AVONDALE, Ariz. — Returning to a well-known track, Josef Newgarden made his way back to victory lane and ascended to the top of the IndyCar standings.
Newgarden secured a win on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, where IndyCar is paired with NASCAR for a doubleheader in the desert. The last IndyCar event on the 1-mile oval took place in 2018, a race that Newgarden also won.
This victory contributed to what could be a Team Penske sweep at Phoenix: David Malukas earned the pole for the IndyCar race, Joey Logano claimed the pole for the NASCAR race, Newgarden triumphed in the IndyCar event, and Ryan Blaney is anticipated to win on Sunday.
Team Penske is marking its 60th season in motorsport this year, and this doubleheader weekend provided Roger Penske the opportunity to gather his combined six drivers from both series to celebrate the milestone.
Newgarden, a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and two-time IndyCar titleholder, avoided a winless 2025 season by clinching victory at the season finale at his home track, Nashville Superspeedway.
Having won 12 of the last 25 races on oval tracks, this win ended Álex Palou’s dominance in the IndyCar standings.
Palou made contact with Rinus Veekay early in the race, hitting the wall and recording only his 10th DNF in 100 career IndyCar starts. Three of those DNF’s occurred during his rookie season before he joined Chip Ganassi Racing.
Since joining Ganassi, the Spaniard has claimed four of the last five championships and has held the IndyCar points lead since June 2024.
Now, Newgarden is in the lead as IndyCar prepares for its inaugural event next weekend on the streets of Arlington, Texas.
“Do we really have the lead? I mean, it’s two races in, so it’s early,” Newgarden remarked.
Palou, who won the season opener last week, fell to fifth in the standings after finishing 21st.
Kyle Kirkwood took second place for Andretti Global, while Malukas finished third, allowing Penske to secure first and third positions. Scott McLaughlin placed eighth in the third Penske car.
“Definitely really satisfied,” Malukas expressed.
Christian Rasmussen was arguably the most dominant competitor during the race but collided with the wall while attempting to overtake Will Power on the outside. Power, who was leading at that moment, suffered a tire issue due to the contact, and Rasmussen’s vehicle sustained enough damage to enable Newgarden to catch up to him.
Rasmussen ended up in a disappointing 14th place and stated that Power pushed him into the wall.
“We were the class of the field, I had the best car out there,” Rasmussen commented.
Power, who had crashed during qualifying, made a comeback from starting at the back of the pack to lead the race until the late incident with Rasmussen. He finished in 16th place.
Mick Schumacher started fourth in his oval debut, but the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher quickly lost ground and finished 18th.
Romain Grosjean did not participate in the race due to an issue with his Dale Coyne Racing entry, failing to complete a lap.
Source: espn.com
