March 7, 2026; Avondale, Arizona, USA; Team Penske Josef Newgarden (2) celebrates winning the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Image Josef Newgarden, acclaimed for his 32 wins, added 33 to his ledger Saturday, winning the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway by nearly two seconds.
Newgarden, a two-time series champion, started in second place and held off leader Kyle Kirkwood with seven laps remaining, ultimately recording a 1.7937-second victory.
“I was very surprised,” Newgarden said. “I don’t know if we fully believed we had what it took to win during the race. We just kept trying and thought, ‘Hey, if we get another chance, we’re going to be aggressive, be aggressive.’”
In the city’s first IndyCar race since 2018, Kirkwood finished second. He was followed by David Malukas, Pato O’Ward and Marcus Armstrong who rounded out the top five in the race with 565 on-track passes.
Newgarden’s win and minor contact left Alex Palou out of the top of the IndyCar standings for the first time in nearly two years. Newgarden, who pilots the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, now has the inside track for his first series championship since 2019.
The veteran noted that although the season has barely begun, it is still a far cry from the 2025 season, when he had just one win and had to wait 17 races.
“Are we really in control?” Newgarden later asked. “There are two races so I won’t read too much into it, but momentum is a big thing. It’s very difficult to understand how things are going. Sometimes things are against us and sometimes they are in our favor. It was a great run by the team.”
Palou completed just 21 laps after side-by-side contact between his car and Rinus VeeKay.
His 24th-place finish was Palou’s worst due to contact since he finished 25th in Detroit last June.
–Field level media
