IndyCar Gradebook: Phoenix 250
- Dan Jones
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
It may have been a long wait for IndyCar to return to Phoenix Raceway, but it was a wait that was certainly worthwhile. From Josef Newgarden's triumph to Christian Rasmussen's heart-break, there was plenty to debrief on from the Arizona desert. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Phoenix weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - B-
It has taken a while for Kyffin Simpson to get up to speed in ovals in his IndyCar career, but Phoenix marked a continued development for the Cayman Islander on the track type. Simpson qualified in only 19th but had a quietly positive Saturday which elevated him to 10th at the flag - his first such result on a short oval.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B+
After a difficult season opener at St. Petersburg, Phoenix marked the quiet consistency that Scott Dixon has always displayed. The New Zealander qualified in an unremarkable 15th but made steady progress throughout the 250 as he unsurprisingly opted for the alternate strategy. He had the best success in holding up the rampant Christian Rasmussen and finished a respectable seventh at the chequered flag.
No.10 - Álex Palou - C
It is an incredibly bizarre feeling to put a grade so low next to Álex Palou's name but his early lap crash with Rinus VeeKay marked an ultra-rare off-weekend for the four-time champion. Palou qualified in 10th - which although still respectable, was his worst qualifying performance in over 18 months. That did not deter him though as he ascended through the order imminently at the start as he moved to fourth. That was undone by his collision with VeeKay though, and although it is hard to pinpoint the blame to either driver, Palou moving up a lane would contribute to his own downfall.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - A
As others duelled it out for victory and many drivers continue to make a name for themselves on ovals, Josef Newgarden reminded everybody why he is the oval king. Newgarden was disappointed with second in qualifying and had a generally steady Saturday. That was until the final stint, where Newgarden turned on his Firestones like nobody else and rampantly stormed into the lead which he would never relinquish as he defended his win of eight years ago. It's hard to say if the Newgarden of old is back but he has an early championship lead to hold onto and a much-needed early season boost.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - B
Whilst his teammates locked out the front row in qualifying and looked like some of the primary contenders in the race, the Phoenix weekend was generally unremarkable for Scott McLaughlin. The New Zealander qualified in fifth after a difficult second lap and faded slightly in the race, coming home eighth at the flag. It wasn't the performance we've become accustomed to seeing with McLaughlin on short ovals but not a bad result nonetheless.
No.12 - David Malukas - A
It is still early days, but David Malukas already feels right at home at Team Penske. A first pole position felt overdue and it was only right that he did it in the dominant fashion he did. Malukas' opening stints were strong but proved to have a car that was not as strong in traffic as it was in early air. Even with minor technical issues, Malukas continued to stay in the hunt and showed very well on older tyres in the final stint to hold off Pato O'Ward for Malukas to claim a first Penske podium. A weekend to be proud of as he edges closer to that illusive victory.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - C
It feels near-impossible to give an accurate grade for Power's run at Phoenix in a weekend that went from awful to great and back to awful. A hefty crash in qualifying was Power's third in two races but he did well to swiftly move up through the order in the opening stint. A great strategy had suddenly elevated Power back into victory contention until his collision with Rasmussen put him multiple laps down. Considering Power has taken the majority of the ownership of the incident, it's only fair to consider it as his error - yet another costly one in his early days with Andretti.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - A-
Kyle Kirkwood and Andretti Global continue to show good signs of development on ovals, even in weekends like these where they did not have the pace of some of their key competitors. Kirkwood qualified in 11th and had a fairly quiet outing until strategy played into his hands and he was suddenly in podium contention. It would always be a difficult task to hold off Newgarden once he had got round Rasmussen but it was still a highly impressive second-place finish. A stroke of strategy fortune was a huge influence in the result, but credit where credit is due for Kirkwood.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C-
Like was the case in 2025, it feels as if St. Petersburg may have been a false dawn for Marcus Ericsson. After a good run last week, it was unfortunately the weekend we have started to be accustomed to with Ericsson. The Swede qualified mid-pack in 14th and was one of few trying the high lane in the opening stints. However, he would quickly fall away, as he finished 17th at the flag and a lap down. For Ericsson's sake, he needs to ensure such weekends don't happen again this year.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - A-
As was the case in St. Petersburg and several times toward the conclusion of 2025, it seemed as if Arrow McLaren did not quite have the pace of their competitors, but still resulted in a top five finish for Pato O'Ward. A big error on his second qualifying lap almost cost O'Ward as he dropped to seventh but a strong undercut elevated him into podium contention on Saturday. O'Ward was constantly around the top five and looked in the most favourable position for victory late on but was unable to utilise his fresher rubber as he could only manage fourth. Another quietly strong weekend though and the consistency that needs to be seen over the course of 18 races.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - D
St. Petersburg marked a difficult start to 2026 for Nolan Siegel and Phoenix proved no easier. An encouraging qualifying saw Siegel in ninth but that pace could not be replicated during the race as Siegel plummeted down to 20th, three laps down from the lead, picking up a drive-through for blocking Alexander Rossi. Results and performances need to start showing for the young American if he wants to secure his IndyCar future.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - C
I said last week that Christian Lundgaard is establishing himself as one of the series' strongest drivers but Phoenix re-affirmed that there is still a lot of work to do on ovals despite encouraging signs towards the end of 2025. Lundgaard qualified significantly off his teammates in 17th and could not make meaningful progress on the alternate strategy as he finished just 13th at the flag in a fairly anonymous outing. Over the course of a championship season, Lundgaard simply cannot afford to have off-weekends on short ovals.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - B+
There was a big emphasis in RLL's off-season of finally turning around their fortunes on short ovals and although it is early days, they have passed the first test. Graham Rahal qualified a near-remarkable third and although we have seen him quickly fade away on ovals after strong qualifying sessions, Phoenix certainly was not the case. Rahal held his own well in the opening stint and although he was less of a factor as the race went on, he came home with a good ninth-place finish - just his second top 10 on an oval since 2023.
No.45 - Louis Foster - D
Although Louis Foster has shown good pace on road/street courses, it feels as if there is still quite a lot to unlock on the ovals. Whilst his teammates starred in qualifying, Foster was just 16th and had a fairly quiet Saturday before he got high coming into Turn 4, seeing his race end after 140 laps. Improvement will of course come with experience, but he needs to help ride what may be an RLL oval wave.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - B-
It was quite the story in qualifying when major competitor after major competitor failed to topple Mick Schumacher's opening run and although he would eventually be beaten, Schumacher qualified a mighty fourth on his oval debut. It would be no surprise Schumacher would struggle early on given his oval experience and some of his defensive moves were borderline dangerous but those will come with time. An air gun broke during one of his stops which saw Schumacher fall to 18th at the flag but an oval debut full of positives.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - C
The Phoenix weekend could not have started in more disastrous fashion for Felix Rosenqvist. A practice shunt ruled him out of qualifying with a singular practice the only opportunity Rosenqvist had to dial in his race car. And although unspectacular, a 12th-place finish on the lead lap was a decent result for Rosenqvist all things considered. That said, it has not been the start to 2026 that Rosenqvist was envisioning after his strong 2025 season.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B+
For any fans of the DIVEBOMB IndyCar Podcast, this was about as Armstrong Ability as you are going to get. The New Zealander qualified in a mediocre 13th but went the longest of anybody on the opening stint and was one of two drivers, alongside Kirkwood, who opted for a three-stop. That saw Armstrong quietly move up to fifth at the chequered flag for yet another strong oval result as he continues to develop his oval repertoire.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - A-
Although his teammate rightly stole the headlines, it was a sneakily good weekend for Alexander Rossi. The American qualified well in sixth and moved quickly up to the podium positions at the start. With the broadcast entirely focused on his teammate, Rossi quietly lurked around the top five positions despite having some minor issues in pitlane before coming home in sixth at the chequered flag. The oval pace the team showed at the Open Test transferred - a good abode for oval races later in the year.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - A
The dejection of Rasmussen in his post-race interview told the entire story. Phoenix was a race he could have won, probably should have won and yet it fell out of his grasp. As has become a familiar tale on ovals, qualifying was sub-par for Rasmussen but his on-the-limit driving style on ovals came to the fore once again. His ability to use the high line was mesmerising and to pick his battles so methodically but with that element of bravery is jaw-dropping. Every time Rasmussen was pegged back, he'd find a way back to the lead, whoever tried to stop him. Yes, the incident blame lies with Power but I don't think it is unreasonable to say Rasmussen could have been a bit more patient with the pace advantage he had. His second major impact would only add more wounds to his crippled No.21 as he plummeted down the order to an undeserved 18th. There's no doubting his oval credentials once again and he undoubtedly deserved to be victorious.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - C-
Much like St. Petersburg, it was a quiet weekend toward the rear of the field for Collet as he continues to get to grips with IndyCar. He was significantly off the pace in qualifying, being the slowest car who completed both their laps and was a non-factor on race day, coming home in 19th, two laps down. We're yet to see the flashes from Collet that we've seen from Schumacher and Dennis Hauger but lets hope that comes with familiarity.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - C+
Foyt seem to have regressed on ovals in recent years, with Ferrucci unable to produce the same fireworks that he has on ovals before. The team's qualifying pace was worrying, with Ferrucci only ahead of Hauger and Collet. They didn't seem to have a superb race car either, but Ferrucci quietly moved into the top 10 before a little moment dropped him down to 11th. Still a lot of work to do on the oval side for Ferrucci and the team.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - B-
It is a very difficult weekend to judge for VeeKay given the incident he had with Palou. Yes, maybe VeeKay was a bit too adventurous for trying that lane but he was unfortunate to have the door closed by Palou but that's the split-second decisions you get racing on ovals. Looking at the bigger picture, it was an encouraging weekend for VeeKay. He qualified well in eighth and to even be racing Palou within the top five on an oval is testament in itself to the development that Juncos have made on their oval package.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C-
For the second race in a row, a promising qualifying for Sting Ray Robb ended up being worth very little. Friday marked a career-best 12th place in qualifying, a result which speaks volumes about Juncos' oval package and Robb's marginal improvements. However, his Saturday was less positive as he ended up four laps down with a drive-through for failing to follow IndyCar's instructions. Being a fourth year driver, it is about time these results start getting converted.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - C
It is probably quite unfair to give Grosjean a grade at all with 'the Phoenix' unable to get out for the race at Phoenix. Issues were rife for Grosjean on Friday, particularly with the hybrid, but still managed to qualify ahead of numerous cars. Those issues carried over to race day, with a clutch problem preventing Grosjean from ever seeing the green.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - C+
I am not sure anybody knew Hauger had such a great J-turn in his locker, but we do now! That was Hauger's most notable moment in a quietly decent first IndyCar oval weekend. Admittedly, qualifying was a struggle with Hauger only ahead of Collet but he made good progress early on before his slightly clumsy spin. However, Hauger rebounded well and managed to complete all 250 laps as he finished 15th. A good foundation to start his oval progression from.
