Video: See the Massive Lap 1 IndyCar Crash from Opener at St. Petersburg

IndyCar officials are likely hoping the start of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season was not a precursor of things to come over the course of the 17-race 2023 campaign.

The series didn’t even get past Turn 3 of Sunday’s opening lap of the Firestone Grand Prix on the Streets of St. Petersburg temporary street course layout before a massive multi-car crash involved one-quarter of the 27 cars on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile track.

The good news was the 27 cars on the starting grid marked a record starting field for the opening race of any season in IndyCar history.

But then came the bad news.

Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon inadvertently tapped wheels with his best friend in the series, Felix Rosenqvist, in Turn 2, triggering a brutal eight-car crash that included Meyer Shank Racing teammates Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves, as well as Santino Ferrucci, Devlin DeFrancesco, Sting Ray Robb and Benjamin Pedersen.

“Felix is my best friend and I feel really sad we made contact there,” Dixon said. “I honestly thought it was clear and felt just a smooth rub and then saw in the mirror that the traffic backed up and I figured it must have been a slightly bigger hit for him. I feel bad for Felix. We never want to see that.”