For the first time since 2021, there are IndyCar races on back-to-back weekends to kick off the season in 2026, and this Saturday's Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway is the second of three races in the season-opening tripleheader.
The NTT IndyCar Series has not raced at the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) Avondale, Arizona oval since 2018, and just five of the 25 drivers set to compete in this Saturday afternoon's 250-lap race competed in that event.
The five active drivers with at least one Phoenix start have combined for just 18 starts at the track, although a sixth, Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist, also ran an Indy Lights (Indy NXT) race at the track in 2016. Team Penske's Josef Newgarden (2018) and Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (2016) are both former Phoenix IndyCar winners.
Back in 2018, in the debut season of the UAK18 aero kit, pole speed was a two-lap average of 188.539 miles per hour, posted by Sebastien Bourdais. Newgarden won the race from seventh on the grid, and the race saw 12 lead changes, which was the second most among all races on the 2018 schedule.
What will qualifying speeds look like this weekend?
Follow along with our live qualifying updates from Phoenix Raceway.
Full Phoenix Raceway IndyCar starting lineup
Rank | Name | Speed |
|---|---|---|
1 | David Malukas, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet | 175.383 |
2 | Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet | 174.548 |
3 | Graham Rahal, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 173.993 |
4 | Mick Schumacher, No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 173.667 |
5 | Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet | 173.448 |
6 | Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet | 173.389 |
7 | Pato O'Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 173.344 |
8 | Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 173.248 |
9 | Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 172.995 |
10 | Alex Palou, No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 172.98 |
11 | Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global Honda | 172.878 |
12 | Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet | 172.536 |
13 | Marcus Armstrong, No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 172.434 |
14 | Marcus Ericsson, No. 28 Andretti Global Honda | 172.364 |
15 | Scott Dixon, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 172.074 |
16 | Louis Foster, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda | 171.827 |
17 | Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet | 171.566 |
18 | Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet | 171.54 |
19 | Kyffin Simpson, No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | 171.439 |
20 | Romain Grosjean, No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 170.814 |
21 | Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet | 170.577 |
22 | Dennis Hauger, No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda | 169.818 |
23 | Caio Collet, No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet | 167.647 |
24 | Will Power, No. 26 Andretti Global Honda | 0 |
25 | Felix Rosenqvist, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda | 0 |
Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Good Ranchers 250 from Phoenix Raceway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 7. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don’t miss any of the action from the desert!