FEBRUARY 25, 2026
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 08:43AM 
Shell and INDYCAR announced on Feb. 27 that the Shell Starship will return to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES transportation fleet for the 2026 season. Continuing its role as a visible demonstration of advanced, lower-emissions freight technology operating in a motorsports series, Shell Starship is powered by a Cummins X15NTM natural gas engine and lubricated with Shell Rotella® natural gas engine oil. It will operate as the transport vehicle for the INDYCAR Administrative Trailer, traveling to nearly every race on the 2026 calendar.
David Malukas (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) led the first day of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway last Tuesday, his first official NTT INDYCAR SERIES test session since joining Team Penske after the 2025 season. Malukas was fastest on the 1-mile desert oval with a lap of 172.605 mph. Malukas paced a 1-2 result for Team Penske on the opening day of the two-day test at Phoenix Raceway, as the winningest team in INDYCAR SERIES history looks to rebound from a sub-par 2025 season. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden was second overall among 25 drivers on track at 172.201 in the No. 2 Team Penske XPEL Chevrolet. 2018 series champion Will Power, who Malukas replaced at Team Penske, was third at 171.706 in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda, as he begins his tenure at Andretti Global after 16 full-time seasons with the Penske team. Power’s teammate Kyle Kirkwood was fourth at 171.423 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda.
Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet) paced the second and final day of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway on Wednesday. Rossi led both sessions on the 1-mile oval, including setting the fastest overall lap. 2016 Indy 500 winner Rossi turned his best lap of 174.542 mph during the afternoon session, which started 90 minutes late due to passing sprinkles. He also led the morning session on Wednesday with a speed of 174.444. “We got through everything we wanted, and when you can do that, it’s a good day,” Rossi said. “Christian’s (Rasmussen) car is also strong, so there’s nothing more I could ask for.” All 25 drivers expected to compete at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1, tested both days at Phoenix, which returns to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the first time since 2018 with the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden ended up second overall at 174.362 in the No. 2 Team Penske XPEL Chevrolet with his best lap of the morning. Newgarden was second fastest Tuesday on the opening day of the test at 172.201 behind new teammate David Malukas, as 24 drivers posted faster laps today than Tuesday. Reigning and four-time series champion Alex Palou was third overall at 174.220 in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda. ECR landed both of its drivers in the top four overall, as 2025 Milwaukee Mile winner Christian Rasmussen followed Palou at 173.924, good for second in the afternoon session behind teammate Rossi. Malukas continued his strong oval form in his early days with Team Penske, rounding out the top five overall at 173.759 in the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet. Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher continued to make steps in his oval racing education by ending up the fastest rookie over both days. He turned a top lap of 171.096 mph in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda today to lead the three rookies in the field, ending up 18th overall. Schumacher gained more than 7 mph on Wednesday, as his top lap Tuesday was 164.006 mph.
Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG