The NTT IndyCar Series return to Phoenix Raceway started off quite rough for Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist as he crashed hard into the outside wall during Friday morning's practice session.
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The incident occurred during the weekend's opening practice session. The Meyer Shank Racing driver backed his No. 60 into the outside wall in Turn 2. The front end went into the air multiple times as debris flew in all directions.
Questions remained about what had caused the hard impact. One member of the broadcast team mentioned the glare from the early morning sun as a possible issue.
BIG IMPACT for Felix Rosenqvist in Turn 2 🤯
📺: Practice 1 on FS2 pic.twitter.com/IZ4SsOEWvL
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 6, 2026
The replay provided more context and showed that Rosenqvist had just lost control. The No. 60 had stepped out on him. He tried to correct, but the race car spun into the outside wall at a very high speed. After all, Turn 2 is a very fast corner for the IndyCar Series drivers.
"Yeah, I just lost the rear for whatever reason," Rosenqvist told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass. "Yeah, I couldn't catch it. I thought I had it and then it kind of snapped on me one more time. Yeah, I couldn't save it."
The Swede does not have IndyCar Series experience at Phoenix Raceway — he began his full-time career in 2019. The North American series last competed at the 1-mile oval in 2018.
However, he made one start in the secondary Indy Lights Series, which is now Indy NXT. He finished 15th in the race in 2016.
Rosenqvist underwent examination from the medical team after the hard crash. The team released him as Meyer Shank Racing went to work putting the car back together for the rest of the on-track sessions.
The IndyCar weekend at Phoenix continues with qualifying on Friday at 2 p.m. ET. Final practice takes place at 4:30 p.m. ET. The race is then at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday (Fox).
This weekend, which is a doubleheader with NASCAR, marks the first time since 2018 that IndyCar teams have competed at Phoenix Raceway. Josef Newgarden won the race in 2018. Former driver Simon Pagenaud won in 2017. Sir Scott Dixon won in 2016.
