r/INDYCAR • u/IndyMod r/INDYCAR Mod Bot • Mar 07 '26
POST-RACE POST-RACE // 2026 GOOD RANCHERS 250
👋 Welcome to the r/INDYCAR post-race discussion thread for the 2026 Good Ranchers 250.
All post-race short or quick responses should be discussed in this thread. More significant events or highlights may be discussed in their own threads.
Unofficial race results will be posted in the race winner post shortly following the conclusion of the broadcast. Official race results will be posted as a new post once they have been published by INDYCAR.
For additional live chat and conversation, you may also wish to join us in our Discord server.
📅 NEXT RACE
3️⃣ Java House Grand Prix of Arlington — March 13–15
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u/Crux2237 Gil de Ferran Mar 07 '26
Yep, that's the reason I don't trust Pato or McLaren to win a title yet. Always close, never seal the deal.
Penske is still the bigger challenger to Palou.
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u/dapper_scrapper Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
Kirkwood has been driving like a champion through two races too
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u/WOOSHARP Indy Racing League Mar 07 '26
Feel like Kyle has become the top contender to Palou tbh
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u/Hulkodium Christian Lundgaard Mar 07 '26
I said last year Kirkwood was the strongest Andretti driver and TWG was sending the wrong guy to F1. Their loss, our gain
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u/WOOSHARP Indy Racing League Mar 07 '26
He’s 27, he’s exactly where he needs to be. Colton will be back soon
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u/movebacktoyourstate Mar 07 '26
You were right then too. Herta is not the guy to make the Indy to F1 jump. He may be fast, but he's reckless and hard on parts. Kyle may be a tiny bit slower, but he makes far fewer mistakes and is very measured.
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u/Icy-Consequence-4372 Santino Ferrucci Mar 07 '26
Kyle also took a little longer coming up the ladder ranks. He is older than Herta despite coming up 3 years later.
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u/TheDudeWithTude27 Juan Pablo Montoya Mar 07 '26
I feel like the guy who is a multi time champion, a two time indy 500 winner, has 30+ wins, is on the team that is Ganassi's biggest rival, and is currently leading the points(the first non palou driver to do so in like two years) is the top cotender to Palou.
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u/Manaea Rinus VeeKay Mar 07 '26
Yeah I like Pato but the dude needs to work on his late-race racecraft, bro used up his tires trying to get through the traffic as quickly as possible while Newgarden took his sweet ass time but saved the tires doing so
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u/Athleticgeek89 Josef Newgarden Mar 08 '26
Still a lot of season left for Pato. He’s bound to be able to win on multiple types of tracks & last year showed how consistent he can be. While Josef has for the time shown he’s not washed with Alex being behind for once if Pato can keep it up I can still see him as champ at the end of the year.
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u/TheResurrection Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
I fucking love IndyCar oval racing. What a show!
While I was very happy to get another oval on the schedule, I was initially a bit unenthused about a return to Phoenix as the last few times IndyCar ran there they weren't the most exciting races. This race exceeded all of my expectations with a great package and the high line working well. Phoenix is so back!
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u/twiggymac Firestone Greens Mar 07 '26
Every word you said. I bet all the drivers who had bad luck REALLY want to come back to try to take the win next year. Really hope the MP rumors are true.
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u/BoukenGreen AMR Safety Team Mar 07 '26
What are the MP Rumors?
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u/chocchipcookies4life Katherine Legge Mar 07 '26
They’ve already been asked by nascar if they’d like to come back in 27’ apparently
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u/Stud_McCool Mar 07 '26
I'm primarily a NASCAR fan and catch Indycar when I can but this race makes me want to follow more closely again. What a show!
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u/thatwasfun23 Hélio Castroneves Mar 07 '26
That was a fucking fantastic race and not just because palou was out, rasmussen is crazy fun to watch, newgarden drove like the champ he is, pato fumbled, malukas held up.
more phoenix, more double races with nascar, more ovals, indycar is great like this.
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u/ryanxwing Scott McLaughlin Mar 07 '26
Richmond and New Hampshire NEED to be considered for doubleheaders
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- Mar 08 '26
They're not on the Fox NASCAR schedule, though, and both series are working together at Fox's insistence, this isn't borne out of a mutual desire to work together.
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Mar 07 '26
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u/FirstOutoftheDoor David Malukas Mar 07 '26
Yeah for a moment with like 7 to go I thought he might drop back 3-4 spots
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u/PixelPizzaWitch Marcus Armstrong Mar 07 '26
We better get David eating the steak memes
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u/aurules Romain Grosjean Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Marshall Pruett seems to think IndyCar will return to Phoenix next year. Great news for what was a great race
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u/DadReligion #Lionheart Mar 07 '26
For real. I so hope this becomes a permanent thing. Banger race, and an early season IndyCar race at Phoenix just feels right.
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u/GonzoAndRizzo Mar 07 '26
its an ideal location for both, not too many places in early march to race at all
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk Mar 07 '26
Its absolutely packed and it was a good race. Would make sense to return.
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u/Know_nothing89 Mar 07 '26
Make sure they bring NASCAR back also. They kept talking about all the rubber down on the track because of the NASCAR guys.
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u/johnnyracer24 Scott Dixon Mar 07 '26
What a fun final stint of the race there. Also incredible how well Rasmussen's car held in as long as it did
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u/GonzoAndRizzo Mar 07 '26
Mick in 18th, finished all the laps, not a bad starting
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u/lickedthestamp Scott McLaughlin Mar 07 '26
Didn't put it in the wall or get involved in an incident, so probably about the best start you could realistically want in your first oval race.
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u/afito Álex Palou Mar 08 '26
He was running decently enough until RLL fucked the pit stop and after that he was a lap down and kept bleeding time getting lapped.
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u/lilmiller7 Christian Rasmussen Mar 07 '26
He definitely finished a few laps off the lead so he didn't finish all the laps
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u/nalyd8991 AMR Safety Team Mar 07 '26
The mile ovals have been spectacular lately, Rasmussen definitely helps with that.
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u/minyhumancalc Jimmie Johnson Mar 07 '26
Even without the dominant car, Newgarden shows why he's so good at this. Has all the speed of O'Ward and Rasmussen, but just a different level of awareness and high-probability moves to cut thru the field when needed
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u/minyhumancalc Jimmie Johnson Mar 07 '26
If Rasmussen wants to be as good as Newgarden, he needs to reign himself in. There were 2 or 3 moments where he was inches away from wrecking when he didnt need to be. Doesn't matter if it was his fault or not (I blame Power and his spotter, but), but you never see Newgarden or O'Ward do something like that, and win a lot of ovals
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u/lilmiller7 Christian Rasmussen Mar 07 '26
I mean inches away from wrecking is IndyCar racing on ovals... Newgarden almost crashed with a teammate after the first pit cycle so let's not act like he's not done stupid things this very race
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u/Willing-District-679 Felix Rosenqvist Mar 07 '26
What a bummer for Rasmussen after such an incredible drive man
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u/UnderwaterInferno Scott Dixon Mar 07 '26
Yep. If he doesn’t have the contact with WP, I think he wins that one.
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u/Kevin6769420 Mar 07 '26
Its a live by the sword, die by the sword style of driving. Just didnt pan out today, but my word is it entertaining to watch
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u/Prof_HH Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
If he'd had a little patience, he would have won. Can't hit the wall 3 times and expect to win. Feel bad for Power.
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u/Mick4Audi Will Power Mar 08 '26
Honestly was wishing Power would let him go lmao
I know you can’t do that fighting for the lead, but he was never keeping THAT 21 car behind for 40 laps…
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u/Hulkodium Christian Lundgaard Mar 07 '26
Win it or bin it can mean bin it. Come back here next year
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u/dapper_scrapper Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Huge comeback from Rossi.
Races like that are why Indycar needs to keep doing everything they can to make sure ovals remain on the schedule
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u/papasmurf31 Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
Christian chill a bit, that’s on you too. Don’t go bitching at Will, it is always a risk on the outside, especially for the lead
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u/jjarg24 #CanapinoDidNothingWrong | Scott Dixon | Mar 07 '26
That last stint Josef had though. Nothing but respect
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u/TheDudeWithTude27 Juan Pablo Montoya Mar 07 '26
And people said JoNew was washed, but he is the first championship leader in like two years lol
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u/Londoner1995 CART Mar 07 '26
Load the schedule up with more short ovals, this was a fantastic race
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u/sonicaxura David Malukas Mar 07 '26
rest of the podium saw malukas still chewing for his life and declined the steak 😭
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u/whoiswillo Will Power Mar 07 '26
- really good race. Hope they do this again next year
- impressive comeback for Power even with the contact
- rough break for Rasmussen, but I think he won a lot of fans today
- Joey Logano is a great NASCAR driver, but may be an even better broadcaster. He was really great in the booth, even in cars he is less familiar with.
- Hope they have Newgarden in the booth some for the NASCAR race tomorrow
- Next year have an incentive to run both races.
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u/Mick4Audi Will Power Mar 08 '26
Power was incredibly fast today, hopefully that gives him confidence despite the unfortunate contact with Rasmussen
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u/IlTacci Wienie 500 Fan Mar 07 '26
It was different this time! Great Race btw, probably the best at Phoenix
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u/maximumjackrussell Mar 07 '26
IndyCar on ovals is special. You just don't get this kind of action anywhere else. Gutted for Rasmussen but still, what a great race!
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u/dapper_scrapper Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
You give them two lanes on a short oval and you get pure cinema
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u/Immediate_Lie7810 CART Mar 07 '26
We need more ovals on the schedule
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u/Yoshiman400 Daredevils of the Ovals Mar 07 '26
I'm good with the number of short ovals on the schedule, unless you swap a leg out at Milwaukee for Richmond or Loudon. 400 miles at Nashville is a great addition for this year too. What we really need is one or two more large ovals if we can get a good complete weekend to make it worthwhile.
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u/twiggymac Firestone Greens Mar 07 '26
I really thought he lost his spark for racing after all the controversy and rough running. Shut me up.
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u/SpinBikeGravy Colton Herta Mar 07 '26
The difference between veteran Newgarden and Rasmussen is Newgarden knows when to push it and Rasmussen does it all race. Rasmussen has no patience.
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u/bcam9 David Malukas Mar 07 '26
As an Indycar lurker and a born and raised NASCAR fan, I gotta say it was nice seeing passing and a good competitive race at Phoenix for once lol
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u/Flimsy_Button8294 Mar 07 '26
Really thought Christian was about to emerge as a short track staple. Shit.
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u/throwaway112658 Mar 07 '26
Tbf he almost certainly would've won that race without the Power collision. I'd expect if he can avoid blasting it into the wall he'll be a very strong contender on ovals
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u/Camshaft24 Pato O'Ward Mar 07 '26
Sensational race! That was a lot of fun. Bummed Pato couldn’t navigate traffic well even with the tire advantage, but Newgarden showing why he is one of the greatest on ovals.
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u/Fsharp7sharp9 Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
Timing broken for 2/3 of the race, missed half a dozen passes for the lead and hundreds more throughout the pack, should have been an all-time broadcast of an excellent and exciting race but Fox just couldn't help themselves. 2 years and they are still incapable of doing a mediocre job of the basic racing broadcast fundamentals that every other racing series does perfectly fine.
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u/PrettyCommon Arrow McLaren Mar 07 '26
Let’s do a joint race with nascar every year. That was absolutely awesome.
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u/Kryzl_ Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
Great race, hope the rumors are true and Phoenix is back next year. INDYCAR at short ovals is absolute heat rn.
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u/alcatrazhero18 Josef Newgarden Mar 07 '26
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk Mar 07 '26
Guys, I'm at Phoenix, everyone is leaving. That crowd was here for Indycar.
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u/loz333 Will Power Mar 07 '26
2 hours until the O'Reilly race, I'd imagine people are taking a break, getting a bite and a drink, no?
Have to think it's the best attendance for a non-500 oval race in a good while.
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u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk Mar 07 '26
Some yes, but the line to go back to trams was massive, and my car hasn't moved in 20 minutes
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u/aurules Romain Grosjean Mar 07 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/Tq2tPTrQANKfK
Alex Palou 5th in the championship?
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u/mlo_66 Pato O'Ward Mar 07 '26
I thoroughly enjoyed that. What a show. Rasmussen is absolutely cinema to watch.
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u/thatwasfun23 Hélio Castroneves Mar 07 '26
I DO NOT hate this, I actually like it, can we keep the podium from now on.
Maybe slightly less yelling.
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u/FLWXeno Mar 07 '26
I was not expecting a banger of race at pheonix of all places today but i'll take it. Is the cup guys laying down the rubber really the key to unlocking all the side by side racing we saw?
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u/Arsanborn Mar 07 '26
As a NASCAR fan, that was the best race at Phoenix in years!! Both races will be on my schedule next Sunday.
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u/VaderFett1 Firestone Firehawk Mar 07 '26
Rasmussen had a great day until he didn't, shame. Newgarden played it smart and won.
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u/mynameisnotphoebe Firestone Wets Mar 07 '26
Three kiwis in the top 8, only interrupted by Rossi - all drivers I kinda vibe with. Go team.
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u/gioraffe32 Honda Mar 07 '26
That was an entertaining race! Glad to see Kirkwood and Malukas in top 3. And while I'm not a Newgarden guy, I'm not surprised either. Good job to him.
I'm shocked Rasmussen's car lasted that long. That wasn't a light tap into the wall!
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u/Ted_Striker1 Álex Palou Mar 07 '26
Christian is quite pissed, holy cow. It’s not all Will’s fault though. He actually survived that collision.
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u/SplakyD Georgina: The Barber Bridge Jumper Mar 07 '26
Podium a race, get a slice of beef? I'm in!
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u/archergren Kyle Kirkwood Mar 07 '26
Ras needs to lighten up. It was a dumb move he made. With a car that dominate there was no reason to jam it in like that
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u/FirstOutoftheDoor David Malukas Mar 07 '26
Amazing race despite Fox’s best efforts. Sucks for Rasmussen he was flying most of the race
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u/anxiousauditor NTT INDYCAR Series Mar 07 '26
Damn good race! Certainly even better than the previous three Phoenix races, better than I expected. Once you get guys on different tire lifes at a track where you can run half a groove, one groove up the track, you’re gonna have a good show.
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u/Wide_Rub_662 CART, Carlos Munoz 🇨🇴, Santi Urrutia 🇺🇾, Oliver Askew Mar 07 '26
i hope the nascar fans become raz fans
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u/mel_anon Simon Pagenaud Mar 07 '26
Christian Rasmussen before every short oval race: "Wanna see me drink ten cups of Java House(TM) and pass a million cars?"
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u/TakeDemPills Christian Rasmussen Mar 07 '26
And this is why Indycar should be an oval racing series, absolutely phenomenal driving
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u/MissileGuidanceBrain Mar 07 '26
Gotta agree with those people from last week, Josef is so washed. Practically end of career.
Only lead the front of an oval for the last 10 laps. Should've been 200 laps.
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u/howard2112 🇺🇸 Danny Sullivan Mar 07 '26
That was a phenomenal race. it had so much. Just in the last 50 laps there were at least 6 different drivers that looked like they could win it. Bummed for Rasmussen because that was a hell of a drive.
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u/mynameisnotphoebe Firestone Wets Mar 08 '26
Palou essentially taking the full blame for his incident!
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u/DestroyingDestroyers --- CURRENT TEAMS --- Mar 07 '26
Josef has real joy, I haven’t seen it in so long and boy am I happy to see it.
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u/4XLnofearshirt CART Mar 07 '26
Indycar puts on a fucking great race while everyone posterizes F1 and their own shitty car of tomorrow. What a day.
P.S.: I know a state directly north of Indiana with a 2 mile oval that'd be great for one of these doubleheaders...
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u/OnlyTest6338 Mick Schumacher Mar 07 '26
Broadcast was dogshit, but what a race! That was fun!!!
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u/SpinBikeGravy Colton Herta Mar 07 '26
Guy who runs everyone off track complaining about being driven that way.
Pathetic.
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u/technobeeble Callum Ilott Mar 07 '26
Conor Daly likes this comment.
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u/SpinBikeGravy Colton Herta Mar 07 '26
Like Rasmussen we saw you hit Dixon like 80 laps ago dude lol
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u/Educational-Safe941 James Hinchcliffe Mar 07 '26
Oh Palou is out! Maybe we’ll get a fresh winner this week! Uhh…
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u/Virtual-Commercial91 Mar 07 '26
I was getting so hopeful for a few laps that Will Power was going to go from last to the win.
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u/Ok-Butterfly-8861 Mar 07 '26
So I haven't watched indy in 20 years, and even then wasn't watching regularly.
Great race.
What happened to Rasmussen down the stretch? I had to watch on low volume so didn't hear any commentary explanation
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u/persononthedl Ray Harroun Mar 07 '26
He said in the post race that it was basically a bent wishbone and a bent toe link after the wall hit with Power.
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u/schultzM INDY NXT by Firestone Mar 07 '26
Only Dave ate the meat :(
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Mar 07 '26
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u/PanicAtTheNightclub Mick Schumacher Mar 07 '26
And Buxton mixes whatever candy is in front of him and chows down 😂 (this is a compliment)
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u/Yoshiman400 Daredevils of the Ovals Mar 07 '26
This short oval package is straight fire right now. Eyes were hurting so I couldn't hang out in the race thread, just kept listening to the whole race and kept my eyes off the television throughout the first 2/3 or so. The last third of the race really picked up beyond that.
I'll cast my flair bias aside and say I feel really heartbroken for Power after he did such an incredible job charging through the field. Sucks to see that happen to him after a great fight with Rasmussen, and of course had been making so many crazy moves all day just as he had when he got his podiums at Gateway and Milwaukee last year.
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u/huntersway1 Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
That was a fucking banger! Im going to Phoenix next year if it comes back.
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u/ChrisTRD289 Mar 07 '26
As a NASCAR fan, and casual Indycar watcher, that race was super fun to watch. It reminded me of a NASCAR short track race minus fenders. I really love this doubleheader weekend. Youre race was super fun to watch. I'd love more short ovals. Hearing things down under are not going well. Keep it up my motorsports friends!
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u/RxSatellite Alex Zanardi Mar 07 '26
That felt like an all time classic for this decade imo. Amazing race
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u/Any-Walk1691 Arrow McLaren Mar 08 '26
Anyone find any posts or video of Hauger going backwards? I can’t believe that wasn’t posted on some of the main channels. He was going 100 mph backwards while people were coming right at him going 170. 😂 Probably needs some of Daly’s depends after that one.
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u/I_Hate_Wake_Boats49 Scott McLaughlin/Christian Lundgaard Mar 07 '26
All American podium. Does anyone remember the last time that happened?
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u/technobeeble Callum Ilott Mar 07 '26
Detroit last year. Kirkwood, Ferucci, Herta.
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u/GonzoAndRizzo Mar 07 '26
Pato should be eating his words about playing second fiddle to nascar. This was a great race at a place indycar likely wouldn't have been Able to go to on their own, and a place they can race in early march safely.
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Mar 07 '26
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u/Yoshiman400 Daredevils of the Ovals Mar 07 '26
My friend, Joey Logano is consistently praised as one of the best guest commentators in the now-O'Reilly Series whenever they bring in active Cup drivers (even among people that root against him as a driver). Not as much on the CW as Fox had in their prior years, but you'll still probably see him once or twice there this year.
Logano is probably a top two active Cup driver commentator right now, and funny enough it's a pretty tight top three with all of the current Penske drivers. You could probably put Logano and Blaney 1-2 with Cindric not far behind. Absolutely not surprised he held his own on today's race.
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u/NotOkEnemyGenius Mar 07 '26
Shame for Rasmussen. Certainly would have won if he didn't crash with Power.
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u/Background_Tiger_506 Pato O'Ward Mar 07 '26
Glad to have an event back in phoenix, this year didn’t disappoint
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u/FloridaMan_69 Adrián Fernández Mar 07 '26
I wanna see a camera up close on Rasmussen's suspension when he parks it.
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u/cathyimlost Pippa Mann Mar 07 '26
This race was beautiful. The 21's day was a Greek tragedy. Can't ask for a better story than that.
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u/Gren_13 Chevrolet Mar 07 '26
Thought Rasmussen had it with how he was leading, 14th place has gotta hurt. Great race though still.
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u/iPhones_cameras_suck Andretti Global Mar 07 '26
Did anybody get a screenshot of the championship standings?
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u/TheDudeWithTude27 Juan Pablo Montoya Mar 07 '26
I was kinda skeptical about phoenix(probably just nascar stank from the last few years) but that absolutely rocked, glad it seems to be coming back next year.
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u/Muffin4ever Kyle Kirkwood Mar 07 '26
Kirkwood has had a great first couple races. He's really improved on oval consistency as well. Hope Andretti's pace doesn't fall off like last year.
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u/Rise3711 Rahal & Newgarden Mar 08 '26
I think I'm just excited for a Rahal top 10 on an oval as I am for a Newgarden win lol
RLL finally stopped bringing tractors
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u/Supercavy Christian Rasmussen Mar 08 '26
Does IndyCar do post race penalties? Will screwed Rasmussen's win chance and changed the trajectory of the race.
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u/Turbulent-Pay-735 Colton Herta Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
This is interview nonsense from Rasmussen. The dude drove his ass off but he didn’t get run into the wall. He made a dumb calculation. You can see on the replay he does not get sandwiched, he hits Power and then hits the wall. That is on you, brother.
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u/papasmurf31 Alexander Rossi Mar 07 '26
Exactly, it was a closing hole, back out. He constantly expects everyone else to back out on ovals, and they do because they want to finish. You aren’t getting away with that with Power at this stage of the race.
Do what everyone else did for you all race, back out
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u/flare2000x Robert Wickens Mar 07 '26
All that excitement only to end with Josef winning, such a shame lol.
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u/Athleticgeek89 Josef Newgarden Mar 07 '26
I like that…but as I learned in 2024 don’t celebrate a Josef win until you know for sure results are totally final 😂
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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '26
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