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

ECR veteran Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet turned a lap at 174.542mph (20.6524 seconds) during the afternoon on the second day of the Unser Open Test at Phoenix Raceway to lead the combined timesheet after a dozen hours on the iconic 1-mile oval.

“We got through everything we wanted, and when you can do that, it’s a good day,” Rossi said. “Christian’s (Rasmussen) car is also strong, so there’s nothing more I could ask for.”

“We have a good baseline, and it feels like we are on top of it,” Rossi said of ECR’s Phoenix setups.

Five of the top six drivers across the two-day test were Chevrolet-powered, with Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 ECR Chevrolet, David Malukas in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet and Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet all finishing the test in the top six.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was third with a time of 20.7343s.

Andretti Global’s Will Power was fourth with a time of 20.7867s.

Meyer Shank’s Marcus Armstrong was fifth with a time of 20.8165s.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was sixth with a time of 20.8340s.

Former Formula One backmarker Mick Schumacher continued to make steps in his oval racing education by ending up the fastest rookie over both days. He turned a top lap of 171.096 mph in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda today to lead the three rookies in the field and end up 18th overall.

Marcus Ericsson

Marcus Ericsson made contact at 3:49 pm in Turn 4, bringing the session to a halt before the rain returned.  The Swede climbed out of the car without assistance.

The session went green at 4:27 pm and was checkered at 4:53 pm due to moisture on the track.

The 2026 season starts with the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg on Sunday, March 1st, on FOX.

Lucille Dust reporting live from Phoenix

Phoenix 2-day IndyCar Phoenix Cummulative Test Results