Rookies Find Their Feet At Phoenix: Day One Unser Open Test Wrap

Conor Daly & Jessie Punch interview Cail Collet, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet - Image Credit: NICS Video (2026)

Rookies Find Their Feet At Phoenix: Day One Unser Open Test Wrap

Day one of testing at Phoenix Raceway wrapped with the full 2026 IndyCar grid laid bare, rookies included, under the Arizona sun that shifts and plays tricks just like the wind does on these short ovals.

Conor Daly, riding shotgun in the broadcast booth with Jessie Punch, framed it plainly: a classic rookie day. Laps piled high, experience chased hard, no one rewriting the record books ... and that's exactly the point. This Unser Open Test isn't about fireworks; it's about stacking knowledge brick by brick before the real battles ignite.

The three newcomers - Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, Cail Collet - each carved their own path through the session. 

Dennis Hauger, fresh off a dominant Indy NXT campaign, looked every bit the expected pace-setter among the rookies, marveling at the grip monster these high-downforce cars become on sticker tires. "Oh, there's some grip here," he said, the kind of understated awe that comes when a driver realizes the machine can take more than intuition first allows. He kept building, noted a few gremlins to sort, and eyed tomorrow for more baseline work in a field so tight that 17th was only a tenth or so off top-eight territory.

Cail Collet, settling into the AJ Foyt fold alongside the oval-savvy Santino Ferrucci, admitted to the inevitable greenhorn moment: a push too far on fresh rubber, misjudging the extra bite, clipping the apron in turn three or four and spinning into the wall. Lesson delivered the hard way, but he took it in stride - praising Ferrucci's openness with tips (even if ignoring the one about tire pressures and sun glare in turns three-four cost him dearly). Focus tomorrow: traffic runs, dirty air, placing the car right behind others. The steps from quali trim to race long-runs loom large, and he's hungry to log the data, watch the videos, shadow the veterans.

TAP Image To Launch Video Presentation

Mick Schumacher, ever analytical and quick to push back on the "rookie" label - he's raced too long, claimed too many starts elsewhere to wear it comfortably - treated the day as championship business from the jump. He stacked laps, more than most, dialing in the peculiarities of Phoenix: the flat-ish banking that tilts the car outward unexpectedly, the hooked feel in turn three, the wind gusts that shove or suck the aero balance corner to corner. The biggest adjustment? Learning to relax in the seat with a pad for consistency over long stints ... counter to years of tensing up to feel the car precisely. Firestone tires feel worlds apart from Pirelli or Michelin; mastering their window is the immediate homework. Teammate Graham Rahal's counsel rang true: every oval tells its own story, and Phoenix whispered its secrets in differences from Homestead or Sebring.

Beyond the new blood, the timesheet told familiar tales with fresh twists. Team Penske's machines hummed fast as anticipated, but Josef Newgarden, short-oval royalty, found himself shaded by new teammate David Malukas at day's end, while old wingman Will Power lurked close in the Andretti entry. McLaren's squad stayed quiet, potential still holstered; Graham Rahal Hall's push to 11th hinted at progress on a program that has historically wrestled these bullrings.

The field? Razor-close. Top 20 within half a second. Margins microscopic. Rust shaken off, new Firestones waiting for day two.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: #IndyCar, #PhoenixRaceway, #UnserOpenTest, #RookieDay, #DennisHauger, #Kyle, #MickSchumacher, #TeamPenske, #ShortOvalGrip, #IndyCarTesting, @IndyCarOnFOX

David Malukas Tops Day One At Phoenix As Penske Era Kicks Off With A Bang

David Malukas - The Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway - Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2026)

David Malukas Tops Day One At Phoenix As Penske Era Kicks Off With A Bang

David Malukas arrived at Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and promptly turned the Unser INDYCAR Open Test into his personal welcome party for the Team Penske era. Slotted into the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet - freshly vacated by Will Power - he dropped a 172.605 mph lap that topped the timing screens, edging teammate Josef Newgarden for a clean 1-2 Penske punch on day one of the two-day shakedown.

At the end of the day, Malukas led Penske teammate Newgarden and the man he replaced, now driving for Andretti Global, Will Power. Andretti's Kyle Kirkwood and Ganassi's Alex Palou round out the top five; strong showing for MSR 6th and 7th with New Zealander Marcus Armstrong and Swede Felix Rosenqvist.

The Chicago native stepped to the microphone sounding like a man who'd just discovered a new favorite toy. Phoenix, he declared, feels eerily akin to Gateway ... those mismatched ends of the track, turns one-two demanding one setup flavor while three-four beg for another, forcing quick swaps via weight jacker and the cockpit arsenal in the razor-thin window down the back straight. Wind played its usual desert games, subtle but present, keeping the ADHD brain stimulated as he described it with a laugh - every lap a chess move, tweaking, counter-tweaking, chasing grip that never quite settles the same way twice.

He loves it here already. The sheer velocity through one and two pinned him back initially - "Man, I don't know how Josef's doing that" - until he leaned harder, trusted the downforce, and watched the car devour speed like it was nothing. One of his favorite tracks to drive, full stop; racing it will be another beast entirely, no long runs logged today, but hopes run high that the Good Ranchers 250 in March will deliver the pack racing goods.

Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway End of Day 1 News Conference - Kyle Kirkwood | David Malukas

Post Test Transcript - NTT INDYCAR - Phoenix Raceway

Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal: 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.

Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal: 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.

ENDS

Settling into Penske has been seamless bliss. Chemistry with the crew clicks; the car looks beautiful, feels right; every pit in-and-out draws a grin he can't suppress. Teammates Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin? Gold. Driving styles align close enough that data swaps carry real weight—Josef's change today becomes tomorrow's known quantity for all three cars, tripling test efficiency in tire-limited days. The engineering depth hits different too: smart people everywhere, everyone grinding 110%, all feeding into one perfectly tuned machine. Best environment he's known, hands down.

Test days mean running plans over outright glory, but topping the sheet? Feels good, confidence boost undeniable. Newgarden's oval mastery provided instant reference—pushing limits he didn't know existed. Interaction with Penske's NASCAR contingent looms too; they've run this place plenty, data exchange on the horizon despite the different machinery.

Phoenix's quirks - sandblasted surface, potential Goodyear marbles, wind shifts—add unknowns for race day, but Malukas isn't fazed. Momentum matters early in '26: back-to-back-to-back opens the calendar, building rhythm fast, keeping fresh eyes on the sport instead of the usual mid-season lull. New team, new ride, but the core IndyCar feel remains familiar—minuscule tweaks, same driver game.

Day one closed with Malukas smiling widest, lap record in pocket, Penske humming. Tomorrow brings more laps, more learning, more proof that this move might just be the spark the championship chase needed. The desert oval listened; the new No. 12 answered loudest.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: #IndyCar, #UnserOpenTest, #PhoenixRaceway, #DavidMalukas, #TeamPenske, #172605MPH, #PenskeEra, #ShortOvalChess, #GatewayVibes, #IndyCarTesting, #Penske1-2, #Newgarden, #WillPower, #ShortOvalSpeed