Although it is still a month off, preparations are underway for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The prestigious IndyCar race will zip by our city’s landmarks (such as the Dali museum, Progress Energy Center for the Arts and Albert Whitted Airport) at breakneck speed from March 22-24. Expect marquee drivers like Helio Castroneves (last year’s winner), Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti.

Today, construction began on the 1.8-mile course. It will take 35 days to build and will utilize over 250 construction workers in the process. In terms of materials, more than 20,000 feet of steel-reinforced concrete blocks, 44,000 feet of chain-link fencing and over 12,000 tires will be used to make this a reality. There will be five car paddocks and eight grandstands for spectators.

The Honda Grand Prix is the opening race for the IZOD IndyCar Series and is the only appearance IndyCar will make in Florida throughout its 19 stops around the U.S., Canada and Brazil. Tickets are still available to this high-speed event, which organizers are billing as the “World’s Fastest Spring Break Party!”