NEWGARDEN WINS THE INDYCAR PHOENIX 250 AT THE VERY END
Josef Newgarden claimed victory at Phoenix Raceway after an exciting and chaotic IndyCar race, earning his 33rd career win and moving to the top of the championship standings. The race had several dramatic moments, four caution periods, and a final sprint that completely changed the order in the last laps.
The race began with an early surprise when Dennis Hauger spun in Turn 2. In an unusual moment, he ended up driving backward down the back straight before getting the car pointed in the right direction again. Soon after, another major incident shook up the race.
On lap 22, championship contender Alex Palou collided with Rinus VeeKay. Palou was running in fifth place at the time but did not see VeeKay on the outside of the final corner. Their contact sent Palou into the wall and badly damaged the front-right part of his car, forcing him to retire. It was Palou’s first retirement since the Detroit Grand Prix last season, opening the door for other drivers to challenge for the championship lead.
At the front early in the race, David Malukas, who started from pole position, controlled the pace during the first stint and looked strong.
Later in the race, however, Christian Rasmussen produced one of the most impressive drives of the day. Starting from 18th place, the Danish driver steadily worked his way through the field with aggressive overtakes. By lap 73 he had taken the lead for Ed Carpenter Racing, trading the top position with Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden during the pit stop cycles.
Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher lost a chance at a good result because of a very slow pit stop that cost him two laps.
The race changed again on lap 142 when Louis Foster crashed into the wall in Turn 4, bringing out the third caution. During the pit stops that followed, Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power, who had already stopped about ten laps earlier, suddenly found themselves running first and second. However, they were on slightly older tires than the drivers behind them.
After the restart, Kirkwood and Power managed to stay competitive, but Rasmussen soon caught them and passed both drivers to regain the lead.
Power later retook the lead thanks to a slightly earlier pit stop, setting up an intense battle between him and Rasmussen. The fight ended dramatically on lap 207. Rasmussen attempted a risky pass on the outside in the first banking, but the two cars touched. Rasmussen hit the wall and bounced into Power’s car. Power suffered a puncture and lost any chance of winning, while Rasmussen’s car was also badly damaged.
Another caution followed, and many drivers, including Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden, took the opportunity to change tires for the final run to the finish.
Rasmussen restarted the race in the lead despite damage to his car. He tried to defend his position but struggled as drivers with fresher tires closed in. Newgarden and O’Ward quickly moved through the field. Rasmussen’s situation became worse after another hard brush with the wall in Turn 2, though he bravely continued and eventually finished 14th.
In the final laps, the battle for victory came down to Newgarden. He first passed his teammate David Malukas and then overtook Kyle Kirkwood with six laps remaining to take control of the race.
Newgarden crossed the finish line in first place, securing his second career victory at Phoenix after also winning there in 2018. Kyle Kirkwood finished second, while David Malukas completed the podium in third.
Pato O’Ward finished fourth, followed by Marcus Armstrong and Alexander Rossi. Scott Dixon came home seventh, while Scott McLaughlin finished eighth after never quite being in the fight for the win. Graham Rahal and Kyffin Simpson completed the top ten.
Further back, Will Power recovered to finish 16th after his puncture. Rookie Dennis Hauger ended his first oval race in 15th place and was the best rookie of the race. Romain Grosjean retired early due to a technical problem.
With this victory, Josef Newgarden moves to the top of the IndyCar championship standings. The next race will take place on March 15 in Arlington, where the battle for the title will continue.
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