INDYCAR: Rasmussen came short of victory after Power’s surge

AVONDALE, Ariz —  Christian Rasmussen dominated the NTT INDYCAR Series’ return to Phoenix Raceway but came short of victory in the end.

Will Power and Rasmussen started deep in the field but wasted little time charging toward the front

Power gained ten positions from the start of the race while Rasmussen jumped a few cars too before they flipped from the primary strategy after the lap 12 Alex Palou caution.

Both pitted for fresh tires, giving them a major advantage in the following stint over drivers stuck on the older rubber.

Their strategy paid off. Power climbed firmly into the top ten, while Rasmussen surged all the way to the lead and paced the race for long stretches, ultimately leading 69 laps.

But their Good Ranchers 250 came to a head when Power’s and Rasmussen’s strategy intersected after the final pit cycle of the day.

Will Power took the lead of the race after the final pit cycle played out but the speed of Christian Rasmussen would not be denied.

He found himself getting closer and closer to the gearbox of Power.

It All Came Crashing Down

Power’s stubborn defense started and ended with a bang.

As Rasmussen tried to swing to the outside exiting Turn 2, Power’s rear-end stepped out and pushed him up the track.

Committed to the outside, Rasmussen had nowhere to go and slammed the wall hard with his right-side tires.

The impact bounced him back down the track and into Power’s right-rear, cutting the tire and bringing out the fourth caution of the day.

Contact between Will Power and Christian Rasmussen! Power has a flat. pic.twitter.com/O5z7XfC3m8

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) March 7, 2026

“He just moved up on me. I was to his outside… Something feels off” Rasmussen radioed to his crew after the event.

Power’s crew repaired his flat tire but the damage was done. He finished one lap down in 16th and continued his costly start to the season.

Rasmussen continued on but crucially stayed out with the damage under the caution period.

Meanwhile his nearest challenger Pato O’Ward, and eventual winner Josef Newgarden, pit for new tires.

Rasmussen restarted in the lead with a seven car gap back to O’Ward and the others who pitted.

Fortunately, he had no issues on the restart from the incident. The Ed Carpenter Racing driver had clean air and the lead with under 35 laps to go in the race.

But the tire difference and damage started to rear its ugly head.

He held onto his fading lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, but the broken toe-link proved to be too much to handle over the final green flag stint.

With under ten laps remaining and a closing Kirkwood in his rearview mirror he ramped up his defense.

Like the move he tried earlier on Power, the the ECR driver exited turn two high and wide to smack the same spot where the Power incident occurred.

Under ten laps remained but the final contact proved too costly. The fastest car of the race limped home 14th from there.

Post-Race Thoughts

A crushed Rasmussen commented on how his sweet day turned sour.

“I mean its very clear what happened right? We were the class of the field today. Best car out there and I was so happy with the car.”

“You can’t just run people into the wall which is what happened today.”

“He (Power) ran me straight into the wall and after that I had damage… The car was impossible to drive after that.”

“So frustrating man, so frustrating… we should have won today, obviously didn’t”

The two spoke briefly in the paddock after the race. Rasmussen voiced his frustration, while Power explained that his rear tires stepped out, he didn’t expect Rasmussen to be alongside on the outside, and offered an apology.

Power also sought out ECR owner Ed Carpenter on pit road to apologize for the incident.

How the two race each other when the series returns to an oval at St. Louis in June remains to be seen.

For now, INDYCAR turns its attention to the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington this weekend.