By: Spencer Neff
February 18, 2026
Practice 3 Results Overall Test Results
Finishing out a two-day test session at Phoenix Raceway, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES ran a pair of sessions on the 1.022-mile Phoenix raceway oval in Avondale, Arizona.
Alexander Rossi led teammate Christian Rasmussen in a 1-2 finish to the session for Ed Carpenter Racing, posting a best lap of 174.542 mph (20.6254 seconds). Rasmussen was .0733 of a second back of his teammate. Both drivers finished Top Five when the series last visited an oval less than 1.3 miles long. Rasmussen scored his his first INDYCAR victory at the Milwaukee Mile on August 24.
Following the Chevrolet duo was the Honda-powered Chip Ganassi Racing entry of four-time series champion Alex Palou. Andretti Global’s Will Power finished in fourth and Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong completed the 3-4-5 finish by Honda.
Rebounding from an incident late in Tuesday’s session, A.J. Foyt Racing’s Caio Collett finished the session 12th, best among the rookies in the field.
While five of the 25 drivers in the full-time field have raced at Phoenix, only Scott Dixon (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2018) have won here. They ended the session sixth and 24th respectively.
Intermittent sprinkles around the track prompted multiple delays in the afternoon.
Less than an hour into the afternoon session, Marcus Ericsson made contact with the outside wall in Turn 4. He climbed from his Andretti Global machine unassisted and was quickly released from the INDYCAR Medical Unit following the incident.
His contact would be the lone major incident of the session.
Morning Session: Rossi leads Newgarden and Palou
In Wednesday’s three-hour morning session, it was Rossi again leading the 25-car field. Rossi, who finished third here in 2018, posted a best lap of 174.444 mph (20.637 seconds).
Josef Newgarden of Team Penske was second, giving Chevrolet another 1-2 session. Newgarden’s best lap was .0097 of a second back of Rossi’s best lap.
2025 Series Champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing was best among the Hondas in third, with Tuesday session leader Malukas and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward finishing up the Top Five with a 4-1 advantage for Chevrolet.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Mick Schumacher was best among the rookies, placing 16th of 25 cars in the session. All three hours on track were completed without major incident.
Up Next
IndyCar1909 will have coverage and previews of the big preseason stories for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign over the next week. Practice 1 for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is nine days away.
The session is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET on FS2- Friday, February 27 at the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida.
On Saturday, February 28, second practice is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1), with three-round knockout qualifying at 4:30 p.m. (FS2).
The 30-minute warmup is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (FS1) on Sunday, March 1. FOX will broadcast the 100-lap race at Noon ET, with an expected green flag time of 12:29 p.m. Stay with IndyCar1909.com and our social media platforms for the latest heading into the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign.
IndyCar1909.com would like to thank INDYCAR and Phoenix Raceway for their assistance this week in allowing the site to provide coverage for the Unser INDYCAR Open Test.
Header Image By Chris Owens/INDYCAR
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