Inside Line: Most Interesting 2026 Season Storyline?

Today’s question: What storyline from these 2026 season scene-setter features for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone most interests you, or is it something else?

Curt Cavin: I think how Team Penske responds to last year’s disappointing season is the most intriguing story of 2026, but I’ll let Eric Smith dive into that. On the event side, I deeply hope the March 7 return to Phoenix Raceway for the Good Ranchers 250 (photo, top) goes well. Next to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Phoenix is the track that drew me into INDYCAR racing as a kid. My father and his parents were particularly fond of Arizona as a whole, and I became attracted to the track’s setting in the hills southwest of town, particularly when getting there in the late 1980s meant a dusty two-lane country road through farmland that Robin Miller always drove at a ridiculously excessive speed. On my first time at the track, I walked a dirt path along the backstretch and was only a few feet from the Turn 3 wall when the first car roared past to begin practice. The sound and presence of it coming up to speed literally shook me – I ducked -- and I remember Tom Sneva laughing at my story that night at our regular visit to Bill Johnson’s Big Apple barbecue restaurant on Van Buren – that was Robin’s beloved haunt, complete with a dish of apple cobbler with a hearty scoop of vanilla ice cream. I loved everything about what was then PIR, from the warm weather for our early-season races to the traditional Copper World Classic to the always-joking former track owner Dennis Wood to longtime staffers Scott Simpson, Steve DesGeorges, Mike Prusinski and the old gang. To me, PIR hasn’t been the same without INDYCAR, so I pray this year’s race can be a springboard to a revival.

Eric Smith: I’m watching not only David Malukas, but in a twist, Team Penske as a whole. The pressure is on “Little Dave” as he replaces Will Power, who has compiled two championships (2014, 2022), 45 career wins -- including the 2018 Indianapolis 500 -- and a series-record 71 NTT P1 Awards. Malukas enters the No. 12 Chevrolet seeking his first victory in 61 career starts. The pressure is on. However, the biggest pressure may be on the team to deliver him equipment capable of contending. Statistically, the 2025 campaign was Team Penske’s worst in nearly two decades. The team recorded just two wins, its fewest since 2007, and suffered 15 DNFs among its three drivers, the most since 1998. Power’s victory at Portland International Raceway on Aug. 10 marked Penske’s latest first win in a season since the team went winless in 1999. Power led the organization in points, finishing ninth, followed by Scott McLaughlin in 10th and Josef Newgarden in 12th. Also, after internal turmoil, including the May firings of Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski and Kyle Moyer following Indianapolis 500 rules infractions, the organization enters 2026 under new leadership. Jonathan Diuguid (president, photo, above) and Travis Law (competition director) assumed their roles in July. The question now: Does that late momentum with Newgarden’s win in the Nashville finale point to a rebound in 2026? The team won two of the final three races last season. Does that signal a Team Penske return to prominence? The organization has won 17 championships but just one in the last six seasons.

Arni Sribhen: If there has been a dominant team in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this decade, it’s been Chip Ganassi Racing. Five of the six championships since 2020 have been won by either Alex Palou (2021 and 2023-25) or Scott Dixon (2020). Can anyone else mount a challenge? With young stars such as Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard (photo, above) at Arrow McLaren as well as Kyle Kirkwood and two-time champ Will Power at Andretti Global, as well as Team Penske’s trio of drivers, there are plenty of contenders. It will be interesting to see if one of them can become the main external rival to Palou, or if Dixon, the CGR-affiliated Marcus Armstrong, and Felix Rosenqvist make it an intrasquad battle.

Paul Kelly: Curt, Eric and Arni covered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES well, so I’ll shine a light on INDY NXT by Firestone. My biggest question surrounding the development series this season: Can Myles Rowe (photo, above) seal the deal with a championship? Rowe enjoyed a strong season in 2025 by finishing fourth in the standings with two wins, including his breakthrough first win in INDY NXT at Iowa Speedway. I thought that milestone, along with his season-ending win at Nashville, might get him a call-up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2026 – or at least a ride at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge as part of a partial season – instead of a third season in INDY NXT. But Rowe opted to stay in the development series in his second season with Abel Motorsports. Rowe has won USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 championships during his junior formula career and can join Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen as the only drivers to win season titles on all three rungs of the old Road to Indy ladder. We know Rowe is more than capable of winning on ovals, but he needs to increase his qualifying and race pace on road and street circuits to climb to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2027 with an INDY NXT title in his pocket.