Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Atlanta Advance

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE EchoPark Speedway February 21-22, 2026

NASCAR is set to face yet another weekend of superspeedway-style racing as all three national touring series will head south to the suburbs of Atlanta to take on the 1.54-mile oval of EchoPark Speedway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

The tripleheader weekend will kick-off with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) on Saturday afternoon, where the event’s defending winner, Kyle Busch, will return to the seat of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to make his first NCTS appearance of the season. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) will then take its turn later that evening as Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill looks to continue to stack onto his already impressive superspeedway stats with back-to-back victories to open the 2026 season. Rounding out the weekend on Sunday is the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), with hometown hero, Chase Elliott, looking for redemption after a heartbreaking end to his pursuit for his first Harley J. Earl trophy last week at Daytona. Entering its fifth season of competition on the track’s reconfigured surface, Chevrolet continues to be the only manufacturer to find victory lane in all three national divisions – entering the weekend with five NCS wins, six NOAPS wins and three NCTS wins.

STATEMENT SEASON-OPENER IN THE NOAPSComing off a record season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Chevrolet picked up right where it left off with a near-dominate performance at Daytona International Speedway. With a front-row sweep in qualifying courtesy of the pair of Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet’s, Austin Hill went on to take both stage wins en route to the organization’s fifth-straight season-opening race win. On top of the victory, the manufacturer led all but two laps of the event with seven Team Chevy drivers tallying a combined 118 laps led. At the checkered flag, it was the Bowtie brigade that swept the top-20 positions of the final running order – a feat accomplished by 11 different organizations that are competing under the Chevrolet banner.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at EchoPark Speedway: Chase Elliott – two wins (July 2025; July 2022)William Byron – two wins (July 2023; March 2022)Kyle Busch – two wins (Sept. 2013, March 2008)Daniel Suarez – one win (Feb. 2024)

·        In 123 NASCAR Cup Series races held at EchoPark Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 46 victories. Since the reconfiguration of the 1.54-Georgia venue prior to the start of the 2022 season, Chevrolet has been the only manufacturer to reach victory lane in all three of NASCAR’s national divisions – leading the way with five NCS wins, six NOAPS and three NCTS wins.

·        Since the debut of the Next Gen Cars in 2022, Chevrolet has won 13 of the 25 superspeedway-style races in the NASCAR Cup Series – recorded by seven drivers from four different Chevrolet teams:

·        In 145 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 46.2%.

·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.

·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader 400Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. ETFOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesBennett Transportation & Logistics 250Saturday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. ETCW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesFr8 Racing 208Saturday, Feb. 21, at 1:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat is your most memorable moment racing in Atlanta?“Before I ever drove, I went and watched a race that Kyle Busch won, I think it was 2008. Another memorable moment was backing up to Christopher Bell off turn two to get some energy to make a run for the win on big Will Byron.” What is the key to winning at Atlanta?“At EchoPark Speedway, to finish first, first you must finish. We’ve seen big crashes with the new reconfiguration. So my goal is to have air in all four tires and have them pointed somewhat in the right direction toward the end of the race to give us a shot at the win.” Are you looking forward to EchoPark Speedway after Daytona?“Having one race under the belt with my new crew chief, Brandon McSwain, is great. I feel like everything went well in Daytona. We don’t have any practice at Atlanta but I’m confident the car will be good. It’ll be a little more traditional weekend at EchoPark since we aren’t there for a week (laughs), but it’s great to have the season started and get back into a routine. It’s the first Wendy’s paint scheme of the year which is cool. They always have fun promotions in their app so I hope everyone takes advantage of them.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletEchoPark Speedway changed a lot with the repave and the reconfiguration, but how has it changed since? Where are we with the evolution? “I think EchoPark Speedway is gaining character from the winters, and just the passing of time. That place is so banked, and you’re starting to find little bumps and stuff that were in it from the beginning that are getting bigger. It’s a cool style of racing. It’s a lot different than what we all envisioned a repave of EchoPark Speedway would be, I think. It’s speedway racing but with an important handling component. Handling is going to become more and more important as the track wears. I had a lot of fun in previous races there, even though we’ve been caught up in some messes.” It’s very easy to get caught up in somebody else’s problems at EchoPark Speedway… “It seems like it is, because two years ago that was probably the best car I’ve had going there. We were just riding along and the wreck happens and you’re in it. I mean, if you’re within a car length, it’s very tough to get away from the wreck at EchoPark Speedway.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow do you view Atlanta? Is it a superspeedway or an intermediate racetrack?“I don’t think it’s either in my opinion. I think it’s a hybrid track and the reason why I like it so much is because it is very different. It doesn’t race like a 1.5-mile track but it also doesn’t race like a superspeedway, either, because everything happens so quick. The way the track is built, the speed in the corners, the banking is just completely different when you compare it to another 1.5 mile track, for example, Kansas Speedway. So, the way I see it, yes maybe on paper people call Atlanta a superspeedway with that style of racing, but to me it’s a hybrid.”
How mentally taxing is Atlanta compared to other tracks?“Atlanta is very mentally exhausting. At most 1.5-mile tracks, you usually get some space after five or 10 laps to move around, and at superspeedways, it’s intense but mostly in the first 15 laps. At Atlanta, you never get space—you can’t relax or reset. Even running 25th, it’s still super intense. You have to go full speed and constantly learn and adjust during the race. There’s no time to think about what just happened because everything happens so fast.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletTalk about racing at EchoPark Speedway and what it’s like.“EchoPark Speedway is an entirely different track than what it used to be. No more old age asphalt and running and strategy to have the best tires at the end. It’s a speedway race. It’s all everybody on top of one another and there’s a lot of chess matches going on. So trying to figure out the best lane to be in, where you want to be on that last lap, do you want to be leading, do you want to be second, it just kind of depends on the situations and the runs and the energy that is happening behind you from the other cars to push you forward.” Talk about the chaotic nature of racing in Atlanta.“Atlanta has gotten pretty chaotic, anything can happen. Any moment, we’re pushing each other, bumping each other, and more times than not we’re crashing down the straightaways. It’s a tricky little racetrack because it’s a mile-and-a-half. So the superspeedway aspect of it, at a mile-and-a-half, the speed sensation is so much higher. So, it’s really a fun place to race, but yet a big challenge on the drivers.” How do you balance the aggression of racing there, and surviving?“You want to be aggressive at Atlanta because you want to get up towards the front. You want to make those moves to get yourself in position, and everybody else is also trying to do that, so you got 30-40 drivers vying for that number one position, and it gets a little bit hectic. But, you know, you’ve got to wait. It’s a long race, you can’t be wrecking and piling up 30 something cars in Turn 3 in the first stage it just makes zero sense. So trying to find a way to make it through the wrecks and not get caught up in one.” Do you like just getting up and rolling, or would you prefer some practice when it comes to speedway racing?“I would like practice. I feel like us being able to get out there, make a couple of runs and shake things out, finalize your heights and put everything where you want it to be, and then go qualify. I feel like that’s okay, we’re talking 20 minutes of practice we get every week anyway, so let’s just do it.”

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletThoughts after Daytona?“I’m really happy after Speedweeks. We showed great speed in every session and race. A top-15 after everything that went on Sunday around us is pretty good. Our team worked well together, communicated like we should and had a really good strategy. We have some things to clean up on the execution side, but I know we will fix that. I expect we’ll run well this Sunday in Atlanta.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“It’s kind of a quasi-superspeedway, I mean everybody’s running in a pack, and it’s intense. It definitely feels as fast inside the race car as the racetrack looks from the outside. It’s probably one of the most intense races we have, mentally and even somewhat physically.
In the past, we’ve had good cars there and some strong finishes. At the end of the day, it’s the same deal, put yourself in the right position, try to miss the wrecks, and hopefully go there, be strong, and execute the race weekend the way we need to.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Coming out of Daytona with a second-place finish gives our whole team a lot of confidence heading into Atlanta. We had a fast race car, executed well, and that momentum is something we want to keep building on. Atlanta races a lot like a superspeedway now, so drafting, track position, and making smart decisions all day are going to be important. Having Chef Boyardee on the car makes it even more fun and we’re ready to go fight for another strong finish.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet“Hendrick Motorsports had a strong showing in Daytona, which is really positive to see with the new Chevrolet body. Obviously, for our No. 48 Ally team, being in the wrong place at the wrong time ended our day early last weekend. With what we saw out of the car, we’re ready to get to Atlanta, another drafting track, and see what we can accomplish. We have shown speed there, had good runs in the past and we’ll look to continue building on that.”
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“At Atlanta, you’re laser-focused on the racetrack and what’s going on directly in front of you. You don’t have time to think or even breathe. It’s more difficult than Daytona in that regard.
Atlanta takes superspeedway racing to the extreme, where we’re drafting on an even smaller, tighter track. It makes the margin of error razor thin, almost non-existent. You’re basically at the whim of everything going on around you. You want to know that you’ve got a racecar that’s going to stay underneath you as the tires wear off throughout the run. It’s about having a good-handling, well-balanced racecar.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat did you learn during Atlanta last year that you can use for this weekend?“I am looking forward to going to Atlanta with B’laster on our Spire Motorsports Chevy. We obviously had some troubles there on the No. 71 last year and rallied back to the lead lap, but 77 had a great run there at the end of the race; Carson was one of the fastest cars. So, we have a good notebook and good momentum coming off Daytona with having cars that had lots of speed and handled well, now going to another drafting semi-speedway track to hopefully redeem ourselves from Daytona.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat about the new configuration at Atlanta has clicked for you?“I’ve been envious and watched a bunch of races at the old bumpy Daytona. Every time I get to run Atlanta it just makes me think about bumpy Daytona where you can draft by yourself. You don’t need anybody. You can just make moves and time things. It’s basically all offense. It just works for me. If this move didn’t work, I’ll get back in line and make the next one. And if that didn’t work, I’ll make the next one. Eventually, one of my six moves is going to work and I’ll gain spots. Ultimately, I’m just smiling the whole time because it reminds me of those nostalgic 2000s era races at Daytona. Atlanta provides the opportunity and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so that’s the best thing we got.” How do you balance the disappointment of the finish of last weekend’s Daytona 500 with the optimism of Atlanta this weekend?“Well we ran second in the Duel on Thursday, and were right where we needed to be on Sunday. We were leading coming to the white, but obviously, things just didn’t work out. I’m not too disappointed knowing we were where we needed to be and there isn’t really anything I could have done to prevent the outcome. If anything, I am more confident for Atlanta this weekend.”
Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAfter a busy week in Daytona, are you looking forward to getting back to more normal race weekend at EchoPark Speedway? “It’s going to be nice to have a nice, short weekend. Atlanta is a really chaotic racetrack. I’ve got Tootsies on my car for the first time which is really cool and getting to experience what it’s going to be like to get in the rhythm of things and understand what it’s like to be a full-time Cup driver and that starts this weekend. It’s going to be a long season but I’m excited for each and every weekend.” How big of a factor is handling at EchoPark Speedway?“Every time we go back to EchoPark Speedway it gets harder and harder to hold it wide open around that place. When it’s three-wide and you’re hanging on to your racecar it’s superspeedway racing but your car isn’t handling well it makes for some pretty crazy racing and it’s certainly intense behind the wheel too. Everything happens quicker but it makes for a lot of fun behind the wheel.” What is the racing like at EchoPark Speedway like in a Cup car? “You’re on the edge of being flat-out the entire time. It’s very, very close quarters racing and everyone is in a pack. Anything can happen at any time, and we saw that last year. It’s a very exciting race and it opens up a lot of opportunities for guys who maybe don’t have the chance to win every week.” How much did you learn at Daytona that will help you this week? “A lot of things, just understanding how these Cup cars race in the draft and just how different they are. It’s a big learning curve for me so figuring that out is crucial. I had a good day in Daytona and learned a lot.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat does race at EchoPark Speedway compare too? Do you like the racing there?“It’s kind of like a mile and a half, the way it kind of drives but the racing is one of the most fun ovals, I think. You’re always jockeying for position and trying to put yourself in the right spot. I really like the racing there.” How intense is it racing there (EchoPark Speedway)? Is it more mental or physical?“Oh, it’s all mental. You’re trying to think, and I always find myself getting too excited, then you end up going bottom of three, then you have no help down the straights, and you just get shucked back. It’s a real challenge to have patience there.” Is the drafting hard for you? Or do you feel like you kind of got that down?“No, I’m still learning and trying to make friends, I guess. People leave you for no reason, or you do something wrong and lose the trust of people. It takes a while to understand how to put your car in the right place.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEEchoPark SpeedwayFebruary 21-22, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11) Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2026 STATISTICS: Wins: 0Poles: 1Laps Led: 67Top-Fives: 2Top-10s: 2Stage Wins: 0 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 767Laps led to date: 256,801Top-fives to date: 4,438Top-10s to date: 9,153 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,215 Chevrolet: 881 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 847 Ford: 747 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 204

Uncategorized

Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown sets nine-race schedule for 2026 season, Mark Pawuk Looking for Three-Peat

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

CLEVELAND, OH (February 18, 2026) — Flexjet, a global leader in private aviation, will continue as the title sponsor of the exciting NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class, which will make nine appearances at NHRA national events during the upcoming 2026 season. Two-time world champion Mark Pawuk will be looking to make it three championships in a row when the series kicks off at the historic Gatornationals, March 5-8, 2026. Competitors from across the country will be battling it out on the track in Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet factory hot rods.

Mark Pawuk captured his second consecutive Flexjet Factory Stock Series world championship in St. Louis , photo credit Auto Imagery

Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown sets nine-race schedule for 2026 season, Mark Pawuk Looking for Three-Peat

CLEVELAND, OH (February 18, 2026) — Flexjet, a global leader in private aviation, will continue as the title sponsor of the exciting NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class, which will make nine appearances at NHRA national events during the upcoming 2026 season. Two-time world champion Mark Pawuk will be looking to make it three championships in a row when the series kicks off at the historic Gatornationals, March 5-8, 2026. Competitors from across the country will be battling it out on the track in Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet factory hot rods.

Mark Pawuk captured his second consecutive Flexjet Factory Stock Series world championship in St. Louis , photo credit Auto Imagery

The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will add an extra race for 2026 and will begin its season at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., on March 5-8 before heading to Charlotte, N.C. for the four-wide race on April 24-26. From there, the class will race at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago on May 14-17, followed by races at picturesque Bristol Dragway on June 12-14 and then fan-favorite Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 25-28.

The category will take a summer break following the Norwalk race, returning to action as part of the prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class will stay busy to close out the season, racing at US 131 Motorsports Park on Sept. 18-20 and then at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis on Oct. 2-4.

The added ninth race will also serve as the finale, as the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown will close out the 2026 season at Texas Motorplex on Oct. 14-18 as part of the track’s massive Stampede of Speed and Texas NHRA Fall Nationals.

The Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown category has provided thrilling action for several years, with some of drag racing’s top drivers competing for the prestigious Wally behind the wheel of Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks. In 2025, Pawuk clinched his second straight championship on the strength of event wins in Norwalk and Bristol. He was also the runner-up in Charlotte, holding off a strong charge from Jason and Taylor Dietsch, who won a combined four races.

The popular Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program will also return in 2026. Established during the 2021 season, the program puts a “bounty” on the winner of the previous event.

2026 FLEXJET NHRA FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN SCHEDULE

March 5-8: 57th annual NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.

April 24-26: 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte, N.C.

May 14-17: 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, Route 66 Raceway, Chicago

June 12-14: 25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn.

June 25-28: 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Sept. 2-7: 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

Sept. 18-20: Inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals, US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, Mich.

Oct. 2-4: 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis

Oct. 14-18: 41st annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas

Uncategorized

Seven-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr Returns to AMA Pro Racing as Series Director of Progressive American Flat Track

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Chris Carr riding with the number one plate in 2002. [Photo: Dave Hoenig for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management systemDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 18, 2026) – AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce the appointment of seven-time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr as the Series Director of Progressive American Flat Track. Effective immediately, Carr will oversee all competition-related aspects of the series as it enters an exciting new chapter of growth and evolution. “We’re proud to welcome Chris Carr back to AMA Pro Racing,” said Gene Crouch, CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “Chris understands this sport at the highest levels: as a champion, a leader, and a steward of its incredible history. He brings unmatched credibility, integrity, and competitive insight that will strengthen our riders, teams and manufacturer ecosystem while elevating the fan experience nationwide.” One of the most accomplished riders in the history of American motorcycle racing, Carr’s career spans decades at the top of the sport. His championship success, institutional knowledge, and deep relationships across the industry uniquely position him to guide Progressive American Flat Track’s competition strategy. “I’m excited to return to AMA Pro Racing and take on the role of Series Director for Progressive American Flat Track,” said Carr. “Flat track has defined my life. I look forward to working alongside riders, teams, manufacturers, and partners to ensure safe, fair, and fiercely competitive racing that honors our history and builds our future.” In his new role, Carr will manage season calendar development and event planning, event operations and safety protocols, rulebook evolution and technical regulations, rider and team relations, new rider evaluations and licensing, and strategic initiatives including the Road to AFT talent development program. He will serve as the primary competition liaison among riders, teams, manufacturers, promoters and officials, with fairness, safety and integrity as the guiding principles that define his leadership and shape the championship’s competitive standards. Next UpThe 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season will kick off with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA doubleheader at the DAYTONA Flat Track during Daytona’s Bike Week festivities. The twin short track races will take place at the “World Center of Racing” on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6. To purchase tickets to the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II, please visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack. After the season opener, America’s Original Extreme Sport will head north for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track at Senoia Raceway on March 21. Tickets are available now at https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-atlanta-short-track-165280 How to Watch

Uncategorized

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Pato O’Ward

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Tuesday, February 17, 2026Pato O’Ward Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. We wanted to set the stage for this week’s Unser INDYCAR Open test here at Phoenix Raceway. It’s great to be back at Phoenix Raceway.
Alex Palou joins us, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, four-time reigning NTT INDYCAR Series champion after really a dominating performance last year, eight wins, 19 for his career.This season will go for the rare four-peat, trying to become just the second driver in the history of the INDYCAR Series to do that and the first since Sebastien Bourdais in 2007.
Pato O’Ward also joins us driving the No.5 McLaren Chevrolet beginning his seventh full season in the NTT INDYCAR Series. He is a nine-time winner in the series after having two wins last year; also a seven-time pole winner after adding two pole positions in 2025.
THE MODERATOR: Pato, welcome to Phoenix Raceway. I think there’s only four drivers that have had any experience here: Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon. How much are you looking forward to really learning about this race course?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, this is a new race for me just like it is for Alex. It looks a bit of a mix of maybe Gateway, Iowa; obviously looks old school, typical INDYCAR. Yeah, hopefully we can get a second lane working.Honestly, I haven’t really watched the 2018 Phoenix race, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen INDYCARs go around this place, at least online. So we’ll see what it’s all about, but it looks quite quick, and our race weekend truly starts here because it’s coming up very quickly. Lots of work to do.
Q.  Pato, your times weren’t the greatest at Sebring, so I’m curious –PATO O’WARD: That was straightforward (laughing). We cannot read too much into Sebring. We’ve done well there, we’ve done bad there, and not a lot of influences into what St. Pete usually looks like.
We were just testing a lot of the things that we obviously worked on during the off-season with obviously the sets of tires and stuff. We weren’t there to set the fastest time with what we wanted to try.
I would say, yeah, I don’t think it was full-on performance running where we were trying to set the fastest lap time.
But I’m not worried. I’m happy with what we’ve found and developed over the off-season. I know there’s been a lot of work going into that.
Yeah, hopefully you’re not asking me this after St. Pete.
Q.  With it being your first time racing here in INDYCAR, what things are you looking for in this test, as you said, Pato, as this is kind of the beginning of the Phoenix race weekend? What are you looking for as you go out there this week?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, it’s a new oval to the calendar for most parties involved, apart from the three or four guys that have ran here before.INDYCAR oval racing really is obviously part of what the fans love here. I think I share the same passion as a lot of the other guys in terms of racing. It’s just obviously very different to street courses and road courses, so it’s been good to add a new one.
Yeah, we’ll see what it’s all about. I really don’t know what to expect in terms of what the racing is going to look like, but I’m assuming we’re probably going to do a two-lane session this weekend to try and bring that up to life a little bit and see if guys can be running up there because we obviously want the race to be good enough for cars to be exploring rather than just the one-lane zone.
Q.  For both of you, what would you come away from these couple of days of testing kind of seeing as being a success, and what are you really wanting to achieve from this test?
Q.  Anything different from your side, Pato?PATO O’WARD: No. I mean, obviously the ovals you would think would be more of a caution whenever the car isn’t really to your liking. You obviously need something that is under you to be able to just be running out there really. If it’s not, then it really is a big delta from one to the other.Like what Alex said, you have to be comfortable, you have to be happy with what you have, and this will be a huge opportunity to see the car in every aspect rather than just a performance run and then kind of guessing what the car is going to be like in the first stint.
Q.  We’ve kind of heard people mentioning about, oh, there could be a benefit of having Phoenix before the 500. But obviously with it being quite a different oval, is there any benefit to having that before the 500 in terms of another oval race to start the season?
PATO O’WARD: You know, we’ve both been part of years where there’s nothing before the 500 and then where there is. Indy is Indy; like Indy is very different. Even when we had Texas before Indy, it doesn’t fully translate. Indy just decides what it wants, and obviously the car can be good one day, and then the other day it’s like, what’s going on with it. Indy is its own beast.I would say it really doesn’t have too much of a comparison if we were to start with an oval or not.
Q.  The fact that there’s three races right off the bat, have you guys done anything differently in terms of your conditioning, either physical or mental, to be able to be ready for that? You’re race drivers; you’d run every weekend if you could. But in INDYCAR it’s a little bit different start to the season. Have you made any changes to your regimen to get ready for it?
PATO O’WARD: Not really. Just build on what maybe you feel like you lacked in last year or whatnot. But I guess it can be quite specific to maybe a certain muscle or something that you need to be working on. But all in all, it’s quite close.
I try and keep it very — a variety, basically, not just all weight training, and that seems to keep me entertained the best. That’s what I try to do in the off-season.
Q.  At this stage in your careers, how do you approach test sessions such as this differently than you may have done in the past?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, obviously when you start a day when you don’t know the racetrack, maybe it’s a little bit different to maybe a track that you’ve already known, so I would say it’s kind of like going just to any new tracks. You don’t quite know — for the teams that haven’t really tested here since 2018, obviously, the aero is different because of the aeroscreen and all that stuff, so things have changed. So you first just need to see if you’re in the window and you’re in a place where you can start evolving from that package that you’ve brought.
So I think that’s the biggest thing, at least for us in Arrow McLaren, just trying to get that underway and then really build on that. But no certain specifics I would say.
Q.  You talked about the FOX commercials earlier. There’s a lot of cross-promotion this year with the trucks of St. Pete, O’Reilly is joining you guys on Saturday. What are you most excited for in terms of Phoenix weekend crossing over with fans, the drivers, anything you guys are in particular looking forward to?
PATO O’WARD: Obviously FOX have done a phenomenal job with trying to keep growing our sport, right, our brand, the INDYCAR brand, our personal brands, as well. We’re two of the lucky ones that got this shot, not just once but twice, the first one being a Super Bowl commercial and then now with the second part of them.
I know that weekend that we’re here is a NASCAR weekend, which is why we’re racing on Saturday afternoon, but even in the past when we’ve had weekends with them, we obviously see them around, but we don’t really — we’ve got our own kind of hectic schedule going on, so there really isn’t much crossover rather than just hearing them in engineering meetings on the track, very loud.
PATO O’WARD: Just different rubbers. The NASCAR rubber sometimes affects the INDYCARs a little bit differently than obviously if it’s just all Firestone rubber for us.
Sometimes it varies from track to track, so you just have to wait for the rate weekend and see if it decides to throw the balance upside down or not.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026David MalukasPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: David Malukas joins us P1 today and day one of the Unser INDYCAR open test here at Phoenix Raceway driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Best lap at 172.605 miles an hour. Your first impressions of Phoenix Raceway, your thoughts?
DAVID MALUKAS: I love it. Very, very nice. From just the difference one and two, three and four, it’s almost giving me similarities to Gateway in St. Louis, just having that difference between the two and trying to get the car setup how you like it in that short time frame on the back straight and getting the car swapped with the tools that we have in the car to get that good lap time.For me, so far very good day. Enjoyed it.
THE MODERATOR: You do pretty well at World Wide Technology Raceway.DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, engineers were saying that, Hey, if you like Gateway, this might be another one that you might like to add to your list. So far I think they were right. Like it a lot. It’s nice.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.
Q.  Some drivers may not really care where they are on the sheet, but I’m curious for you, just being new at Penske, does it matter maybe a little bit more?DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s hard for test days, because you know, you’re running through your own plans, but I mean, of course, it feels good.We know that we have pace. The car is good, and we’ve kicked off our oval set with the team on a strong suit. So I feel confident, but is it what we were aiming for today? No, we just ran through our test plan, and we managed to get a time up on the board.
Does it feel good? Yeah, I would say it feels good.
Q.  Have you had much interaction with the Penske NASCAR drivers, and how much will you feel like you’ll either interact or pay attention to what they’re doing here in a couple of weeks?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I had a little bit of interaction with them a few weeks ago. Just doing some preseason content with them. Yeah, we had a good time. I had a good conversation.
I think we’ll definitely talk to them. Obviously they’ve been here before many times, and obviously can get whatever data we can. Obviously it’s different cars though, so yeah, we’ll have a good time with them.
Q.  Speaking about the difference in cars, their pole speed was 133.7 miles an hour in November, so just can you give us a little bit feel the sensation of how fast this place is?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, it’s very, very fast. When you are going through especially one and two, I mean, we are on the limit.
Even myself, you know, the first few laps coming in, I thought, Oh, you know, I saw Josef put a time up. I’m, like, Man, I don’t know how he’s doing that. You actually keep pushing the car, and you are, like, Oh, this thing, it can take a lot of grip. It’s very quick.
It’s definitely going to be already one of my favorite tracks just to drive in. Obviously racing is going to be a completely different beast to see how that handles. We didn’t get any race running today, so I think that’s going to be something more that we’re looking into tomorrow and hopefully try and get an idea of is racing going to be good here. I truly do hope so it will be.
Q.  You talked about that the Sebring test, getting comfortable first with the car and then also getting comfortable with the Penske way. I’m curious, now that you’ve had time to get settled into the car, how are you feeling?DAVID MALUKAS: I’m feeling great. This is the best I’ve felt in a very long time. The chemistry I have with the guys, the team, I’m just so happy.I get to race this beautiful car. It’s fantastic. It’s a dream for me. So every time I come in and out of the pits, I’m smiling. I got a big smile on my face, and I think on top of that, it adds to the performance.
You see that with all the other guys. You know, everybody is on it. They have their own missions to make sure that, as a team, we can get good results. Just being in that environment, it’s perfect.
Q.  You touched earlier on how Josef, you leaned on him already today just on pushing the car. What is it like having a teammate with so much experience and success at the ovals?DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, look, it works very well. I think just between all of us, Scott and Josef, the amount of data that we’re looking at and comparing. Our driving is also very similar with each other.
So no matter what changes that Josef might do or I might do, we’ll all be able to know that with each other that, oh, I can trust him. If he’s made that change, I know that if it’s good for him, it’s going to be good for me.
I think it just makes us continue that, with all the short amount of time that we have. Obviously we have two full test days, but maybe a little tire limited. If we can split our test items that we want to do and we can fully trust that Josef and Scott is going to do these different test items and we’re going to know if it’s going to be good or bad, it helps, because now instead of running through it with one car, you can run through it with three cars.
That’s the dream with any team that you want to accomplish. So far after Sebring and (indiscernible), I think we’re actually in a very good window that, hey, all three drivers are in a similar window of driving style.
Q.  David, would love to ask you, since you mentioned that this track is kind of similar to Gateway, what is it like to nail a lap around here? When you’re on a fast lap, what are the key spots at Phoenix?DAVID MALUKAS: Key spots to nail… I think, like it is at Gateway, it’s always trying to figure out that difference between one and two and three and four.Wind today… honestly a very similar feel like with Kyle. Normally wind is a big play at Gateway. Here it seemed that they may be slight, but not that much.It’s always just knocking that out. You have that short time frame that once you come out of turn two, it’s very high speed. Three and four you’re having a bigger lift, you’re having some break. When you go through that section, it’s a complete different car set. You’re at such a lower speed.
In that short time frame with the weight tracker and the tools that you have in the car, how quickly can I change it and think in my head, Oh, I think it’s going to need two clicks of this and that movement there in that short time frame to make sure you can go in there and have a good lap.
Then you come out of three and four, and okay, lap two. What’s it going to do going back to turn one? Do I go back all the way, or are the tires degging? It’s always the game the drivers are trying to play.
Normally a lot of tracks, like Milwaukee, for example, one and two, three and four feel very similar, so you get it set up, and that’s kind of it.
With here, every lap it’s almost like you’re changing, changing, changing, changing. For me, it keeps my minds busy. For the ADHD brain, you know, I’m always stimulated. It’s good (laughing).
Q.  Do you get a sense of the deepness of the engineering expertise, especially on short ovals, with Team Penske, because they’ve got an awful lot of great engineers on that team. Just in the short time you’ve been there, have you developed a sense for just how deep that knowledge really goes when you show up at a track like Phoenix?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, like I said, this is the best environment I’ve truly been in. It’s amazing. A lot of smart guys, so many people are working on these cars. Everybody is just working 110% in their sector, and it’s all combining together to what is the Team Penske car.
I mean, I’ve been loving every minute.
Q.  That track has a tendency to get sandblasted because of the desert, high winds. Sometimes there will be a lot of sand on the track, which can make it a little slippery. Combine that with some our Goodyear tire rubber here in a couple of weeks. Will that create an unknown factor for you guys?DAVID MALUKAS: For sure, it will definitely be unknown, needing to all of a sudden deal with sandstorms (laughing). Yeah, it’s very interesting.Like I said, from actually just driving the track, have a great time racing, it is going to be a completely different thing. The way I’m loving it right now, I really hope it races well.
We’ll have to see with, like you said, the Goodyear rubber, what it’s going to do, but my hopes are high. I really hope that it does well for us.
Q.  Obviously you said it’s similar to Gateway in that the two ends of the track are very different and the nature of the corners. When you approach that, how do you approach the setup of the car? Is it you’re trying to happy at both? Do you prioritize one? Does it take a while to find what setup suits the corners the same way?
DAVID MALUKAS: I think it defers driver to driver. You can get it either set up for one and two or set up for three and four and try to match the difference, or you can try to fight for something in between.
I think that’s why I enjoy that game so much, because it’s do you want to find more time in one and two or find more time in three and four or maybe try to go in between and be a little bit slower in both, but overall it might be better? It adds to this game.
I just have a fantastic time. I don’t know. It’s like a big game of chess trying to figure out where do we want the setup. With all these great minds at Team Penske, it makes it a lot more fun.
Q.  This is something Will said when he moved to Andretti and the fact that there’s a lot different, but driving INDYCAR is the same. Obviously a lot has been spoken about the move to Penske and the difference in culture there. When you got into the car, does it still feel like a normal INDYCAR, or does it feel different being in a Penske car?DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, I would say in general it still feels like an INDYCAR. I mean, since 2024 I’ve jumped through many times it feels like, so I’ve been able to experience many different feedbacks.
I think at the end once you start getting up to things, it’s generally all feel like an INDYCAR. You are looking at minuscule changes and trying to change your driving style to it. Overall it still feels like an INDYCAR.
Q.  Obviously Phoenix is race two of the season. Compared to previous years, you’ve got a much quicker start in races. How good is it to have that momentum early in the season rather than having staggered starts like we have in previous seasons?
DAVID MALUKAS: It feels really good. I mean, I was looking at the schedule and seeing that we’re going to be going back-to-back-to-back. You can build that rhythm. Obviously build the interest.
I think we also every year feel like we bring a lot of new people in for INDYCAR and then we always have this big gap in people, and we kind of lose that viewership. I’m excited from the viewership side to keep the people engaged and see that week after week we’re going to be doing these new races.
Even for ourselves, we can get into a rhythm really early on and start running through our lists and just building on that confidence. Especially now, new team again, having that back-to-back-to-back, it helps a lot.
Q.  Every track has a different feel or personality, giving visual cues and so on. How does Phoenix strike you, given you got the mountain on one side and then obviously the stands coming into three and four? How does it all feel to you, and what’s your impression on the whole thing?DAVID MALUKAS: Well, surprisingly, watching it on TV, it seems a lot longer than what it is. You see the beautiful mountains and things.
I think I saw that once I pulled in, but once you’re on track, it feels so fast-paced to me. I didn’t even notice that you have the hills and everything going on because you just have to be so focused on what’s in front.
I don’t know. The track just feels very short, very quick. There’s a lot going on. Again, having that difference between one, two, three, and four, there’s so, so, so busy.I love it. It’s amazing. I think that’s why it’s one of my favorites so far for ovals. Yeah, I think the characteristic would be busy. That would be its characteristic for me.
Q.  Also, a comment was made earlier about pit lane and how in some ways it might be challenging, especially with the rise towards the end and so on. What is your reaction of pit lane and where you’re set up?DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, there was talks. I can see the concerns over it. It’s just going to be, again, a question mark for now until we can see what marbling is going to happen.
Is there going to be quite a lot of marbling once you get down into pit lane, especially with the pit commitment and pit out. We’re going to have to see how that plays out.So far of a whole day of running, and it doesn’t seem like there wasn’t that much marbling, but a race is a different beast in its own. I think a lot of these questions will get answered once we get closer to race weekend.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026Pato O’WardPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. We wanted to set the stage for this week’s Unser INDYCAR Open test here at Phoenix Raceway. It’s great to be back at Phoenix Raceway.
Alex Palou joins us, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, four-time reigning NTT INDYCAR Series champion after really a dominating performance last year, eight wins, 19 for his career.This season will go for the rare four-peat, trying to become just the second driver in the history of the INDYCAR Series to do that and the first since Sebastien Bourdais in 2007.
Pato O’Ward also joins us driving the No.5 McLaren Chevrolet beginning his seventh full season in the NTT INDYCAR Series. He is a nine-time winner in the series after having two wins last year; also a seven-time pole winner after adding two pole positions in 2025.
THE MODERATOR: Pato, welcome to Phoenix Raceway. I think there’s only four drivers that have had any experience here: Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon. How much are you looking forward to really learning about this race course?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, this is a new race for me just like it is for Alex. It looks a bit of a mix of maybe Gateway, Iowa; obviously looks old school, typical INDYCAR. Yeah, hopefully we can get a second lane working.Honestly, I haven’t really watched the 2018 Phoenix race, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen INDYCARs go around this place, at least online. So we’ll see what it’s all about, but it looks quite quick, and our race weekend truly starts here because it’s coming up very quickly. Lots of work to do.
Q.  Pato, your times weren’t the greatest at Sebring, so I’m curious —PATO O’WARD: That was straightforward (laughing). We cannot read too much into Sebring. We’ve done well there, we’ve done bad there, and not a lot of influences into what St. Pete usually looks like.
We were just testing a lot of the things that we obviously worked on during the off-season with obviously the sets of tires and stuff. We weren’t there to set the fastest time with what we wanted to try.
I would say, yeah, I don’t think it was full-on performance running where we were trying to set the fastest lap time.
But I’m not worried. I’m happy with what we’ve found and developed over the off-season. I know there’s been a lot of work going into that.
Yeah, hopefully you’re not asking me this after St. Pete.
Q.  With it being your first time racing here in INDYCAR, what things are you looking for in this test, as you said, Pato, as this is kind of the beginning of the Phoenix race weekend? What are you looking for as you go out there this week?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, it’s a new oval to the calendar for most parties involved, apart from the three or four guys that have ran here before.INDYCAR oval racing really is obviously part of what the fans love here. I think I share the same passion as a lot of the other guys in terms of racing. It’s just obviously very different to street courses and road courses, so it’s been good to add a new one.
Yeah, we’ll see what it’s all about. I really don’t know what to expect in terms of what the racing is going to look like, but I’m assuming we’re probably going to do a two-lane session this weekend to try and bring that up to life a little bit and see if guys can be running up there because we obviously want the race to be good enough for cars to be exploring rather than just the one-lane zone.
Q.  For both of you, what would you come away from these couple of days of testing kind of seeing as being a success, and what are you really wanting to achieve from this test?
Q.  Anything different from your side, Pato?PATO O’WARD: No. I mean, obviously the ovals you would think would be more of a caution whenever the car isn’t really to your liking. You obviously need something that is under you to be able to just be running out there really. If it’s not, then it really is a big delta from one to the other.Like what Alex said, you have to be comfortable, you have to be happy with what you have, and this will be a huge opportunity to see the car in every aspect rather than just a performance run and then kind of guessing what the car is going to be like in the first stint.
Q.  We’ve kind of heard people mentioning about, oh, there could be a benefit of having Phoenix before the 500. But obviously with it being quite a different oval, is there any benefit to having that before the 500 in terms of another oval race to start the season?
PATO O’WARD: You know, we’ve both been part of years where there’s nothing before the 500 and then where there is. Indy is Indy; like Indy is very different. Even when we had Texas before Indy, it doesn’t fully translate. Indy just decides what it wants, and obviously the car can be good one day, and then the other day it’s like, what’s going on with it. Indy is its own beast.I would say it really doesn’t have too much of a comparison if we were to start with an oval or not.
Q.  The fact that there’s three races right off the bat, have you guys done anything differently in terms of your conditioning, either physical or mental, to be able to be ready for that? You’re race drivers; you’d run every weekend if you could. But in INDYCAR it’s a little bit different start to the season. Have you made any changes to your regimen to get ready for it?
PATO O’WARD: Not really. Just build on what maybe you feel like you lacked in last year or whatnot. But I guess it can be quite specific to maybe a certain muscle or something that you need to be working on. But all in all, it’s quite close.
I try and keep it very — a variety, basically, not just all weight training, and that seems to keep me entertained the best. That’s what I try to do in the off-season.
Q.  At this stage in your careers, how do you approach test sessions such as this differently than you may have done in the past?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, obviously when you start a day when you don’t know the racetrack, maybe it’s a little bit different to maybe a track that you’ve already known, so I would say it’s kind of like going just to any new tracks. You don’t quite know — for the teams that haven’t really tested here since 2018, obviously, the aero is different because of the aeroscreen and all that stuff, so things have changed. So you first just need to see if you’re in the window and you’re in a place where you can start evolving from that package that you’ve brought.
So I think that’s the biggest thing, at least for us in Arrow McLaren, just trying to get that underway and then really build on that. But no certain specifics I would say.
Q.  You talked about the FOX commercials earlier. There’s a lot of cross-promotion this year with the trucks of St. Pete, O’Reilly is joining you guys on Saturday. What are you most excited for in terms of Phoenix weekend crossing over with fans, the drivers, anything you guys are in particular looking forward to?
PATO O’WARD: Obviously FOX have done a phenomenal job with trying to keep growing our sport, right, our brand, the INDYCAR brand, our personal brands, as well. We’re two of the lucky ones that got this shot, not just once but twice, the first one being a Super Bowl commercial and then now with the second part of them.
I know that weekend that we’re here is a NASCAR weekend, which is why we’re racing on Saturday afternoon, but even in the past when we’ve had weekends with them, we obviously see them around, but we don’t really — we’ve got our own kind of hectic schedule going on, so there really isn’t much crossover rather than just hearing them in engineering meetings on the track, very loud.
PATO O’WARD: Just different rubbers. The NASCAR rubber sometimes affects the INDYCARs a little bit differently than obviously if it’s just all Firestone rubber for us.
Sometimes it varies from track to track, so you just have to wait for the rate weekend and see if it decides to throw the balance upside down or not.

Uncategorized

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Phoenix Advance

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Phoenix Raceway 1.0-mile short ovalAvondale, ArizonaThe Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway Session #1February 17-18, 2026
Avondale, Arizona (February 17, 2026) – A pair of Team Chevy drivers led the first of two days of The Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix. David Malukas, making his first official NTT INDYCAR SERIES appearance on track with Team Penske, set the quickest lap at 172.605mph (21.7098 seconds). Malukas’ teammate Josef Newgarden, the 2018 winner at Phoenix Raceway, set the second-quickest lap of the day.
INDYCAR set aside the first hour of practice for the three rookies in the field. Chevrolet-powered A.J. Foyt Racing newcomer Caio Collet was the quickest driver at 162.474mph (22.1574 seconds) on the historic one-mile oval. Chevrolet’s first INDYCAR win outside of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb came at Phoenix Raceway in the 1969 Jimmy Bryan Memorial with George Follmer at the wheel of a Cheetah chassis powered by an Al Bartz-built small-block Chevrolet. Chevrolet has a three-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES win streak at Phoenix Raceway, with wins in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The last three seasons, the open-wheel series visited The Valley of the Sun. Since Chevrolet returned as a manufacturer in 2012, cars adorned with the Bowtie have won 31 of the 40 (77.5%) races held on short ovals (tracks 1.33 miles or shorter).

Phoenix Raceway Test Session #1 Results

The teams are back on track for more testing tomorrow, with test sessions from 9 am through noon and from 1:30 pm through 4:30 pm. All times are local, which is MST.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESPhoenix Raceway 1.0-mile short ovalAvondale, ArizonaThe Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway Session #1February 17-18, 2026
Avondale, Arizona (February 17, 2026) – A pair of Team Chevy drivers led the first of two days of The Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix. David Malukas, making his first official NTT INDYCAR SERIES appearance on track with Team Penske, set the quickest lap at 172.605mph (21.7098 seconds). Malukas’ teammate Josef Newgarden, the 2018 winner at Phoenix Raceway, set the second-quickest lap of the day.
INDYCAR set aside the first hour of practice for the three rookies in the field. Chevrolet-powered A.J. Foyt Racing newcomer Caio Collet was the quickest driver at 162.474mph (22.1574 seconds) on the historic one-mile oval. Chevrolet’s first INDYCAR win outside of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb came at Phoenix Raceway in the 1969 Jimmy Bryan Memorial with George Follmer at the wheel of a Cheetah chassis powered by an Al Bartz-built small-block Chevrolet. Chevrolet has a three-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES win streak at Phoenix Raceway, with wins in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The last three seasons, the open-wheel series visited The Valley of the Sun. Since Chevrolet returned as a manufacturer in 2012, cars adorned with the Bowtie have won 31 of the 40 (77.5%) races held on short ovals (tracks 1.33 miles or shorter).

Phoenix Raceway Test Session #1 Results

The teams are back on track for more testing tomorrow, with test sessions from 9 am through noon and from 1:30 pm through 4:30 pm. All times are local, which is MST.

Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway  General Motors (Chevrolet and Oldsmobile) Wins – 15
Chevrolet Wins – 10
2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2016 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1992 – Bob Rahal – Rahal Hogan Racing1991 – Arie Luyendyk – Doug Shierson Racing1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing1969 – George Follmer – George Follmer
Oldsmobile Wins – 5
2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing2000 – Buddy Lazier – Hemelgarn Racing1999 – Scott Goodyear – Panther Racing1998 – Scott Sharp – Kelley Racing1997 – Jim Guthrie – Blueprint Racing
General Motors Poles – 13
Chevrolet Poles – 8
2017 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2016 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1987 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing
Oldsmobile Wins – 5
2001 – Greg Ray – Team Menard2000 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1999 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1998 – Jeff Ward – ISM Racing1997 – Tony Stewart – Team Menard
General Motors Podiums: 39
Chevrolet Podiums: 25
Driver Podiums: Bob Rahal (3), Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Rick Mears (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Will Power (2), Al Unser Jr. (2), Mario Andretti (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), George Follmer (1), Scott Dixon (1), Roberto Guerrero (1), JR Hildebrand (1), Sam Hornish (1), Arie Luyendyk (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Danny Sullivan (1), Jimmy Vasser (1)
Team Podiums: Team Penske (12), Galles Racing (4), Chip Ganassi Racing (1), Doug Shierson Racing (1), ECR (1), George Follmer (1), Granatelli Racing (1), Hayhoe Racing (1), Newman Haas Racing (1), Panther Racing (1), Rahal Hogan Racing (1)
Oldsmobile Podiums: 14
Driver Podiums: Scott Goodyear (2), Buddy Lazier (2), Tony Stewart (2), Billy Boat (1), Jim Guthrie (1), Davey Hamilton (1), Donnie Beechler (1), Sam Hornish (1), Eliseo Salazar (1), Scott Sharp (1) Jeff Ward (1)
Team Podiums: A.J. Foyt Racing (3), Panther Racing (3), Hemelgarn Racing (2), Team Menard (2), Blueprint Racing (1), Cahill Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), Pagan Racing (1)
General Motors Laps Led: 2977
Chevrolet Laps Led: 1990
Driver Laps Led: Rick Mears (247), Bob Rahal (242), Mario Andretti (198), Helio Castroneves (174), Scott Dixon (155), Paul Tracy (151), Will Power (139), Arie Luyendyk (129), Simon Pagenaud (119), Michael Andretti (88), Sam Hornish (67), Al Unser Jr. (65), Juan Montoya (56), Danny Sullivan (53), Josef Newgarden (32), George Follmer (29), Gil de Ferran (15), Kevin Cogan (13), Emerson Fittipaldi (10), Eliseo Salazar (7), Tomas Scheckter (1)
Team Laps Led: Team Penske (996), Newman Haas Racing (286), Rahal Hogan Racing (200), Chip Ganassi Racing (155), Doug Shierson Racing (129), Panther Racing(68), Galles Racing (68), Kelley Racing (39), George Follmer (29), Patrick Racing (13),  A.J. Foyt Racing (7)
Oldsmobile Laps Led: 987
Driver Laps Led: Tony Stewart (212), Sam Hornish (140), Scott Goodyear (134), Scott Sharp (94), Jim Guthrie (74), Greg Ray (61), Buddy Lazier (45), Billy Boat (41), Stephan Gregoire (36), Eddie Cheever (28), Jeff Ward (25), Kenny Brack (24), Al Unser Jr. (22), Mark Dismore (14), Affonso Giaffone (13), Robbie McGehee (11),  Robbie Buhl (5), Helio Castroneves (4), Gil de Ferran (3), Donnie Beechler (1)
Team Laps Led: Panther Racing (274), Team Menard (273), Kelley Racing (104), Blueprint Racing (74), Galles Racing (46), A.J. Foyt Racing (45), Hemelgarn Racing (45),  Dick Simon Racing (36), Team Cheever (28), ISM Racing (25), Chitwood Motorsports (13), Treadway Racing (11), Team Penske (7), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (5), Cahil Racing (1)
Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway
Wins  17 – Cosworth (1987, 1986 #2, 1986 #2, 1985, 1984 #2, 1984 #1, 1983, 1982 #2, 1982 #1, 1981 #2, 1981 #1, 1980, 1979 #2, 1979 #1, 1978 #2, 1977 #1, 1976 #2)15 – General Motors (Chevrolet & Oldsmobile)13 – Offenhauser – (1976 #1, 1975 #1, 1974 #2, 1974 #1, 1973, 1972 #2, 1972 #1, 1968 #2, 1968 #1, 1967#1, 1965 #1, 1964 #2, 1964 #1)12 – Ford (1996, 1995, 1993, 1971 #2, 1971 #1, 1970 #2, 1970 #1, 1969 #2, 1967 #2, 1966 #2, 1966 #1, 1965 #2)10 – Chevrolet (2018, 2017, 2016, 2002, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1969 #1)5 – Oldsmobile (2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997)2- DGS (1978 #1, 1977 #2)2 – Honda (2004, 2003)1 – Toyota (2005)1 – Ilmor (1994)1- Foyt (1975 #2)
Poles18 – Cosworth (1986 #2, 1986 #1, 1985, 1984 #2, 1984 #1, 1983, 1982 #2, 1982 #1, 1981 #2, 1981#1, 1980, 1979 #2, 1979 #1, 1978 #2, 1978 #1, 1977 #2, 1977 #1, 1976 #1)14 – Offenhauser (1976 #2, 1975 #1, 1974 #2, 1974 #1, 1973, 1972 #2, 1972 #1, 1971 #2, 1971 #1, 1968 #2, 1968 #2, 1967 #1, 1965 #2, 1964 #1)13 – General Motors (Chevrolet and Oldsmobile)13 – Ford (1996, 1995, 1993, 1992, 1970 #2, 1970 #1, 1969 #2, 1969 #1, 1967 #2, 1966 #2, 1966 #1, 1965 #1, 1964 #2)8 – Chevrolet (2017, 2016, 2002, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987)5 – Oldsmobile (2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997)4 – Honda (2018, 2005, 2004, 2003)1 – DGS (1975 #2)1 – Ilmor (1994

Uncategorized

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: American Sprint Car Series Debuts at Central Arizona Raceway

February 18, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Inaugural ‘Sonoran Clash’ features 360 racing’s best against multiple national 410 stars

CASA GRANDE, AZ (Feb. 17, 2026) — This weekend, the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) kicks off a double dose of desert Sprint Car action with its debut at Central Arizona Raceway.

The inaugural Sonoran Clash hits the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval in Casa Grande, AZ, for the first of back-to-back weekends of racing this Saturday and Sunday night, Feb. 21–22, before returning the following weekend, Feb. 28–March 1. The stars of the national 360 Sprint Car tour will battle for a $4,000 winner’s share on both Saturday programs before $6,000-to-win main events on both Sundays.

In addition, Avanti Windows & Doors has sponsored a points fund for drivers competing over both weekends. A separate points tally will be kept during each of the four races, awarding $4,000 to the driver with the most points after all Feature events have been completed. The runner-up in points will receive $3,000, third place gets $2,000 and $1,000 goes to fourth.

Pit gates will open each day at 11 a.m. Grandstands will open at 1 p.m., and Hot Laps are set for 2 p.m. with Qualifying and racing to follow. Adult GA tickets are $35, seniors/military are $30, kids ages 11–17 are $20 and children 10-and-under are free.

Tickets can be purchased at the track on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, how can you watch each race? Every American Sprint Car Series race is live on DIRTVision.

PACK LEADER — Sam Hafertepe Jr. comes into Arizona as the de facto points leader, sitting the highest up of any full-time driver in the championship standings after the opening races at Volusia Speedway Park.

The six-time and defending Series champion recorded finishes of fifth, 11th and seventh over the three-race stretch, seeding him sixth in the current championship standings but above all other fellow ASCS national title chasers.

Like many others, Hafertepe makes his debut at the fast, 3/8-mile oval of Central Arizona this weekend. Fortunately, his prowess on larger tracks is likely to be a difference-maker against his competition, as seven of the 11 Feature wins he scored last year came at tracks measuring 3/8-mile or larger.

HEY, ROOKIE — Three months removed from clinching the 2025 American Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year Honors, Garrett Benson is projected to join the field for his debut at Central Arizona.

The 15-year-old from Concordia, MO, wrapped up a fifth-place finish in the championship standings last November and led the rookie points battle nearly the entire season, besting fellow contenders Brady Baker, Ryder Laplante, and Brogan Carder. In 29 Feature starts, Benson scored four third-place finishes — two of which came at tracks of 3/8-mile in size.

Now entering his second full season in Sprint Cars, Benson kicks off the outdoor portion of his 2026 racing campaign at Central Arizona at the controls of the Don’s Diesel, SPEC Racing Engines-powered J&J Chassis No. 2B. So far in 2026, he’s made several starts on dirt indoors at the Tulsa Expo Raceway in January, most notably posting a third-place finish in the A-Class Micro Sprint main event during the Tulsa Shootout.

BROWN IS BACK — A familiar face to ASCS and 410 Sprint Car fans is expected to rejoin the national 360 Sprint Car roster at Central Arizona this weekend – Higginsville, MO’s Brian Brown.

Brown, 47, posted finishes of fourth, 10th, and fourth in the ASCS portion of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, ranking him fifth in the final event points standings. The 21-time ASCS Feature winner did this all in his return to racing for the first time since a hard crash took him out of competition with an arm injury during the Knoxville Nationals last August.

One of his standout runs at Volusia came following ASCS competition, as Brown strapped a 410 c.i. engine back in the Casey’s/FVP No. 21 and ran fifth in Saturday’s main event against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

HOME STATE STANDOUT — Arizona’s own Sterling Cling has had success at Central Arizona before and will be one of the home-state drivers in the field to watch for this weekend.

Cling, the 29-year-old native of Tempe, has two ASCS-sanctioned, Non-Wing Sprint Car Feature wins in his career at Central Arizona — once with the former ASCS Desert Sprint Car Series in 2020, and another with the former ASCS Arizona Non-Wing Sprints in 2023.

In his six career national ASCS Feature starts with the wing on, Cling has been strong as well, producing three top-10 and four top-10 finishes since his debut with the Series in 2024.

410 CONTENDERS — Two additional 410 Sprint Car regulars are headed for Casa Grande to challenge the 360 regulars in the desert.

Brock Zearfoss contested all three ASCS Features at Volusia with a best finish of third on Friday night behind the wheel of the Brock Zearfoss Racing No. 3Z. This weekend, the Pennsylvania native will drive for California car owner Clayton Snow and his signature white/pink No. 7 — the same car Zearfoss won in at the former Arizona Speedway in ASCS Southwest Region action in 2021.

Justin Peck will make his first ASCS appearance of 2026 in his second season driving the Rudeen Racing No. 26. Peck, 27, of Monrovia, IN, raced at Central Arizona in 410 competition last March, posting finishes of third and sixth — nearly two months after sweeping the ASCS season-opening weekend at Volusia.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE

• Saturday–Sunday, Feb. 21–22, at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, AZ

TRACK FACTS

• High-banked, 3/8-mile oval
• Track Record — None set

ON THE INTERNET
X — @ASCSRacing
Instagram — @ascs_racing
Facebook — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
YouTube — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
DIRTVision — DIRTVision.com (Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (3/35 Races)

Tyler Courtney (150pts)
Brady Bacon 142pts (–8)
Austin McCarl 135pts (–15)
Emerson Axsom 130pts (–20)
Brian Brown 125pts (–25)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. 122pts (–28)
Cole Macedo 119pts (–31)
Brock Zearfoss 116pts (–34)
Whit Gastineau 113pts (–37)
Chris Martin 110pts (–40)

FEATURE WINNERS (2 Drivers):

Tyler Courtney (2 wins)
Brady Bacon (1 win)

FEATURE LAPS LED (6 Drivers)

Austin McCarl (21 laps)
Brady Bacon (18 laps)
Cameron Martin (16 laps)
Brian Brown (13 laps)
Cole Macedo (7 laps)
Tyler Courtney (6 laps)

QUICK TIME AWARDS (2 Drivers)

Sam Hafertepe Jr., Chris Martin (1 award)

HEAT RACE WINNERS (9 Drivers)

Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin (2 wins)
Brady Bacon, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Matt Covington (1 win)

DASH APPEARANCES (13 Drivers)

Whit Gastineau, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown (3 appearances)
Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2 appearances)
Brock Zearfoss, Cameron Martin, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem (1 appearance)

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (3 Drivers)

DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem (1 win)

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (3 Drivers)

Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo (1 award)

PODIUM FINISHES (29 Drivers)

Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl (2 podiums)
Cole Macedo, Brock Zearfoss, Emerson Axsom (1 podium)

2026 SCHEDULE + WINNERS

Race Number. Day, Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)

Thu, Jan. 29 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (1)
Fri, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (2)
Sat, Jan. 31 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brady Bacon (1)

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: American Sprint Car Series Debuts at Central Arizona Raceway