Here is the thing about the upcoming 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season: the questions are heavier than usual. Team Penske enters the new year carrying the weight of a brutal 2025 campaign that statistically marked the organization's worst in nearly two decades. The powerhouse squad managed just two wins, its fewest since 2007, alongside a staggering 15 DNFs across its three drivers, which is the most since 1998. Will Power's victory at Portland International Raceway on August 10 even marked the team's latest first win in a season since the squad went winless back in 1999. In the final points standings, Power led the group in ninth, with Scott McLaughlin right behind in 10th and Josef Newgarden in 12th.
That historic struggle triggered massive internal changes following May rules infractions at the Indianapolis 500 that led to the firings of Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski, and Kyle Moyer. Jonathan Diuguid stepped in as president and Travis Law took over as competition director in July. Now, the big unknown is whether late-season momentum—highlighted by Newgarden winning the Nashville finale, meaning the team secured two of the final three races—signals a true return to prominence for an outfit with 17 championships but only one in the last six seasons.
Amidst that front-office shakeup, David Malukas faces immense pressure sliding into the No. 12 Chevrolet. "Little Dave" replaces none other than Will Power, a titan of the sport who compiled two championships (2014 and 2022), 45 career wins including the 2018 Indianapolis 500, and a series-record 71 NTT P1 Awards. Malukas chases his first victory in 61 career starts, but the real test is whether Penske can hand him a machine capable of winning right out of the gate.
Meanwhile, the rest of the grid has to figure out how to crack the fortress that is Chip Ganassi Racing. If anyone has owned the NTT IndyCar Series this decade, it is Ganassi, taking five of the six championships since 2020 thanks to Alex Palou (taking titles in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025) and Scott Dixon (2020). The burning question is whether a true external challenger emerges to break that stranglehold. Arrow McLaren boasts young stars like Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard, while Andretti Global fields Kyle Kirkwood alongside two-time champion Will Power. Alternatively, could Dixon, CGR-affiliated Marcus Armstrong, and Felix Rosenqvist just turn it into another internal battle?
Away from the main championship fights, the calendar itself brings a massive dose of nostalgia with the March 7 return to Phoenix Raceway for the Good Ranchers 250. For longtime followers like Curt Cavin, Phoenix is the historic venue that sparked a lifelong obsession back when getting to the track meant driving down a dusty two-lane country road through farmland. After years away, there is real hope that this race acts as a proper springboard to revive IndyCar at a beloved desert facility.
Down on the development front in Indy NXT by Firestone, all eyes are locked on Myles Rowe. After finishing fourth in the 2025 standings with two wins—including a breakthrough victory at Iowa Speedway and a season-ending triumph at Nashville—Rowe opted for a third season in the series rather than moving up immediately. Staying with Abel Motorsports, Rowe already holds USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 titles from his junior formula days. If he cleans up his qualifying and race pace on road and street circuits, he can join Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen as the only drivers to conquer every single rung of the old Road to Indy ladder before stepping into IndyCar in 2027.
