Josef Newgarden wins 2026 Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway after late pass on Kyle Kirkwood

IndyCar’s return to Phoenix delivers late lead change and new points leader

Josef Newgarden won the 2026 Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 7, 2026, taking victory after a late on-track pass for the lead in the closing laps. The win marked Newgarden’s first of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season and the 33rd of his career.

The 250-lap race at the one-mile oval in Avondale, Arizona, was decided in the final run as Newgarden closed on Kyle Kirkwood and completed the winning move with fewer than 10 laps remaining. Kirkwood finished second, while David Malukas—who started from pole position—completed the podium in third.

Key race moments: pole, pit cycles, and the decisive final stint

Malukas earned the weekend’s top starting position, securing the NTT P1 Award and leading significant portions of the event. Race control and strategy execution were central factors throughout, with pit sequences on the short oval carrying outsized importance due to the time cost of full pit cycles.

In the closing phase, Newgarden’s charge was enabled by his ability to advance through traffic and then directly challenge Kirkwood at the front. Once in clean air, Newgarden maintained the lead to the checkered flag. Malukas, after running among the leaders and leading the most laps, ultimately finished third.

• Winner: Josef Newgarden
• Second: Kyle Kirkwood
• Third: David Malukas

Notable incidents and championship implications

The race also had significant consequences for the championship picture. Defending series champion Alex Palou was eliminated following a crash, a result that limited his points haul from the weekend and reshaped the early standings after two rounds.

With the Phoenix victory, Newgarden moved into the lead of the IndyCar championship standings, holding a five-point advantage over Kirkwood. The result followed a season-opening race in St. Petersburg on March 1, 2026, where Newgarden did not win but remained in contention, setting up Phoenix as an early inflection point in the title race.

The Good Ranchers 250 was held as the second round of the 17-race 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule, bringing the series back to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018.

What comes next

The 2026 IndyCar calendar continues next with the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, scheduled for Sunday, March 15, 2026. After Phoenix, teams will shift from oval setups to a street-course configuration, where qualifying position, tire management, and caution timing typically play decisive roles.

For Newgarden, the Phoenix result provides an early-season points cushion and momentum; for Kirkwood and Malukas, the race delivered a benchmark performance on an oval at the front of the field, with both converting pace into podium results.