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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 21, 2003
While the local Sunshine Speedway has been an anchor of racing in St. Petersburg, here is a recap on some of the Grand Prix's notable forerunners:
YEARS: 1985-90.
CAR TYPE: Trans-Am series.
NOTABLE: Harold J. Kelley was the original event director but left in 1987 to start the Tampa World Challenge race. The competing events did each other in after their 1990 races. . . . The races encircled St. Petersburg's waterfront near the Bayfront Center, creating noise about which many business owners and residents complained. . . . The Sports Car Club of America was the sanctioning body. . . . Willy T. Ribbs led wire-to-wire in winning the inaugural race in 1985. Other winners were Pete Halsmer (1986), Scott Pruett (1987), Walter Roehrl (1988), Irv Hoerr (1989) and Chris Kneifel (1990). . . . Kneifel now is chief steward for the Champ Cars. . . . The 1985 event lost $2.3-million but moved into the black in 1987. . . . Driver Jim Fitzgerald, 65, a teammate of actor/racer Paul Newman, was killed when he crashed in the 1987 race. He was the winningest driver in Sports Car Club of America history.
YEARS: 1996-97.
CAR TYPE: Trans-Am series.
NOTABLE: Tom Begley, one of the lead organizers of the CART race this year, bought the assets of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in bankruptcy court and resurrected the race. . . . The Sports Car Club of America was the sanctioning body. . . . The course covered 1.6 miles around Tropicana Field, then called the ThunderDome. . . . The 1996 event drew about 76,000 fans over three days. Attendance dropped to 74,000 in '97, though the race-day crowd of 36,000 was bigger than '96. . . . Ron Fellows won the 1996 race, and Tommy Kendall won in '97. . . . After losing title sponsor Kash n' Karry, International Management Group pulled the plug before the 1998 race.