Points 13 BRA Hélio Castroneves Marlboro Team Penske Dallara10001:56:57.5172540531 1 29 NZL Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz100+0.138623640 311 BRA Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara100+0.62843035 47 USA Bryan Herta Andretti Green Racing Dallara100+0.78136032 54 BRA Vítor Meira Panther Racing Dallara100+2.599512030 616 USA Danica Patrick Rahal Letterman Racing Panoz100+3.043314028 755 JAP Kosuke Matsuura Super Aguri Fernández Racing Dallara100+52.71729026 86 USA Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Team Penske Dallara99+1 Lap4224 914 BRA Felipe Giaffone A. J. Foyt Racing Dallara99+1 Lap16022 108 USA Scott Sharp Delphi Fernández Racing Dallara99+1 Lap15020 1151 USA Eddie Cheever Cheever Racing Dallara99+1 Lap17019 122 ZAF Tomas Scheckter Vision Racing Dallara96Accident8018 1315 USA Buddy Rice Rahal Letterman Racing Panoz96Accident7817 145 USA Buddy Lazier Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara59Handling18016 1526 USA Marco Andretti orange R silver Andretti Green Racing Dallara58Mechanical10015 1610 GBR Dan Wheldon gold W silver Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz57Accident13014 1791 USA P. J. Chesson orange R silver Hemelgarn Racing Dallara55Handling19013 1820 BRA Roberto Moreno Vision Racing Dallara32Handling11012 1927 GBR Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing Dallara15Handling11412Fastest lap: BRA Tony Kanaan (Andretti Green Racing) - 1:03.5842 (lap 71) Official race results Notes 1 1 — Includes three bonus points for leading the most laps.101: Points Breakdown http://www.indycar.com/tech/101/points.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090223192408/http://www.indycar.com/tech/101/points.php February 23, 2009 October 6, 2025 IndyCar.com Championship standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Position Driver Points10px|alt=Unchanged 11 BRA Hélio Castroneves 9310px|alt=Unchanged 32 NZL Scott Dixon 70 (–23)10px|alt=Unchanged 23 GBR Dan Wheldon 64 (–29)10px|alt=Unchanged 14 USA Sam Hornish Jr. 62 (–31)10px|alt=Unchanged 65 BRA Tony Kanaan 54 (–39) Source:Stats: 2006 Driver Point Standings http://www.indycar.com/stats/points.php?statYear=2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060410144211/http://www.indycar.com/stats/points.php?statYear=2006 April 10, 2006 August 24, 2025 IndyCar.com Note: Only the top five positions are included. References Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2006 2006 Toyota Indy 300 2006 Indy Japan 300 2005 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 2007 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Category:Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Category:April 2006 sports events in the United States Category:2000s in St. Petersburg, Florida