We had the feeling that Joseph Newgarden“The Oval King” nickname was in danger after Team Penske teammate David Malukas got the better of him in qualifying and took pole, then again during the race when ECR Christian RasmussenHis daring outside passes put on a show that propelled him forward. In the end, however, it was Newgarden who made a late restart from 10th and made the game-winning pass with seven laps to go, reminding everyone why he is the standard they chase every time the IndyCar Series races on an oval.
There was no shortage of action and drama around Phoenix Raceway’s 1-mile tri-oval, with plenty of winners and losers once the checkered flag fell.
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WINNER: Josef Newgarden
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
This one is obvious. Any time someone moves from 10th to first place with 33 laps to go, they will rank on the right side of this list. And that’s exactly what Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet, did on his way to the 33rd victory of his storied career. The Tennessee native led just eight laps, including the final seven after getting around the No. 27 Global Andretti Honda of Kyle Kirkwood – who was running on older tires – and took the victory by a margin of 1.7937 seconds.
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It also elevated two-time series champion Newgarden to the top of the points standings, holding a five-point advantage over Kirkwood. Finally, this result marks the 12th consecutive season that Newgarden has achieved at least one victory in the IndyCar Series.
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It looked worrying for the peloton after Alex Palou dropped from 10th to third just moments after taking the green flag. However, everything came undone for the defending champion and four-time series champion in the 21st round. Shortly after being overtaken Graham Rahalit’s #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda and Palou also risked losing fourth place to Rinus VeeKay. At the exit of turn 4, Veekay tried to push his #76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet outside number 10 of Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, but the two came together on the exit and in the dogleg, leading Palou to retire from the race and finish 24th in his 100th career start.
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In turn, Palou also lost his grip on the championship lead, a place he held for an unfathomable 622 days.
WINNER: Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian
For the second week in a row, Kirkwood showed flashes of threat to win. To say its performance was unexpected would be a disservice to the improvements Andretti Global has made, but the “how” should certainly get people’s attention.
There was one instance mid-race where the caution was waved on lap 142 of 250 and the majority of the field opted to stop for fresh tires; Kirkwood, with his teammate Willstayed outside. Despite the major disadvantage of being on tires 25 laps older than his rivals, Kirkwood managed to retain the lead and keep the field at bay until lap 190 – stopping two laps later and initiating the next cycle of stops for the majority of the field.
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And the Floridian almost repeated the same strategy to victory, staying away during the final caution, then passing Rasmussen with eight laps remaining to take the lead, only to lose it moments later to Newgarden. Kirkwood’s performance, which included a 47-lap drive, demonstrated Andretti Global’s continued progress on short ovals, and with this he now sits second in the title race.
LOSER: Christian Rasmussen
Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing
Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing
There’s no denying that Rasmussen was a force, putting on a show with high overtakes while moving from 18th to first and leading a record 69 laps. Those bold outside moves, which he showcased en route to his first IndyCar victory last season at the Milwaukee Mile, were on display again in Phoenix.
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For all of Rasmussen’s fearlessness, it also put him in some precarious positions.
With 43 laps to go, the Dane was battling for the lead with Power and attempting an overtake on the outside of Turn 2 when the two collided. Power’s #26 Andretti Global drifted to the right trying to stop the race, but Rasmussen’s front wing was already there. The contact pushed Rasmussen’s No. 21 Chevrolet into the wall, not immediately ending his day or breaking the front wing, while Power nursed a punctured right rear tire to pit road for a replacement.
The incident resulted in a caution and Rasmussen elected to stay out and took the race lead, and held it until eight laps to go when Kirkwood arrived. Despite his admirable fight, Rasmussen’s injury, with significant suspension damage, worsened and he dropped to 14th.
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WINNER: Everyone is watching
It’s only the second round of the 2026 season, but arguments can already be made for Phoenix – which was a rare weekend shared with NASCAR – to be a contender for race of the year.
There were 18 lead changes among the 11 leaders, with consistent action throughout the field thanks to tire wear and the high line developing early. And the proof was in the statistics, with 565 passes on the track, 323 passes for position, including 145 in the top 10 and 60 in the top five, all records on a track located in the Valley of the Sun.
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LOSER: Juncos Hollinger Racing
Qualifying delivered a nice surprise after the Juncos Hollinger Racing duo of VeeKay and Sting Ray Robb finished eighth and 12th respectively.
But that’s where the good times stopped rolling.
VeeKay’s aforementioned incident with Palou left him injured and never able to regain the pace that propelled the Dutchman into the top five. He found himself five laps down and finished a lowly 22nd place.
Robb struggled to convert qualifying pace into racing, losing ground with each stint as the No. 77 was unable to keep pace with the tire drop. In the end, he found himself 21st, four laps behind.
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