Team Penske #12 driver David Malukas at the NTT IndyCar Series Good Ranchers 250 on the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway oval in his Chevy powered Dallara. Image courtesy of Penske Entertainment.
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IndyCar News: David Malukas tops Practice 1 in Phoenix

Posted by AR1 staff

In a commanding start to the race weekend, Team Penske’s David Malukas set the pace in the first practice session for the NTT IndyCar Series Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway. Piloting the No. 12 Chevrolet-powered Dallara, Malukas posted a blistering lap of 20.5005 seconds at 175.605 mph on the challenging 1-mile oval.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

This performance continues Malukas’ strong momentum at Phoenix, where he also topped the charts during February’s preseason open test with a lap of 172.605 mph in his Team Penske debut. The higher speeds in today’s session suggest teams are dialing in their setups ahead of qualifying and the race.

Malukas spearheaded a Chevrolet domination, leading a 1-2-3-4 sweep for the bowtie brigade. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward slotted into second with a time 0.1345 seconds behind, followed by Malukas’ teammate Josef Newgarden in third, 0.1824 seconds off the pace. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen rounded out the top four, just 0.1931 seconds adrift.

Will Power, now with Andretti Global, was the quickest Honda runner in fifth place, 0.2095 seconds behind Malukas in his No. 26 entry. Power’s effort highlighted a competitive but slightly slower showing for Honda-powered cars in the session.

The practice wasn’t without drama, as Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist lost control of his No. 60 Honda in Turn 2, slamming into the wall and heavily damaging the rear of his car. Rosenqvist was evaluated and released from the infield medical center without issue.

Practice 1 Results Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix

Pos No Name Time Behind Gap Speed Engine Team Laps
1 12 David Malukas 20.5005 0.000s 0.000s 175.605 Chevy Team Penske 17
2 5 Pato O’Ward 20.6350 0.1345 0.1345 174.461 Chevy Arrow McLaren 26
3 2 Josef Newgarden 20.6829 0.1824 0.0479 174.057 Chevy Team Penske 19
4 21 Christian Rasmussen 20.6936 0.1931 0.0107 173.967 Chevy Ed Carpenter Racing 30
5 26 Will Power 20.7100 0.2095 0.0164 173.829 Honda Andretti Global 29
6 20 Alexander Rossi 20.7432 0.2427 0.0332 173.551 Chevy Ed Carpenter Racing 25
7 76 Rinus VeeKay 20.7495 0.2490 0.0055 173.498 Chevy Juncos Racing 34
9 27 Kyle Kirkwood 20.7524 0.2519 0.0029 173.474 Honda Andretti Global 27
9 27 Kyle Kirkwood 20.7524 0.2519 0.0029 173.474 Honda Andretti Global 27
10 6 Nolan Siegel 20.7595 0.2590 0.0071 173.415 Chevy Arrow McLaren 37
11 47 Mick Schumacher 20.7775 0.2770 0.0180 173.264 Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 33
12 9 Scott Dixon 20.7820 0.2815 0.0045 173.227 Honda Chip Ganassi Racing 32
13 28 Marcus Ericsson 20.7920 0.2915 0.0325 173.144 Honda Andretti Global 37
14 14 Santino Ferrucci 20.8253 0.3248 0.0118 172.867 Chevy A.J. Foyt Enterprises 28
15 7 Christian Lundgaard 20.8368 0.3363 0.0115 172.771 Chevy Arrow McLaren 39
16 66 Marcus Armstrong 20.8575 0.3570 0.0207 172.600 Honda Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb‑Agajanian 34
17 15 Graham Rahal 20.8619 0.3614 0.0044 172.563 Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 37
18 10 Alex Palou 20.8620 0.3615 0.0001 172.563 Honda Chip Ganassi Racing 39
19 8 Kyffin Simpson 20.9219 0.4214 0.0480 172.069 Honda Chip Ganassi Racing 42
20 45 Louis Foster 20.9817 0.4812 0.0598 171.578 Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 39
21 19 Dennis Hauger 21.0417 0.5412 0.0600 171.089 Honda Dale Coyne Racing 40
22 18 Romain Grosjean 21.0433 0.5428 0.0616 171.076 Honda Dale Coyne Racing 31
23 77 Sting Ray Robb 21.4476 0.9471 0.2107 167.851 Chevy Juncos Racing 28
24 60 Felix Rosenqvist 21.5246 0.6847 0.0111 167.250 Honda Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb‑Agajanian 6
25 4 Caio Collet 21.5948 1.0943 0.0702 166.707 Chevy A.J. Foyt Enterprises 37