Five Takeaways: Phoenix 250
- Evan Roberts
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
There was much deliberation on how the Phoenix 250 would unfold. Last time IndyCar went dancing in the desert back in 2018, Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden came out on top.
It would be no different this time round, as a scintillating show saw the American win yet again. Among the key statistics, there were 18 lead changes across 11 drivers, four cautions within the 250 laps and an IndyCar track-record 565 on-track passes.
And while early on in the season, it has certainly changed the perspective on how this season could be defined.
Palou is not invincible
The major reason behind why there is a changed perspective is because of this man. Álex Palou has held all the cards for what has felt like years. To put it into context, last weekend broke his 620-day stranglehold over the championship.
There’s no doubt he is able to return to that same insanely high level he has shown throughout his entire IndyCar career at Arlington. That being said, it was an off-weekend for the Spaniard - one that proves he is in fact human, despite his likeliness to a robot at times, such is his relentless consistency. Sometimes even robots malfunction.
In this case, it was more of a miscommunication. One that saw Palou drift up the track in the dogleg section, as he moved to take up the usual line through the corner.
Having made his way up into fourth after starting 10th, something Palou hadn’t envisioned entering his 21st lap was Rinus VeeKay poking his nose into the disappearing gap to his outside.
On further review, it was certainly a racing incident. Both had a play in the incident but it was one that Palou is not usually caught up in.
This withstanding, a dominant win in the opening round means he is fewer than 20 points from the championship lead. With another street track next up on the calendar, expect that gap to shrink.
Rasmussen has speed but is still raw
It was a race of what should have been for Christian Rasmussen.
He has built somewhat of a reputation on short ovals. His maiden win in Milwaukee highlighted the Dane’s extreme racing style. On the edge. What that does mean is he is extracting every inch of car performance.
And wasn’t he just, scything through the field like the other cars were standing still. Starting 17th, it didn’t take long though until Rasmussen became the focal point of the race. His daring overtakes eventually took him to the front.
Through the course of the race, he led 69 laps and looked in prime position to convert it to victory, being the leading driver on the primary strategy.
This time out, however, in an attempt to make the move that would all but seal his second victory in IndyCar, he would push too hard in his attempts in what looked eerily familiar to the Palou incident earlier in the race. In that scenario, he would play the VeeKay role.
Due to the angle he made contact with the wall, he was not immediately out of the running. He would lead 34 of his laps during that time, for that matter, but as the tyres on his car began to expire it exposed the shortcomings of the crash.
In the last 10 laps of the race, Rasmussen dropped from first to 13th in what the Dane deemed as a lost opportunity.
“It’s frustrating. So frustrating,” said Rasmussen. “Because we should have won the race today, and obviously didn’t.”
Newgarden puts the woes of ’25 behind
Technically, Newgarden has won two of the last three races. Short ovals have always been his forte but incidents and shortcomings over the course of last season made him look like the shell of his former self.
Fast forward to the start of this season, knocked out in the first phase of qualifying when his teammate was starting in pole position, many may have thought: “Oh dear, it’s happening again…”
Newgarden clearly took that to heart with a brilliant comeback drive from 25th to seventh in St. Pete, followed up by what was a brilliant performance from start to finish in Phoenix.
Despite qualifying behind his less experienced teammate David Malukas, Newgarden stayed patient throughout the race. He was not one of those who pitted early through the pit cycles but still managed to undercut Malukas.
While all the eyes were on Rasmussen, Newgarden stayed firmly in the fight, bouncing around the top five. Then the opportunity came, just as it had back in 2018. A late pit stop put the pressure on him to charge through the field; just outside the top 10 at the restart but on fresh tyres.
When it was all on the line, he did what Pato O’Ward couldn’t do in making his way to a position where, with less than 10 laps to go, there was only one driver to pass.
He made the move on Kyle Kirkwood in a convincing style and cleared into the distance, crossing the line nearly two seconds ahead of Kirkwood. Newgarden now leads the championship after the first two races.
RLL have a much improved short oval package
One constant through last season on a short oval was Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing being towards the back of the order. They did not secure a top 10 throughout the whole of the 2025 season.
The first oval race this season? Streak broken.
Qualifying was the highlight of the weekend for the team as they locked out the second row. Graham Rahal qualified third next to series rookie Mick Schumacher in fourth.
While the race didn’t fare quite as well, as Rahal was the highest placed RLL driver in ninth, it was a sign of progress. This time last year, they had a severe lack of pace. On more than one occasion, they finished multiple laps down.
They held their own, though an unfortunate incident for Louis Foster took him out of the running. Similarly, Schumacher faced issues in the pits; a faulty wheel gun meant a slow stop took him out of serious contention as he finished 18th.
The highlight of the weekend was certainly qualifying, but a ninth-place finish for Rahal shows they are able to compete this season on short ovals. That was the main problem for RLL in the past few seasons and it looks as if it has been addressed. A step in the right direction.
Malukas silencing doubters
A podium for Malukas in only his second weekend with Team Penske is exactly what ‘The Captain’ Roger Penske expected from his new superstar.
That being said, he would have been hoping from a bit more than third in the race given his dominant display in qualifying to secure his first IndyCar pole position.
Almost a full mile per hour over his nearest competitor, this was his best chance so far in his career to achieve a maiden win. In the early stages, he looked like he was well on his way to do that, leading the whole of the opening stint until he made his opening stop on Lap 72.
A brilliant battle with teammate Newgarden when he re-entered the track demonstrated the Chicago native’s improved ability wheel-to-wheel.
A couple of crashes in key moments last season while racing near the front could have disrupted his rhythm. But even when he clearly was not the fastest car on track, as hard-charging Rasmussen and others made their way past, he showed composure and kept his car out of the wall and in the running.
Eventually, when it came to crunch time for the final restart - Malukas was put on what turned out to be the worse of two strategies. It could well have been him who Team Penske chose to pit for fresh tyres and he could have been the one on the top step.
As it happened, though, that was not the end result as he stayed out, avoided the chaos and came home a brilliant third.
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