PHOENIX RACEWAY PREVIEW

FRIDAY, MARCH 6 – SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026   TRACK: Phoenix Raceway LOCATION: Avondale, Arizona, USA TRACK LAYOUT: 1-mile Tri-Oval RACE LENGTH: 250 laps/250 miles   PRACTICE: Friday – 8-9 a.m. MST (FS2), 2:30-4 p.m. MST  (FS2) QUALIFYING: Friday – 12-1:30 p.m. MST  (FS2) RACE: Saturday – 1 p.m. MST (FOX)

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 JAVA HOUSE CHEVROLET

ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet: “I love this schedule and being back on track this weekend. It allows us to put the past behind us and focus on an exciting weekend where we are returning to Phoenix for the first time in eight years. We had a great team test there and I look forward to doing it for real when we get back!” 

BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1991 HOMETOWN: Nevada City, CA RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN   PHOENIX STATS NUMBER OF STARTS: 3 TOP 5 FINISHES: 1 TOP 10 FINISHES: 1 BEST START: 4th (2018) BEST FINISH: 3rd (2018)   CAREER STATS SEASON: 11th STARTS: 165 WINS: 8 POLES: 7 TOP 5 FINISHES: 52 TOP 10 FINISHES: 97

OF NOTE:   The 2026 season is Alexander Rossi’s 11th season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver and his second with ECR. In his first year with ECR, Rossi scored seven Top 10 finishes, including a season-best 4th place at the Milwaukee Mile. He also led the 1,000th lap of his career in the Indianapolis 500. The 34-year-old has 97 career Top 10 finishes, including 52 Top 5s and 30 podiums. Rossi is one of five drivers in the field with previous race experience at Phoenix Raceway. He has competed in three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Phoenix from 2016–2018. He scored a podium finish in 2018, finishing 3rd after qualifying 4th. Two weeks ago, Rossi set the fastest lap of both the morning and afternoon sessions on Day 2 of a series-wide open test at Phoenix. When lap times from both days were combined, his best lap was the quickest of the entire test.   Rossi is an eight-time winner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, including a victory in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016. The Nevada City, California native was the first American rookie to win since 1928. Rossi’s talent has taken him worldwide, with wins in Formula 2, World Series by Renault, and the 24 Hours of Daytona, along with starts in Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Baja 1000, and the Bathurst 1000.   Rossi will continue to pilot the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet this season. Java House is an authentic cold brew coffee brand that began with brick-and-mortar cafés in the greater Indianapolis area and is now revolutionizing the beverage industry with its versatile Peel & Pour™ single-serve pods. Each 100% recyclable pod can be poured into iced or hot water with no machine or brewer required. Java House’s full portfolio of beverages includes Amazingly Smooth cold brew coffees, lattes, teas, and hydration drinks. The innovative Indianapolis-based brand is also the title sponsor of the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, which will take place next week.

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA STEVIA CHEVROLET

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Splenda Stevia Chevrolet “I am looking forward to getting back to short oval racing at Phoenix! The test there went really well for ECR, and ovals were definitely a strength for the No. 21 last year. We showed a lot of potential at times in St. Pete, even if we didn’t come away with the result we wanted. We’re fully focused on bouncing back at Phoenix for Round 2 of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship!”

BIRTHDAY: June 29, 2000 HOMETOWN: Copenhagen, Denmark RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN    PHOENIX STATS NUMBER OF STARTS: 0   CAREER STATS SEASON: 3rd STARTS: 32 WINS: 1 TOP 5 FINISHES: 2 TOP 10 FINISHES: 7

OF NOTE:   Christian Rasmussen has spent his entire NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with ECR and is now in his third year with the team. During his sophomore season, Rasmussen quickly became known as a formidable opponent on ovals. The 25-year-old finished no worse than 8th in five of the six oval races last season, including a 6th place in his second Indianapolis 500 and his first career podium finish at WWT Raceway. One year after making his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start on a short oval at the Milwaukee Mile, he became a first-time race winner. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES most recently competed at Phoenix Raceway in 2018, six years before Rasmussen joined the field. While Saturday’s race will be his first at the one-mile oval, he completed two days of testing at the Open Test two weeks ago. On Day 2, he posted the second-fastest lap in the afternoon session and was ranked fourth overall when the test concluded. Rasmussen was only nine years old when he claimed his first karting championship in Denmark. He arrived in the United States in 2018 and joined the Road to Indy the following year. He is only the second driver in history to earn a championship in each division that currently feeds the NTT INDYCAR SERIES — USF2000 (2020), USF Pro 2000 (2021), and INDY NXT (2023). After an impressive rookie season, including being the highest rookie finisher in the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Rasmussen was named driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet beginning in 2025 as part of a multi-year deal. Splenda®, the most recognizable low-calorie sweetener brand in the world, will be featured on the No. 21 Chevrolet. Since its launch in 1991, more than 100 billion yellow packets have been sold. Splenda® Stevia, which will appear on Rasmussen’s car for the first two races, is grown in Florida. Splenda owns and operates the first-ever fully integrated stevia farm in the United States, also located in Florida. Coincidentally, Splenda’s packaging facility and ECR’s race shop are both on Georgetown Road in Indianapolis, less than one mile apart.