Inside Line: Sebring Test Takeaways, Phoenix Test Expectations

Today’s question: What most intrigued you about the NTT INDYCAR SERIES test earlier this week at Sebring International Raceway and which driver do you have your eye on for next week’s oval test at Phoenix Raceway?

Curt Cavin: Meyer Shank Racing delivered its best season last year, with Felix Rosenqvist (photo, above, right) and Marcus Armstrong (photo, above, left) finishing sixth and eighth in the standings, and I’ve been eager to see if they can back it up. The early returns are positive, with Armstrong turning the quickest laps in two days of testing at Sebring and Rosenqvist among the other top speedsters. I must say I was struck by Armstrong offering at last week’s Content Days that he “would be satisfied” with finishing in the top three in points. Why? Because the math is challenging. At least a half-dozen other drivers, plus the Team Penske drivers who finished behind MSR’s duo in the standings last year, have the same goal and better odds. But remember this about MSR: It has a technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing, and by all accounts the groups worked well together last year. As for next week’s open test at Phoenix, my eyes are on David Malukas. He has not raced at the famed track, but he has been excellent on short ovals in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. If he clocks in the top five, well, he will be a legitimate contender to win one of the season’s six oval races and off to a great start with Roger Penske’s organization.

Eric Smith: While I’m skeptical of speed charts and how teams truly stack up at Sebring, I do believe Scott Dixon (photo, above) leaves this test with far more momentum than a year ago. In 2025, Dixon ranked 13th overall with a best lap of 52.6120. This week, he was seventh quickest in his group Monday and second quickest a day later. That’s a significant step forward from last year, when a mechanical issue limited him to just two laps on the opening day before a crash 15 minutes into the second session a day later. Looking ahead to Phoenix, Dixon is again the driver I’m watching. He tested there in November and should have a slight leg up on much of the field. Dixon has six career starts at Phoenix, recording four top-five finishes, highlighted by a dominant 2016 victory in which he led 155 of 250 laps. He also finished runner-up in 2004, fourth in 2018 and fifth in 2017. Dixon’s 25 career oval wins are the most among active drivers, and he ranked fifth in oval points last season. If Dixon can produce another strong test next week, he’ll enter the season opener in St. Petersburg with legitimate hopes of tying A.J. Foyt for a record seventh series championship -- and his first since 2020. Dixon finished second to Alex Palou at St. Petersburg last year and has a strong chance to contend at Phoenix and the third race, the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Chip Ganassi Racing has won the last two inaugural races on the schedule. Dixon could come out of the gates swinging hard in the title fight, all thanks to two strong tests.

Arni Sribhen: The NTT INDYCAR SERIES doesn’t race at Sebring International Raceway, and with preseason testing, you never know what teams are working on. Still, a midfield team putting a car among the top four in three of the four group sessions certainly grabs your attention. That’s what Juncos Hollinger Racing did this week. Lead driver Rinus VeeKay put up times that were third in the morning group on Monday’s morning session (third overall) and fourth in the afternoon session (10th overall). Sting Ray Robb (photo, top) was third in the warmer afternoon session on Monday, also in the top 10 overall. A good week at Sebring – whose bumpy layout is the best real-world test of a city street course – can set a good baseline for how the team may perform on road and street circuits this year. After excelling on ovals in 2025 with Conor Daly, it will be interesting to see if Juncos Hollinger Racing’s duo of VeeKay and Robb can continue the momentum at next week’s Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway. Who knows, maybe this is a sign of sleepers to watch at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Interesting times are ahead.

Paul Kelly: I have two takeaways from the Sebring test. One, this is Kyle Kirkwood’s year to step forward as the true leader of Andretti Global. He produced a career-best points finish of fourth last season, and I think he’s more than capable of bettering that in 2026. Kirkwood (photo, above) was fifth quickest Monday morning at Sebring, .292 of a second behind session leader Alex Palou. But then Kirkwood powered to the top of the charts in the Tuesday afternoon session with a lap that was just a tenth of a second slower than the best overall lap of the two days of testing turned by Marcus Armstrong of Meyer Shank Racing. Consistency was Kirkwood’s undoing in the second half of last season, but I think another year of experience with Andretti will smooth those bumps. The second takeaway is that Caio Collet may be sneaky good this season for AJ Foyt Racing. Collet raced in the shadow of series champions Louis Foster and Dennis Hauger the last two years in INDY NXT by Firestone, but he was comfortably the quickest of the three full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies during the Sebring test, .335 of a second ahead of Hauger, competing this season for Dale Coyne Racing. Collet also was sixth overall in the afternoon session Tuesday, less than two-hundredths of a second behind reigning series champion Palou. As for the Phoenix test, I’m all eyes on Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The team has significantly strengthened its management during the offseason with major hires, including luring Brian Barnhart from Arrow McLaren as senior vice president of operations. But all that front-office fortification won’t help RLL climb the standings in 2026 if it can’t improve its oval racing program for team veterans Graham Rahal and Foster and rookie Mick Schumacher. The team produced no top-10 finishes in 18 total oval starts among three drivers last season, with Rahal’s 11th place at the first Iowa race the best result.