AVONDALE, Airz. – Alexander Rossi flexed a muscle on the final day of IndyCar testing at Phoenix Raceway, posting the quickest lap during the weather-impacted sessions.

Rossi is one of five drivers with prior experience on the track, and he used it wisely. The 2016 Indianapolis 500 Champion rocketed around the one-mile oval at 174.542 mph in the third session. That lap proved to be two one-hundredths faster than Josef Newgarden in second. 

“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.”

Rossi also led the morning session at 174.444 mph.

“We have a good baseline, and it feels like we are on top of it,” Rossi said. 

The ECR driver is confident in the data points gathered for its Phoenix setups for when the series returns in March.

Several rain showers disrupted the third and final session of the afternoon, halting track drying on several occasions. The initial delay cost 90 minutes of track time.

“Felt like the weather was playing some games with us,” Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing said. These were his first laps at Phoenix since his days in the then Indy Lights series.

“I thought the track was really fun, had a good flow to it. Pretty difficult to get the balance right, especially with the wind and weather changing,” Rosenqvist said. “You're just trying to have a car setup that is consistent and doesn't change so much on you, depending on wind and weather.”

Rosenqvist posted the 14th fastest lap of the day, completing a mile at an 171.888 mph average.

“In the end it was kind of messy,” Rosenqvist said of how rain affected the session. “We didn't end up doing half of the stuff we wanted to do, but it's probably the same for everybody.”

Another driver with little oval-track experience was Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel.

The 21-year-old improved from 22nd quickest to the eighth fastest lap from session to session. Siegel, a native of Palo Alto, California, enjoyed catering to West Coast fans.

“I obviously watched this race growing up and watched those guys racing here growing up,” Siegel said in reference to Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay being at the track. "It's cool to hear their perspective, having driven the previous generations of cars here.”

Siegel turned 200 laps at Phoenix Raceway with his best coming on lap 13 of session two. His average speed was 171.632 mph, the 17th-best among the 25 cars that practiced.

“I really enjoy IndyCar short oval racing,” Siegel said. “I think this is kind of the heart of IndyCar racing, right, these short ovals. It's going to be a fun race, and it does definitely feel like it's kind of back to the roots of series.”

Siegel watched the NASCAR races at Phoenix last year and is eager to bring open-wheel racing back to the Arizona fans. 

“The more eyes on INDYCAR, the better,” Siegel said.

During the final hour of testing, Marcus Ericsson experienced trouble. The 35-year-old Swedish driver crashed exiting four, and his No. 28 Andretti Global entry came to rest past the finish line. 

“Something happened with the car,” Ericsson said after being released from the care center. “We need to investigate and see what happened.”

Ericsson entered the weekend feeling upbeat about the recent Sebring test, a much-needed shift following his worst season since joining IndyCar in 2019. That positivity was shattered at Phoenix.

“This (test) was pretty strong, and then you have a big crash, it just really pisses me off,” Ericsson said. “But yeah, we get it together, and then we go to St. Pete.”

The NTT IndyCar Series begins its 2026 season on March 1 in St. Petersburg. Fox Sports will return to provide coverage for the second-straight season, starting Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.