IndyCar News: Report from Day 2 of Unser IndyCar Open Test

Good afternoon from Phoenix Raceway, where the second day of  Unser IndyCar Open Testing is being conducted for the NTT INDYCAR Series drivers and teams.  The temperatures are in the low 60s with mixed clouds and a bit of wind.

The timing chart may not really indicate what the teams are working on today.   Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi has been on top all morning with a time of 20.6370s.

Andretti Global’s Will Power has turned the most laps so far with 105.  The Australian’s time of 20.8386s put him ninth on the chart.

There were no incidents on the track this morning.

Caio Collet

Autoracing1 talked with AJ Foyt Racing’s rookie during the morning session to see how he was doing after yesterday’s brush with the wall in Turn 4.

“The last time I hit a wall was like 2024, so wow, that was a long time ago.”

“I made a mistake on my side yesterday, a rookie mistake going on new tires.  I did not anticipate how much grip I had on the track.  When you put new tires on these cars, it’s a whole different thing.  I was super early for the apex.”

“My car was not damaged much, a little damage on the rear wing.  My guys said it was an easy fix.”

‘This track is tricky.  Similar to Gateway (the current World Wide Technology Raceway), in a way, but I wouldn’t say harder, but a bit different than Gateway.  Turns 3 and 4 can be a challenge, but it’s a super nice track to drive here.”

One thing to note is that the Brazilian was second in the INDY NXT by Firestone Championship last season.  Collet is pleased to have a technical alliance with Team Penske, which will be an advantage for his first IndyCar season.

Testing is scheduled to continue this afternoon at 1:30 pm MT.  The track dryer is out now due to precipitation in the area.  Hopefully, the track will be ready soon.

Lucille Dust reporting live from Phoenix