Josef Newgarden wins IndyCar Phoenix race with late-race pass (original) (raw)

Updated March 7, 2026, 4:31 p.m. CT

Josef Newgarden is back in victory lane in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Newgarden moved through the top 10 on a short final run, taking the lead from Kyle Kirkwood with seven laps to go to win the Good Ranchers 250 on March 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

The Hendersonville native now leads in the IndyCar points standings through two races.

Team Penske's top driver had a tire advantage on the final run, which began with 31 laps to go. He quickly moved into the top five, then made the move on Christian Rasmussen (who got into the wall) with about 10 laps to go for second before reaching Kirkwood for the top spot.

The 2025 season was arguably Newgarden's worst in more than a decade. While he finished the year with a win at Nashville, it was his only victory of the year filled with several DNFs and potential good finishes gone awry.

"Momentum is a big deal," Newgarden said to FOX during his victory lane interview. "I don't know. It's very difficult to understand how things work. Sometimes, things go against us. Sometimes they go for us."