Rossi ends Phoenix IndyCar test on top

It was Team Penske’s David Malukas on Tuesday, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi on Wednesday morning, and Rossi once more Wednesday afternoon as Team Chevy’s drivers took the three fastest laps across the two-day Unser IndyCar Open Test at Phoenix Raceway.

Rossi pushed the No. 20 ECR Chevy to the top morning spot (174.444mph) and improved it (174.542mph) in windy and heavily overcast afternoon settings that were frequently interrupted by rain.

"We got through everything we wanted, and obviously, when you can do that it’s a good day," Rossi said. "Christian (Rasmussen)’s car is also strong, so there’s nothing more I could ask for."

The 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner was shadowed by his young teammate Rasmussen in the No. 21 Chevy (173.924mph) in second, and in third, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou in the No. 10 was first for Honda (173.625mph), with Andretti Global’s Will Power in the No. 26 Honda (173.188mph), Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong in the No. 66 Honda (172.970mph), and Ganassi’s Scott Dixon in the No. 9 Honda (172.794mph) completed the top six.

Elsewhere, Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean was solid on his return to short ovals in 11th, and AJ Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet also found speed after his Tuesday crash to place 12th. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Mick Schumacher was near the midfield in the morning but fell to 24th in the afternoon, and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was a surprise 25th after being among the quickest in every other session.

Adversity found one more driver in Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson, who crashed exiting Turn 3 and came to a stop past start/finish. He was seen and released by IndyCar Medical, but the car was beyond immediate repair to continue running for the rest of the session.

RESULTS
RESULTS (COMBINED)