IndyCar results, leaderboard at Phoenix: Josef Newgarden wins again after 8 years away

• Josef Newgarden remains patient and gets by the hard-charging Christian Rasmussen late.
• Four-time champ Alex Palou, who won the season opener last weekend, finishes 24th after an early crash.

It's like he never left. 

Josef Newgarden, who won the last time the IndyCar Series raced at Phoenix Raceway in 2018, wins again in the Good Ranchers 250 on the 1-mile  oval. 

Kyle Kirkwood finishes 2^nd and pole-sitter David Malukas takes 3rd.

Always-charging Christian Rasmussen does all he can, keeping the lead after hitting the wall once. However, he's unable to hang on, brushing the wall again and finishing 14th. Rasmussen, who started 18th, makes 60 on-track passes.  

"We were the class of the field," Rasmussen told Fox after the race. "We should have won the race today."

Four-time series champion Alex Palou makes contact with Rinus Veekay early and finishes 24th.

IndyCar results, leaderboard in Phoenix: Good Ranchers 250 results

1. Josef Newgarden
2. Kyle Kirkwood
3. David Malukas
4. Pato O'Ward
5. Marcus Armstrong
6. Alexander Rossi
7. Scott Dixon
8. Scott McLaughlin
9. Graham Rahal
10. Kyffin Simpson
11. Santino Ferrucci
12. Felix Rosenqvist
13. Christian Lundgaard
14. Christian Rasmussen
15. Dennis Hauger
16. Will Power
17. Marcus Ericsson
18. Mick Schumacher
19. Caio Collet
20. Nolan Siegel
21. Sting Ray Robb
22. Rinus Veekay
23. Louis Foster
24. Alex Palou
25. Romain Grosjean

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 207: Christian Rasmussen hits wall but leads

Will Power suffers a cut tire while battling Christian Rasmussen for the lead. Rasmussen hits the wall but continues. Caution.

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 200: Will Power, who started last, leads race

Will Power, who struggled last weekend and crashed in qualifying here, leads with 50 laps to go.

1. Will Power
2. Pato O'Ward
3. Christian Rasmussen
4. Kyle Kirkwood
5. Josef Newgarden

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 167: Christian Rasmussen, Scott Dixon touch, stay on track

Christian Rasmussen and Scott Dixon touch shortly after a restart and battling for 3rd place. Dixon holds the position. Kyle Kirkwood leads and Will Power is 2nd.

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 145: Louis Foster brings out a caution

 Louis Foster brushes the wall and brings out a caution.

1. Christian Rasmussen
2. Scott Dixon
3. Marcus Armstrong
4. Pato O'Ward
5. Josef Newgarden

The top 3 come into the pits shortly after the caution flag flies. Rasmussen has made 48 on-track passes.

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 117: Christian Rasmussen leads Good Ranchers 250

Christian Rasmussen, who is never afraid to charge through the field, passes Pato O'Ward for the lead. All three Team Penske cars — Josef Newgarden, David Malukas, Scott McLaughlin — are in the top 6.

1. Christian Rasmussen
2. Pato O'Ward
3. Josef Newgarden
4. David Malukas
5. Kyle Kirkwood
6. Scott McLaughlin
7. Graham Rahal
8. Will Power
9. Christian Lundgaard
10. Marcus Armstrong

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 80: Josef Newgarden passes David Malukas in a close call

After the first round of pit stops, Josef Newgarden gets by teammate David Malukas after they touch wheels.

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 50: David Malukas has led every lap

Christian Rasmussen is up 11 spots from his starting spot.

1. David Malukas
2. Josef Newgarden
3. Alexander Rossi
4. Graham Rahal
5. Scott McLaughlin
6. Pato O'Ward
7. Christian Rasmussen
8. Kyle Kirkwood
9. Marcus Armstrong
10. Marcus Ericsson

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 25: Alex Palou is out at Phoenix

Rinus Veekay and Alex Palou get together, and the four-time champ gets into the wall. Caution.

IndyCar leaderboard at Lap 14: Dennis Hauger spins at Phoenix

Dennis Hauger spins but doesn't hit a wall. Caution.

IndyCar leaderboard: Lap 5 at Phoenix

David Malukas keeps the lead. Alexander Rossi moves from 6th to 3rd. Will Power moves up from 25th (last) to 15th in a hurry. Romain Grosjean has issues with his hybrid system after engines fire and heads to the pits.

When does the IndyCar Series race in Phoenix? When is the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix? IndyCar Series schedule for the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix

(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)

Saturday, March 7

• Noon: NASCAR Cup practice, Prime
• 1:10 p.m.: NASCAR Cup qualifying, Prime
• 3 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox (green flag scheduled for 3:20 p.m.)
• 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR O'Reilly Series race, CW

Sunday, March 8

• 3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup race (312 laps), FS1

Where to watch the IndyCar race at Phoenix? How to watch the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix?

TV: Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 6, 2026, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 3:20 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.

Who won pole position for the IndyCar race at Phoenix? Starting grid for the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix

• Row 1
• 1, David Malukas, 175.383 mph
• 2, Josef Newgarden, 174.548
• Row 2
• 3, Graham Rahal, 173.993
• 4, Mick Schumacher, 173.667
• Row 3
• 5, Scott McLaughlin, 173.448
• 6, Alexander Rossi, 173.389
• Row 4
• 7, Pato O'Ward, 173.344
• 8, Rinus Veekay, 173.248
• Row 5
• 9, Nolan Siegel, 172.995
• 10, Alex Palou, 172.980
• Row 6
• 11, Kyle Kirkwood, 172.878
• 12, Sting Ray Robb, 172.538
• Row 7
• 13, Marcus Armstrong, 172.434
• 14, Marcus Ericsson, 172.3664
• Row 8
• 15, Scott Dixon, 172.074
• 16, Louis Foster, 171.827
• Row 9
• 17, Christian Lundgaard, 171.566
• 18, Christian Rasmussen, 171.540
• Row 10
• 19, Kyffin Simpson, 171.439
• 20, Romain Grosjean, 170.814
• Row 11
• 21, Santino Ferrucci, 170.577
• 22, Dennis Hauger, 169.818
• Row 12
• 23, Caio Collet, 167.647
• 24, Felix Rosenqvist, incomplete
• Row 13
• 25, Will Power, incomplete

Alex Palou makes his 100th start in IndyCar

Alex Palou, the four-time IndyCar champ, has 20 race wins. He won the 2026 season opener last weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

IndyCar predictions for Phoenix from IndyStar's Zion Brown

• Who will win the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix?
• "I’ll pick Pato O'Ward. When IndyCar tested here last month, several drivers compared the short oval to World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, where O’Ward has finished second three times."

• Whose finishing position will improve the most from last weekend in St. Petersburg? 
• "Scott Dixon. I think everyone would be surprised to see Dixon, who won at Phoenix in 2016, finish 23^rd again this week."

• Who will win pole position for the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix? 
• "Josef Newgarden will win the pole. Newgarden was the winner the last time IndyCar raced here in 2018, so it’d be no surprise to see the "oval king" take the pole position on Friday."

Who is leading IndyCar? 2026 IndyCar results

Alex Palou won the season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida, with ease. Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin finished second and Christian Lundgaard completed the podium.

When did the IndyCar Series last race in Phoenix?

Josef Newgarden won the IndyCar race at Phoenix in 2018. Among drivers still in the series, Alexander Rossi finished 3rd, Scott Dixon 4th, Graham Rahal 9th, and Will Power 22nd.

How can I stream the IndyCar race at Phoenix? How can I stream the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix?

FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app

How can I listen to IndyCar race at Phoenix?

IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race). Mark Jaynes is the anchor, with driver analyst Davey Hamilton.

Will it rain during the IndyCar race Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix? Phoenix weather forecast for IndyCar race

• Saturday: Sunny with a high in the upper 70s.

IndyCar tire allocation for Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix

Tires: Ten sets of primary tires are available for the weekend. One additional set is available for use during the group session on Friday.

IndyCar schedule 2026

(*-street course; ^-road course; #-oval; all races on Fox, SiriusXM Channel 218; times are start of TV coverage, ET)

• March 1: St. Petersburg, Fla. * (Winner: Alex Palou)
• Saturday, March 7: Phoenix #, 3 p.m.
• Sunday, March 15: Arlington, Texas *, 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, March 29: Birmingham, Alabama ^, 1 p.m.
• Sunday, April 19: Long Beach, California *, 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, May 9: Indianapolis road course ^, 4:30 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: Indianapolis 500 #, 10 a.m.
• Sunday, May 31: Detroit *, 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 7: Madison, Illinois #, 9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 21: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ^, 2 p.m.
• Sunday, July 5: Lexington, Ohio ^, 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 19: Lebanon, Tennessee #, TBD
• Sunday, Aug. 9: Portland ^, 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 16: Markham, Ontario *, noon
• Sunday, Aug. 23: Washington, D.C. *, TBD
• Saturday, Aug. 29: Milwaukee #, 2:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 30: Milwaukee #, 1 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 6: Monterey, California ^, 2:30 p.m.

IndyCar Series teams, drivers in 2026

(with team, car number and driver; *-Indianapolis 500 only)

• A.J. Foyt Racing: 4, Caio Collet; 14, Santino Ferrucci
• Andretti Global: 26, Will Power; 27, Kyle Kirkwood; 28, Marcus Ericsson
• Arrow McLaren: 5, Pato O'Ward; 6, Nolan Siegel; 7, Christian Lundgaard; 31, Ryan Hunter-Reay *
• Chip Ganassi Racing: 8, Kyffin Simpson; 9, Scott Dixon; 10, Alex Palou
• Dale Coyne Racing: 18, Romain Grosjean; 19, Dennis Hauger
• Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick: TBD, Jack Harvey *
• Ed Carpenter Racing: 20, Alexander Rossi; 21, Christian Rasmussen
• Juncos Hollinger: 76, Rinus Veekay; 77, Sting Ray Robb
• Meyer Shank Racing: 60, Felix Rosenqvist; 66, Marcus Armstrong; 06, Helio Castroneves *
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 15, Graham Rahal; 45, Louis Foster; 47, Mick Schumacher; reserve driver, Toby Sowery
• Team Penske: 2, Josef Newgarden; 3, Scott McLaughlin; 12, David Malukas

Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.