The IndyCar Afterburn: Phoenix 2026

Today’s theme music: “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World

It’s been a huge weekend for open-wheel racing on both sides of the Pacific Rim. While Formula One kicked off a new season and a new era at the Australian Grand Prix, IndyCar used a joint weekend with NASCAR to visit hallowed ground. No track in the Western United States has ever hosted more American championship open-wheel races than Phoenix Raceway, and after eight years away, the series returned to the one-mile dogleg oval with the Phoenix 250.

With the track reconfigured and the cars now carrying aeroscreens and hybrid power units, this old haunt was a whole new ballgame compared to 2018. The result was an absolute heater of a race with record-breaking amounts of overtaking on track and an unpredictable saga unfolding throughout. So without further ado, let’s get into the ups, downs, and all-arounds from Saturday’s Copper State clash.

Newgarden plants his flag

On a weekend where Team Penske celebrated 60 years of racing competition, Josef Newgarden gave the team a ton to celebrate. After qualifying on the front row, he ran well throughout the day, and when a late caution arrived, that meant he was in prime position to throw on one last set of brand-new tires. When the green flag flew again, Newgarden put on a masterclass in traffic navigation, rocketing the #2 up from 10th past contender after contender until he took the lead for the second time that day on lap 244 and never gave it back, sealing race win number 33 of his illustrious career and consecutive wins eight years apart at this track.

The result also makes three wins out of the last five IndyCar races for Team Penske and two out of three for Newgarden personally. Love them or hate them, this team is back to winning ways, and their return to form will have massive championship implications going forward.

Kirkwood hangs on for second

For the second straight race, Kyle Kirkwood emerged in the back half as a threat to win, and this time, he got a trophy for his efforts. The Floridian led 47 laps, many of which came while managing older tires than the drivers trying to chase him down. With nine to go and a nice move up the inside, he snatched the lead back one last time, and while Newgarden ultimately got the better of things, Kirkwood avoided a repeat of his home race dropoff and came home with the silver.

Even with Andretti signing Will Power over the offseason, Kirkwood hasn’t been delayed a second so far in his ascent to the top of the team’s pecking order. If he keeps putting himself in good positions, even bigger rewards are sure to follow.

Malukas earns steak lunch

It’s fast becoming tradition that, at the second race of the season, a talented driver getting his big shot with a top team takes his first trophy in new colors. Last year, it was Christian Lundgaard for McLaren, and this time, it was David Malukas’s turn. Friday’s qualifying was a huge breakthrough for Lil Dave, as after several near-misses in oval qualifying last year, he finally made a time stick at the top to earn his first career pole position. Malukas then proceeded to lead the opening 73 laps, a long enough distance that he came away with maximum bonus points, then overcome a stumble out of his pit box in the midgame to hold off Pato O’Ward and Marcus Armstrong and ultimately finish 3rd. That meant a lunch of traditional podium champagne and non-traditional steak, the latter of which the trophy presenters fed Malukas a strip of before handing him his actual prize.

It’s early days for sure, and he won’t become Big Dave until he wins a race, but so far, the Chicago native is vindicating Penske’s faith in him. More performances like this will only strengthen that.

Rasmussen, Power kiss victory goodbye

It was a day in the sun for both drivers at ECR, with Alexander Rossi finishing where he started in 6th and making some nice passes along the way, but Christian Rasmussen quickly put the spotlight in a chokehold. After causing the first yellow of the day with an accidental punt on Dennis Hauger, who proceeded to let the car roll backwards down the rest of the straight before making a 180 to get himself going again, Rasmussen would go on to define the race with a run of absolutely maniacal passing. He made 61 overtakes on track through the day, easily the most of anyone, and they translated to 69 laps led and a whole field of cars recalculating their strategies on the fly just to deal with him.

However, just when victory was starting to look like a foregone conclusion, in came Will Power. The Australian overcame a crash in qualifying to fight all the way to the front of the field, leading ten laps of his own and posting the fastest lap of the race while being the only driver in Rasmussen’s ZIP code in terms of overtake stats. As we entered the final 50 laps, it looked like it might come down to Power vs. Rasmussen for the win, but on lap 207, with Rasmussen looking high for the lead, Power misjudged his attempt to cut that off and put Rasmussen in the wall. Initially, Power got the worst of it, suffering a popped tire that forced him in the pits and a penalty that sent him to the back of the grid, while Rasmussen appeared to shrug it off. But in the final ten laps, Rasmussen’s damage finally caught up with him, and he faded hard to finish 14th, just ahead of Hauger and a lapped Power. The outcome may not show it, but this was a performance the streets won’t forget, and Rasmussen’s rep as the most exciting man to watch on ovals will only grow as a result.

Dixon schemes his way back

After a runaway wheel at St. Pete and a rough P15 in qualifying, Scott Dixon had his work cut out for him. But the New Zealand knight is as crafty as ever, and when Rasmussen spun Hauger to cause an early caution, Dixon instantly pounced on the chance to open up an alternate strategy. It certainly paid some dividends, as the Iceman led 12 laps and came home 7th, the best of the three Ganassi drivers. He’s not back where he wants to be yet, but he’s on his way, and it’s only a matter of time until he reaps a bigger whirlwind.

Known oval threats RLL

The biggest surprise of qualifying, by far, was the incredible pace of Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Mick Schumacher shocked everyone by taking the track first and posting a time worth P4, holding provisional pole until Graham Rahal did him one better. The experience difference showed, as while both men quickly lost standing on the opening laps, Rahal was able to fight his way back up and come home 9th, his best finish on an oval since his bronze at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021. Given RLL’s absolutely garbage performance on ovals in recent years, this is an extremely encouraging run, and one they’ll hope to build on at the most important oval of all in two months.

The Sicko’s Guide to DNFs: the crunch that changed everything

The failures started on the formation laps this weekend, as Romain Grosjean suffered mechanical gremlins around his hybrid system. While he did technically start the race, he unfortunately ran zero competitive laps.

The big shock, though, came on lap 22. Álex Palou and Rinus VeeKay both looked like contenders in the early running, with both men surging into the top five at the start, but as the two engaged in a three-way scramble with Graham Rahal, VeeKay tried to go high around Palou, who didn’t realize someone was trying to get into that vanishing gap. Predictably, the two collided, ruining VeeKay’s race and handing Palou just his third DNF in the last three seasons.

Finally, we turn to reigning Rookie of the Year Louis Foster, whose weekend went from bad to worse when he kissed the wall in turn 4 just past the halfway mark of the race. The Brit limped his car back to the pits, but it was too severe of a hit to rejoin the field, and he’ll have no hesitation about putting this race in the rear view mirror.

Championship Collage: all sorts of American muscle

For the first time since right before P2Pgate hit in 2024, Josef Newgarden leads the National Championship standings. Álex Palou’s early crash sent the Spaniard tumbling down the standings, putting him in 5th behind Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood, Scott McLaughlin, and Pato O’Ward. Behind Palou, we find David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard, and Marcus Armstrong. If the race wins and podiums stay spread throughout the field like this, we could be in for a very exciting mosh pit at the front of the field.

In the Rookie of the Year race, Mick Schumacher looked primed to make a statement after his strong qualifying, but on race day, Dennis Hauger snuck in his first career laps led and became the only rookie to finish on the lead lap. The Norwegian continues to lead on this front, extending his lead over Caio Collet into double digits, while Schumacher works to dig himself out of last place.

The Manufacturers’ Cup is already more of a fight than it was last year. By converting their pole to a 1-3 and holding Honda to a 2-5, Chevrolet now lead this race for the first time since 2024, and the score stands at 167-157. 

Finally, in the spirit of the World Baseball Classic, we’ll check in on our official unofficial Nations’ Cup tally. The United States absolutely put their foot down and swept the podium, allowing it to take a lead of 10 over New Zealand and 20 over Mexico, while Spain and Denmark both tumble off the podium to 4th and 5th, respectively. Sweden stays where it is in 6th, followed by Norway and the Cayman Islands, which respectively gained two and three places to surpass the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom. That leaves an unchanged order of Brazil, Australia, and last-place Germany bringing up the rear.

Future Flames: anyone’s ballgame in Arlington

After two years away from both the DFW Metroplex and the state of Texas generally, we’ll return next week with the midpoint of our Sun Belt swing and the most anticipated new race of the season. The Grand Prix of Arlington will see the drivers street-fighting their way around the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, both of whom have pitched in as co-promoters of the event.

With this being an all-new circuit, it’s anybody’s guess who’ll rise to the top, but last year’s king of the streets Kyle Kirkwood has a compelling case. So does his teammate Will Power, who’ll get a pseudo-home race out of this on top of the boost Andretti drivers generally get on street circuits. Between them, a motivated Álex Palou hungry to bounce back, and the Team Penske Death Star looking fully operational for all three drivers, there’s no telling what might happen or who might seize the advantage.