Why was IndyCar’s Phoenix return such a success?
- Archie O’Reilly
- 8 minutes ago
- 7 min read
IndyCar’s return to Phoenix Raceway, sharing the weekend with NASCAR and exposing its product to their fanbase, was always going to be a massive opportunity for the series.
But amid the pre-weekend excitement lay some apprehension. When IndyCar last visited the desert oval in 2018, the racing was subpar. And after a two-day test at the mile-long track last month, there was still uncertainty about what the racing product may be.
On Saturday, though, all doubts were cast aside. IndyCar delivered a 250-lap barnstormer.
“It was pretty thrilling to be in it,” said winner Josef Newgarden, also the victor on IndyCar’s previous visit. “This is what we expect now when we put an IndyCar race on a short oval. This is the type of racing we want to produce. Guys were doing some amazing things. It turned it into a show.”
Right now, there is little questioning the fact that short oval racing, when things go correctly, is the finest showcase of IndyCar’s largely unique purity and rawness of racing.
Aside from the now-removed post-repave Iowa Speedway, the series has landed real consistency in the product, whether at World Wide Technology Raceway, the Milwaukee Mile or more intermediate Nashville Super Speedway. Frenetic multi-lane racing is becoming the norm, which is both credit to the series and the drivers’ own efforts.
Phoenix absolutely fitted into that trend, with drivers able to run side-by-side and charge through the field and the strategic game providing unpredictability until the finish.
“There were so many different strategies, so much going on,” exclaimed third-place finisher David Malukas. “For my brain-rotted TikTok brain, I was so focused. I didn’t have a second to think about anything else. We were full-drift the whole time. It was an awesome race.
“I had a really good time from start to finish. That second lane, it worked really well. We were making moves. That race felt like an instant to me; [like] 30 minutes and we were done.”
Marking the quality of the racing, IndyCar set a number of passing records on Saturday; 565 total on-track passes, 323 passes for position, 145 passes inside the top 10 and 60 passes inside the top five all marked all-time best totals for IndyCar at Phoenix.
“We do a lot of research of this place. Coming back here after a handful of years, we watch all the races back,” disclosed runner-up Kyle Kirkwood. “When we were here last in 2018, there wasn’t a whole lot of passing happening. I didn’t really have any ideas of what this place was going to race like prior to getting here this weekend.
“It evolved a lot [through the race]. The first stint, it wasn’t that racy; it was hard to predict what the grip was going to be, especially in the second lane. As we continued to run, they cleaned off the track, people got more confident running more than one lane.
“It turned into an incredible race. There was a lot of passing happening, a lot of different strategies, a lot to talk about. I loved the race. I thought it was a lot of fun.”
Much of the credit should go to IndyCar, who have continued to find effective packages across the different shorter ovals. Widespread fears over the impact of the heavy hybrid units, introduced in mid-2024, on short oval racing have been almost entirely allayed.
“[IndyCar] did the right things with the car, downforce levels, power level to get into a place where it is very racy,” Kirkwood evaluated. “Honestly, why would you change anything? The racing was phenomenal. I think coming back here, they don’t touch a single thing.”
The sentiment across multiple drivers was that the track was in its best position at the end of the race. As he surged to victory in the final 15 laps, Newgarden felt he was able to do things with his car that were maybe not so possible in the infancy of his career a decade ago.
“I was able to go where I needed to; I could find grip when the car was starting to lose grip in certain areas,” he said. “It was really cool. Indy cars have not always been that way. I don’t remember 10 years ago where I could start searching for lines to find a better compliance or better grip level for my car. I was doing that at the end there. It was really fun to race.”
Beyond IndyCar’s work, another critical component has been Firestone’s building of a well-balanced tyre. Degradation is good for the spectacle, though a tyre too soft can become both dangerous and produce excessive marbles, limiting use of the high line.
Newgarden’s observation was that the Phoenix compound produced “a little less dust and marbling”, though there was enough degradation to provide some jeopardy late in stints.
At the same time, the compound needs to be something that the drivers can lean on. Tyre testing resulted in the creation of a wider right-front tyre, which was another possible factor in creating the spectacle that existed on Saturday.
“It definitely increased the front grip,” Kirkwood assessed. “[There were] zero failures; running within a very healthy temperature range. It seems like there’s minimal deg at the right front, which is something we have struggled with at short ovals. That might have something to do with how good the racing is - at the end of stints, not just in the beginning.”
In the final stint, even the drivers who did not pit again for fresh rubber under caution were able to push their older tyres harder than they may have done in the past.
“That’s the hardest I’ve pushed a tyre before,” Malukas grinned. “That was drifting. I never drifted in an IndyCar that much before. Through [Turns] 1 and 2, the first turn is actually left, then when you’re in the corner, the rest of it you’re turning right. Some big moments. I’m very excited to go back and clip all the videos of almost spinning out in [Turns] 1 and 2.”
The emphasis placed on running high-line practice sessions has also helped to encourage multi-lane racing. But beyond just that, it has been important that drivers continue to put faith in using the high line early in races to ensure it remains a viable option.
Rather than just a select few drivers - in the ilk of Christian Rasmussen, Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci in recent times - there now exists more of a field-wide confidence.
“We have taught this field a lot of things,” Newgarden insisted. “The number one factor is that more people explore the track now. It is not possible to keep all the lanes open unless people utilise them. You have more individuals now in this series that are open to driving the car all over the place.
“The car is capable of doing that as well. You can run the second lane because of the grip and downforce level and not be super slow. [But] I do think the difference we have now is you’ve got guys that are constantly trying to find that second lane - and they keep in it during the race.
“That’s why I ask my spotter who is using it, where they were at. I could hear people were using it. I was using it [and] trying to keep it clean so we could have a good show. If they don’t do that 50-60 laps, it will close off [and] you have to wait for a caution to get a new opportunity to open that back up.”
Leaving Phoenix, there is an unequivocal sense that IndyCar should return to run the weekend alongside NASCAR again next year. They had not shared an event since on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in August 2023, while this marked the first time they had ever raced together on an oval on the same weekend.
“I wish we had more weekends like this,” Newgarden suggested. “It’s fun going on an oval together. It’s so cool. I think we could get a couple more like this. [It was] a great opportunity to have the type of race we had. I really was hoping we’d have a good show.
“We produced what we expect from the IndyCar Series. I hope there [are] a lot of people that have maybe not seen an IndyCar race in a while that are going to leave here and go: ‘Hey, I should give that another look.’
“Both should complement each other. If you’re a motorsport fan, you’re just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top two motorsport championships together on the same weekend. I don’t see why we can’t do a little more of this. It’s good for everybody.”
Indeed, unlike at other oval races in recent years where grandstands have been deflatingly sparse, the fan turnout was another element of the weekend’s success. It was a far cry from the bleak lack of eyeballs when IndyCar last ran at Phoenix eight years ago.
“Two of the biggest motorsports categories in the world - in the US especially - coming together on the same weekend is a huge thing,” Kirkwood said. “We should see more of that. I think there should be even more collaboration between the series.”
Unquestionably, with the race so enthralling, it is a weekend that should have captured a fresh contingent of fans of the NASCAR persuasion. And how can you not be captivated by the speed too, given David Malukas’ two-lap IndyCar pole average was 40 mph quicker than Joey Logano’s NASCAR Cup Series pole speed?
Mercifully, such is the improvement to IndyCar’s calendar, any converts will only have had to wait eight days until IndyCar races again. The inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington immediately follows Phoenix, rather than the familiar bout of three-week breaks early in the season.
“It’s good from a viewing standpoint,” Malukas asserted. “Coming from St. Pete, we got a lot of new viewers. ‘Let me tune in again… Phoenix, that was a fantastic race to watch.’ I had a fantastic time. I think everybody here thought it was a good race. I would assume from their perspective they’re going to say: ‘Hell yeah, IndyCar is awesome.’”
Along with its new-for-2025 broadcast partner in FOX, IndyCar continues to make refreshingly innovative strides. Within that bracket, the welcome return of Phoenix as an early-season short oval was a rip-roaring success.
