The last time INDYCAR competed at Phoenix Raceway, Josef Newgarden finished on top. Turns out, not much has changed since 2018, as the Team Penske driver took the checkered flag Saturday in the first race of the Desert Double, followed by the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.
Here’s a brief recap of INDYCAR’s return to Phoenix for the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday on FOX.
The Winner Is…
Josef Newgarden won Saturday’s INDYCAR race at Phoenix Raceway, thanks to some standout racing and fresher tires than the drivers in front of him in the final laps. The No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet entered the weekend with a fast car, qualifying second behind teammate David Malukas.
This was the 33rd career victory for two-time INDYCAR champ, who now has two career wins at Phoenix after winning the 2018 race — the last time INDYCAR raced at the one-mile desert track.
“We took tires [with 38 laps left], and that thing was like a rocket ship when it needed to be,” Newgarden told the FOX broadcast after his victory.
Newgarden led for only eight laps, but he was out front when it mattered most.
How The Race Was Won
Christian Rasmussen looked like he just had to play strong defense with his dominant No. 21 ECR Chevrolet on Saturday to win. Despite issues with the car that he and his team struggled to diagnose during the race, Rasmussen had the lead with 10 of the 250 total laps remaining.
But Rasmussen — who led a race-high of 69 laps — was being chased down by cars with newer tires, including Newgarden, and it caught up to him.
First, Kyle Kirkwood took the lead from Rasmussen with about nine laps to go, but Newgarden was making moves behind them. With eight laps left, Newgarden was running second after passing Rasmussen, and with fewer than seven, the Team Penske driver made a pass for the lead and never relinquished it.
Rasmussen told the FOX broadcast afterward that he thought his car was “the class of the field today, best car out there” but he ultimately finished 14th. He also put blame on Will Power, saying the No. 26 Andretti Global Honda driver ran him into the wall, which hurt the speedy car.
One Big Moment
Something INDYCAR fans don’t often see: Alex Palou not finishing a race. But that’s what happened Sunday after the four-time INDYCAR champ completed just 21 laps before smacking the wall and ending his day.
“I don’t know if I just squeezed someone or if someone was trying to get there,” Palou told FOX Sports’ Georgia Henneberry on the broadcast after being evaluated and released. “I didn’t think there was anybody there.”
This is only the ninth time in Palou’s 100 career INDYCAR starts that he hasn’t finished the race. And after winning the St. Pete season opener last week, there’s a chance Palou’s streak of dominance at the top of the standings ends.
Top-10 Results
- Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
- Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
- David Malukas, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
- Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
- Marcus Armstrong, No. 66 Meyer Shank Honda
- Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Chevrolet
- Scott Dixon, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
- Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
- Graham Rahal, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
- Kyffin Simpson, No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
What’s Next?
The third race of the 2026 INDYCAR season will be the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington through the streets of Arlington, Texas and adjacent to AT&T Stadium. INDYCAR’s Arlington street race is set for Sunday, March 15 at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One.
