IndyCar Open Test: Phoenix, Penske, and Power

INDIANAPOLIS – Team Penske newcomer David Malukas topped the first day of open testing at Phoenix Raceway.

The 24-year-old, now driving the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, joined the team following the 2025 IndyCar season. On Tuesday, he was the fastest on the one-mile track with his new crew, with a lap reaching 172.605 mph.

P1 on day one in the desert. pic.twitter.com/p5cwJYUXj6

— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 18, 2026

“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,” Malukas said after his first time driving a Team Penske car on an oval. “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 that, 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.”

Malukas isn’t the only IndyCar driver getting comfortable with a new car and team. Former driver of the Team Penske No. 12 car, Will Power, landed himself the No. 26 of Andretti Global.

The 44-year-old IndyCar veteran is a two-time Champion (2014, 2022) and Indianapolis 500 winner (2018) with his former team, but is already starting to get comfortable in his new ride.

“Very excited,” said Power. “Getting real comfortable in the car, you know, just going through a bunch of different processes and so on. So, yeah, starting to feel really at home. And every race, I’ll get better and better.”

Power was third on the first day of testing at Phoenix after putting up a 171.076 mph in the desert.

For many drivers on the grid, the Good Ranchers 250 will be their first time racing an IndyCar at Phoenix Raceway.

While the test can’t run every scenario you might face during an actual race day, it can gather data and allow a team to get a general feel for the track. One point of contention that has already come up in discussing the race here in Phoenix in two and a half weeks is two-lane racing.

“I mean, it’s a new oval to the calendar for most parties involved, apart from the three or four guys who have run here before,” said driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward. “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.”

Power expressed similar concerns about the second lane, stating, “If there’s not a second lane, no one’s going to pass. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. We really should be working on the second lane. Even in this open test, they should’ve put an extra set of tires for people to run on the outside. It’s the only way we are going to put on a good show, so I’m hoping that’s the case.”