Inside Line: Your March Moment?

Today’s question: The NTT INDYCAR SERIES just opened the 2026 season with four races in five weekends during March. What was your March moment?

Curt Cavin: The moment we should save in our memory banks is Christian Rasmussen’s failed pass on Will Power late in the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway (photo, above). It won’t have championship implications, but it could be impactful in next month’s Indianapolis 500 because Rasmussen figures to be fast and now he will be better for having misplayed the pass on Power. ECR has often had terrific oval cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it’s reasonable to put the talented Danish driver in the contending category. After all, he led eight laps and finished sixth last year, and he trailed only Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward in laps led in series oval races in 2025. If Rasmussen is as hooked up at Indy as he was in Phoenix, he won’t make the same mistake twice.

Eric Smith: When I think of March Madness, I think of buzzer beaters. Josef Newgarden didn’t make a last-lap pass in the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway (photo, above), but he still delivered a thrilling finish -- the kind where a blue-blood program rallies from a late deficit with a full-court press to steal a win. Newgarden pitted under the final caution and restarted 10th on Lap 218. He charged through the field, passing all nine cars ahead of him, including leader Kyle Kirkwood on Lap 243 of 250, to earn his 33rd career victory. The win meant more than a trophy. It gave Team Penske a victory in Race 2 of the season, a sign the organization has returned to form after going winless through the first 14 races of 2025.

Arni Sribhen: If this season turns into an NTT INDYCAR SERIES title duel between Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood, we should all remember the moment that Kirkwood (photo, top) surprised Palou with a daring pass to win the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington as the reason why. Sure, Kirkwood had the best car at Arlington, but with Palou leading the race and laps winding down, the Andretti Global driver needed to pull off a move to win the race. To pull an overtake in a spot where the four-time champ least expected it – Turn 13 of the 2.73-mile temporary street circuit – added the chef’s kiss. Even Palou was impressed, calling the move “awesome.” But it was more than that for Kirkwood. It propelled him to victory and showed the paddock that the reigning King of INDYCAR can be beaten. More importantly, it shows that when it comes to race wins and the championship, Kirkwood don’t scare.

Paul Kelly: I’m going with Christian Lundgaard’s final pit stop last Sunday at Barber. It really looked like Lundgaard (photo, above) and Arrow McLaren had something for reigning Barber Motorsports Park winner and series champion Alex Palou down the closing laps of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst, and that all vanished in the approximately nine extra seconds Lundgaard’s No. 7 Chevrolet sat in the pits during a slow change of the right rear wheel. If Lundgaard won and Palou finished second, Kyle Kirkwood’s championship lead would be 12 points instead of two. Not a big difference, I know. But Lundgaard outrunning Palou down the stretch perhaps would have pierced Palou’s armor of invincibility and sent a message to the rest of the paddock that this title race is wide open. It’s early days with only four of 18 races complete, but Palou and the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crew look like they’re spooling up for another steamroller march to title No. 5, with two wins already in their fire suits. Palou’s speed and the No. 10 crew’s continued mistake-free precision are one of the most lethal combinations in this sport’s long history.