Phoenix, the oval laboratory before the chaos

By Beatriz Maldonado y Alejandro Mariscal

The IndyCar Series returned to Phoenix Raceway with more questions than answers.

For Alex Palou, chasing a historic fourth consecutive title, the objective is clear: confidence.

“On ovals it’s all about how you feel with the car. Whether you can attack it, or whether the car is driving you.”

Phoenix is not Indianapolis. It does not try to be. Both Palou and Pato O'Ward agreed that racing here ahead of the 500 does little to alter the bigger picture: “Indy is its own beast,” said the Mexican. What it does change is the rhythm of the championship — three races in quick succession to open the season and build momentum early.

The main talking point in the paddock was the character of the circuit. A short oval, visually reminiscent of Gateway, yet in the words of David Malukas: “same same, but very different.”Turns 1–2 and 3–4 demand contrasting set-ups within seconds. It is chess at 170 mph. Malukas, who topped the opening day, described the track as “busy”: constant adjustments, in-car changes, and a razor-thin window to balance the car between opposing extremes.

The concern? That the racing may become one-dimensional. O’Ward anticipated it: if the second groove does not come in, overtaking opportunities will be limited, confined to very specific moments. Firestone’s wider right-front tyre aims precisely to address that — providing more grip to explore the outside line.

But there is another variable in play: NASCAR. The shared weekend opens the door to an unusual technical cross-reference. Malukas and others acknowledged they will be watching closely how the Goodyear rubber evolves on track, how balance shifts, and what can be learned from drivers who have raced here before. Collaboration — and comparison — is inevitable.

Phoenix may appear to be just another oval on the calendar. But when the margins begin to compress, the equation changes entirely.

And if the grid proves as tight as anticipated… the room for error will be non-existent.