Malukas fast out of the box at Phoenix test in Team Penske INDYCAR debut
David Malukas during Day 1 of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway. Photo courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
David Malukas delivered a fast first impression with Team Penske during Day 1 of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway.
Malukas was fastest around the 1-mile oval in Avondale, Ariz., at 172.605 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Tuesday’s session marked Malukas’ official NTT IndyCar Series debut since exiting A.J. Foyt Racing for Team Penske and the car formerly driven by Will Power.
SEE: Day 1 Results | Open Test Entry List
“It feels good to be P1, but at the end of the day, we just ran through our test items,” said Malukas, who completed 68 laps. “From that perspective, that’s what truly matters and everything went very well. We’ve learned so many different things. Everything felt very clear. We got a lot of answers.”
Chicago-area native Malukas, 24, joined Roger S. Penske’s juggernaut after four seasons with three teams, including Foyt Racing in 2025. Malukas’ pace on short ovals should not be a surprise, as two of his three career podium finishes have been scored on World Wide Technology Raceway’s 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Ill., near St. Louis.
Malukas paced a 1-2 result for Team Penske on the opener of a two-day test in the desert, as the winningest team in INDYCAR history looks to rebound from a sub-par 2025 season. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden was second overall among 25 drivers hot-lapping at 172.201 mph after 82 laps in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.
INDYCAR most recently raced at Phoenix Raceway on April 7, 2018, an event won by Newgarden. It was the last event contested on the track’s original configuration before it was reconfigured _the former Turn 3 is now Turn 1 _ and repaved.
Australian Power, the 2018 series champion, emerged third overall at 171.706 mph after 89 laps in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Free agent Power, 44, signed with Andretti Global after 16 full-time seasons with the Penske organization. Power’s new teammate, Kyle Kirkwood, was fourth at 171.423 mph in the No. 27 Siemens Honda. Kirkwood, a 27-year-old Floridian who won three races during his breakout 2025 season, recorded 68 laps.
Four-time/reigning series champion Alex Palou of Spain_ winner of a series-leading eight races in 2025 _ completed the top-five at 171.357 mph after 55 laps in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
“Normally at ovals,” Palou said, “it’s just about how you feel with the car _ if you have confidence to push and attack the car and be, like, on top of the car and not just allowing the car to drive you and take you around.
“Yeah, a lot of subtle changes. I think normally we don’t really have much time to test on ovals. It’s only at IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) that we really have days or hours to do any testing. On all other ovals we just have like one hour before qualifying and you cannot really test much.
“It’s exciting. Although it’s a ‘new’ track, so we’re starting from zero. But at least we’ll be able to do a lot of changes. You always want to go fast, even if you are not trying to go, like, quick. You just want to feel fast. But at the same time, it’s just a lot easier, I feel, here when it comes to testing to get a super-big lap compared to when you come here on the race weekend and you only have two qualifying laps and then the race. Everybody on the same fuel, setup and everything.
“I just want to feel confident with the car.”
Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian _ which placed two drivers in the top-10 of the final standings for the first time last season _ also flashed opening day speed. Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand was sixth at 170.919 mph in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, followed by Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist at 170.489 mph in the team’s No. 60 Honda.
Pato O’Ward, winner of two races as championship runnerup to Palou in 2025, was 16th overall after a best lap of 169.405 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
“I mean, it’s a new oval to the calendar for most parties involved, apart from the three or four guys that have ran here before,” said O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “INDYCAR oval racing really is obviously part of what the fans love here. I think I share the same passion as a lot of the other guys in terms of racing. It’s just obviously very different to street courses and road courses, so it’s been good to add a new one.
“Yeah, we’ll see what it’s all about. I really don’t know what to expect in terms of what the racing is going to look like, but I’m assuming we’re probably going to do a two-lane session (on race weekend) to try and bring that up to life a little bit and see if guys can be running up there. We obviously want the race to be good enough for cars to be exploring rather than just the one-lane zone.
“Like what Alex said, you have to be comfortable, you have to be happy with what you have. This (test) will be a huge opportunity to see the car in every aspect rather than just a performance run and then kind of guessing what the car is going to be like in the first stint.”
Dennis Hauger, the 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, was fastest among the three rookies on-track, placing 17th overall at 169.259 mph in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing. Hauger is a 22-year-old native of Oslo, Norway.
Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci was 22nd overall at 165.217 mph after 43 laps in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet fielded by Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing.
Another series rookie, Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher, was 23rd at 164.006 mph in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda. Schumacher, the 26-year-old son of seven-time F1 World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher, turned oval laps for just the second time in his career following his circle-track test debut on Feb. 4 at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Schumacher’s 109 laps-completed were third-highest, trailing Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Christian Rasmussen of Denmark (128 laps) and Alexander Rossi (118).
Former Formula One and INDYCAR regular Romain Grosjean logged 40 laps in the No. 18 BMax Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing. The 39-year-old Frenchman’s top speed of 163.228 mph was 24th overall.
Rookie Caio Collet, the 2025 INDY NXT runner-up, was involved in the day’s only incident. Collet, of Brazil, made slight contact in Turn 4 in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by Foyt Racing. Collet exited the car without help and was uninjured.
This test honors the open-wheel legacy of brothers Al and Bobby Unser, the natives of Albuquerque, N.M., who combined to win 10 races at the track formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway. Al Unser won a record six INDYCAR races and added six poles from 1969 to 1985. In addition to his four victories, Bobby Unser registered a track-record 11 poles.
Testing will continue today in the final dress rehearsal for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. Cars will be on track from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (EST) and 3:30-6:30 p.m.
The 2026 season will start with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1, through the streets of the Florida city. Race-day coverage will begin at noon (ET) on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and the FOX Sports app. Audio coverage will be available via the INDYCAR Radio Network on SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Round 2 of the expanded 18-race schedule is the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7, at Phoenix Raceway. Saturday’s INDYCAR event will be part of a busy weekend alongside NASCAR, providing a joint showcase of North American racing in partnership with FOX Sports.
INDYCAR’s 2026 schedule includes new venues in Arlington, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market; Markham, Ontario, Canada and Washington, D.C. For information about the series or teams, visit www.indycar.com.
Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Alex Palou will unveil the ticket design for the race’s 110th edition on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Fishers, Ind.
Palou won the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the No. 10 Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. The native Spaniard is the four-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion.
The ticket unveiling program is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. (EST) at K1 Speed, an IMS partner located at 9998 E. 121st St., Fishers, Ind., 46037. The actual unveiling will take place at approximately 6:45 p.m. Palou will be joined by INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles.
FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES RACE BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Note _ All times Eastern
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., Noon
Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 _ 110th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, 10 a.m.
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA
Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.
Note _ Dates and times subject to change.
