Well the good news is you've got a couple of options, but some will cost more than others.
First of all take a look at the track map, as the sweet spots are the straightaways and the first turns into and out of those straightaways. That's when you can see the cars accelerate and enjoy some of the competitive driving around those turns as the racers jockey for position.
Second think about buying tickets for the reserve grandstand, which will range anywhere from $50 to $135 depending on your age and how many days you plan to attend.
For the high rollers, you either already have a nice living space overlooking the water from a high rise in downtown St. Pete and will probably chill out there and throw a little party with your beautiful, high-rollin' friends. If you don't own one of these fine city homes but are in the market get with my man Alex Malagon and he can take care of you.
For those without a home overlooking the event but a nice boat, you can pay almost $10,000 for some space at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and enjoy prime viewing spots on your catamaran while drinking fine champagne and eating all kinds of high-end meats and cheeses. Other VIP options can range from $495 to $25,000 depending on the size of your party and the amenities you desire.
As for those of us back in the real world, here's a few spots I would suggest you try to wiggle your way into.
-- Mahaffey Theater is probably the prime spot. You get the glorious stretch of fairly straight track between Turns 9 and 10, and the view of the parties on the Yacht Club and the view of downtown St. Pete in all its glory.
-- Albert Whitted Park & The Dali Museum gives you Turn 10 and the action on Pit Road. Unfortunately ESPN takes up the prime space at Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge but it's a nice place to go any morning for the view and to see the private planes take off and land. Great breakfast too!
-- Pioneer Park is a nice place to relax and soak in the sun while catching the wild action around the L-shaped area in Turns 7, 8 and 9. There's a good bet plenty of paint will be swapped on this turn.
-- Al Lang Stadium may give you the best of both worlds as you can watch half the race down the straight away between Turns 3 and 4 as the cars zip down 1st
Street SE and watch the other half at the short angle on the stretch between turns 9 and 10.
Happy race weekend St. Petersburg!
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