IndyCar Series's season-opener in St. Petersburg? Settled by tire strategy. IndyCar's second race of the year at The Thermal Club: Tire strategy. The upcoming third race at Long Beach? It could be more of the same.Firestone has delivered on the series’ request to widen the performance gap between its harder...

Think of The Thermal Club’s track surface as the ‘Coachella Valley Cheese Grater.’ No circuit on the IndyCar Series’ calendar shreds tires at a faster rate than the sharp aggregate found at the private Southern California road course, and the trend will continue this weekend as the facility hosts its...