At Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, Josef Newgarden secured his first win of the 2026 INDYCAR season by taking the checkered flag on Saturday. Following his victory, Newgarden humorously challenged his Team Penske teammates competing in NASCAR to match his success the very next day during the Desert Double weekend.
Strong Showing for Team Penske Across INDYCAR and NASCAR
The weekend has been dominated by Team Penske performances. David Malukas captured the pole position in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet for the INDYCAR event, while Newgarden earned his 33rd career victory and his second consecutive win at the one-mile desert oval, with Malukas finishing third. In NASCAR competition, Joey Logano secured the pole in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500.
Newgarden Embraces the INDYCAR-NASCAR Crossover Experience
While some INDYCAR drivers expressed reservations about the crossover weekend, Newgarden applauded the rarity of both series racing on the same oval over one weekend. He described the experience as enjoyable and expressed hope for more shared events in the future.
“It will be so disappointing if the Cup guys do not deliver tomorrow,”
Newgarden said with a laugh after his Good Ranchers 250 victory.
“Horribly disappointing,”
added Jonathan Diuguid, Team Penske president.
“It’s always fun. We got to go first. It worked out. Now you got to put the pressure on them. Look, it was very hard. I didn’t think we were going to win today, to be honest with you. It’s fun. I wish we had more weekends like this, to be honest with you. It’s fun going on an oval together.”
—Josef Newgarden, Race Winner
Looking Ahead: Potential for More Joint Racing Weekends
Newgarden expressed optimism about expanding this collaboration between INDYCAR and NASCAR, hoping the unusual doubleheader format will attract new fans and provide extra value for motorsports enthusiasts.
“I think we could get a couple more like this,”
Newgarden said.
“I hope there [were] a lot of people that have maybe not seen an INDYCAR race in a while that are going to leave here and go, ‘Hey, I should give that another look.’
“Both should complement each other. If you’re a motorsports fan, you’re just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top-2 motorsports championships together on the same weekend. I don’t see why we can’t do a little more of this. I think it’s good for everybody.”
—Josef Newgarden, Race Winner
The Desert Double weekend, featuring top competitors like Newgarden, Malukas, and Logano, highlights the growing synergy between INDYCAR and NASCAR. As fans look forward to Sunday’s NASCAR event at Phoenix Raceway, the success and enthusiasm sparked by Newgarden’s INDYCAR win could increase expectations for Team Penske’s NASCAR squad and shape future combined race weekends.
