Phoenix Raceway (Avondale, Ariz.) — INDYCAR has a new points leader.
That shouldn’t really be news. But Alex Palou had not left a race in any other spot than the points leader after every race since Laguna Seca in June 2024 — a span of 28 straight races.
That streak ended after he crashed early Saturday in the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway and finished 24th, Josef Newgarden vaulted into the points lead thanks to his victory in the opener of an INDYCAR-NASCAR Desert Double weekend on FOX.
Winner Josef Newgarden (center), Kyle Kirkwood (L, second place) and David Malukas (R, third place) hold their trophies after the Good Ranchers 250.
[RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Josef Newgarden Wins; Alex Palou Wrecks at Phoenix]
“Most often whilst you see me in Victory Lane, it is almost definitely as a result of I had the most efficient automotive at the day,” Newgarden stated in his postrace information convention. indicating he wasn’t the most efficient automotive during Saturday’s race.
“I’ve were given to mention I used to be now not a believer halfway in the course of the race. But if I wished that automotive to be excellent, it was once actually excellent. It’s now not like I used to be doing one thing magical. It was once proper the place I wished it to be.”
Listed below are my takeaways:
Energy, Rasmussen Marvel What Came about
Struggling with for the lead with 47 laps left within the race, Christian Rasmussen attempted to get to the outdoor of Will Power, who pinched him towards the wall. They made touch and Rasmussen additionally hit the wall. Rasmussen retained the lead however the injury proved an excessive amount of and he completed 14th.
“We had been the category of the sphere nowadays,” Rasmussen stated at the FOX telecast. “The most efficient automotive in the market. I used to be so pleased with the automobile. You’ll’t simply run other folks into the wall, which is what took place nowadays.
“He ran me instantly into the wall.”
Christian Rasmussen was once left questioning what can have been after fighting for the lead overdue earlier than faltering.
Energy, who was once sixteenth, instructed me he can have accomplished higher. He in truth ended the interview when he noticed Rasmussen group proprietor Ed Carpenter stroll via and went over to mention he was once sorry. Rasmussen and Energy additionally had a temporary dialog within the storage after the race.
“It’s a merciless game from time to time,” Energy instructed me, later including: “It was once for the win. I assumed if I may dangle him for some other couple of laps, he would degrade [his tires and go slower]. He’s superb on a brief oval and he received’t relent, so possibly I will have to have stopped [moving up].”
Newgarden Now Champ Favourite?
After a irritating 2025, the two-time collection champion received’t annoit himself because the championship favourite.
That’s honest. Nevertheless it’s superb what a few solidly accomplished weekends (except for qualifying at St. Pete) will do for the belief of one of the crucial game’s maximum achieved drivers.
“It is an on a regular basis procedure,” Newgarden stated in his postrace information convention. “We are going to take it one step at a time. It does not imply there may be now not going to be some turbulence.
“I believe if we do our jobs and keep watch over what is in our keep watch over, I do not see why we will be able to’t be within the struggle.”
Palou Now The Chaser
Alex Palou had touch with Rinus VeeKay and hit the wall, finishing his race after simply 21 laps. He dropped to 5th within the standings, an strange place.
In conventional Palou style for the three-time reigning champion, he wouldn’t relinquish the theory of being the issues chief straight away.
“We don’t know that but — the race nonetheless wishes to complete,” he stated with a bit little bit of a smirk to me and different journalists outdoor the INDYCAR clinical unit. “It’s most likely that we’re now not gong to be main.”
Alex Palou discovered himself within the strange place of exiting early from a race following his crash Saturday.
However he’s now not. And there’s nobody who thinks he nonetheless isn’t the favourite.
“It’s unlucky,” Palou stated. “It’s now not necessary. The necessary stuff is we ended up within the wall. That is what hurts. Dropping the issues lead on the second one race, it is superb. A minimum of we began the season excellent, began the race excellent and stale to Arlington.”
Schumacher Unearths Oval Aggravating
With drivers doing laps of 20-21 seconds at the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway, Mick Schumacher hasn’t ever skilled how worrying the racing was once at the quick oval.
Mick Schumacher were given his first style of oval racing at Phoenix.
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His group additionally had a subject matter with its pit gun, inflicting him to lose a lap, and he completed two laps down in 18th.
“I used to be stunned,” Schumacher instructed me and different journalists. “Automobiles coming fast, and when one automotive comes and they have got some other one in the back of them, the ones guys will undergo additionally. Loads to grasp, a lot to be told from my facet, needless to say, however we controlled to get via it.”
4 ½: What’s Subsequent
INDYCAR heads to a brand new tournament March 15 in Arlington on a direction that can take them across the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
The road lessons in most cases prefer the Andretti International automobiles, however one this is new for everybody offers the opportunity of extra drivers to land at the proper setup.
Groups have simulation checking out, however that simplest is helping them such a lot because the direction is solely being in-built the previous few weeks for the primary time.
“The issue is you by no means know if the partitions are in the suitable position,” motive force Christian Ludngaard stated. “I believe now we have performed some sim, and it was once great simply to grasp the radius of the corners, taking it with a grain of salt. We don’t know what the tempo goes to be.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent many years masking motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Carrying Information, NASCAR Scene mag and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Magazine. Observe him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
