ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Al Unser III will return to a street course for the first time since 2006 today on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla in the Ethos forEarth car No.21 in the Firestone Indy Lights series.

“I love to turn right,” says Al Unser III, who is coming off a solid 13th place finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedwayast week. “Street courses are a lot of fun, and there aren’t many venues as cool as St. Petersburg for both the drivers and
the fans.”

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is run along the coast of the Tampa Bay, which makes for a unique fan experience both at the track, and in High Definition at home.

“All of the Firestone Indy Lights races are going to be aired HD this year, and that’s going to be especially exciting for fans watching at home,” says Susan Schafer, co-owner of PDR. “St. Petersburg is one of my favorite races, and I’m excited that so many people are going to have the chance to view the race in a way that makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action.”

The St. Petersburg race really reflects our race team’s personality,” says Gary Sallee, co-owner of PDR. “We like to bring the attitude of the beach to every race track, which is to work hard, and play hard. We feel right at home in St. Pete, so I’m looking forward to a solid finish for the Ethos for Earth car.”

Al Unser III will have to make his way around the 1.8 mile 14 turn street course for the first time at 9:30a.m., when the Firestone Indy Lights cars take the track for the first morning practice.

“Street courses are really cool because it gives people the chance to see how fast we really do go,” says Unser III. “We’re driving through intersections with stop lights, and going across streets that the people of St. Petersburg are usually driving on every day. The most exciting part of watching these cars out there is the cornering speed. It’s not every day that you see race cars taking turns around your block at over 100mph.”