IndyCar: Driver Chats during Phoenix Open Test

The pit lane is pretty spread out here at Phoenix Raceway.  The Prema Racing Team is not setup and not much has been said about their presence this season in the NTT INDYCAR Series.

A handful of drivers took to the track at 1 pm this afternoon.  Nothing happened until 2:38 pm when a yellow came out for track inspection.  Josef Newgarden, No 2 entry for Team Penske and his new teammate, David Malukas, were first and second at this time.

Autoracing1 talked with Conor Daly, an Indianapolis favorite that always works hard to get in a seat.  He drove for Juncos Hollinger Racing last season but lost his seat to Rinus VeeKey.

We asked the 36-year-old how close he came to securing a full time ride this season.   He replied that up until last week, he was texting with a team and then they decided on another driver.

The American added that he will be doing something in a race car, just might not always be an IndyCar.

Autoracing1 spoke with Dennis Hauger, the rookie at Dale Coyne Racing this season.  The 2025 INDY NXT Champion is excited to be driving in the No 19 DCR entry.

We asked what he would be working on during the test and he told us that the most important thing to him was learning to drive in the traffic, which is a few more cars than he experienced last year in INDY NXT by Firestone.

The 22 year old talked about his relaxing in Norway during the offseason.  He does stay in Indianapolis during the racing season, which results in him missing the best season of his country, summer.

Lucille Dust reporting live from Phoenix