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2018 Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix preview

By Brittany Frederick

SAINT PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 11: Simon Pagenaud, of France, drives the #22 Chevrolet IndyCar on the track during the Firestone Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg IndyCar race on March 11, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
SAINT PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 11: Simon Pagenaud, of France, drives the #22 Chevrolet IndyCar on the track during the Firestone Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg IndyCar race on March 11, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images) /
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The Phoenix Grand Prix is the 2018 IndyCar season’s first oval event and first night race. Here’s what to watch for in IndyCar from Phoenix.

Sunday’s Phoenix Grand Prix picks up the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and it couldn’t come fast enough, pun intended. It’s been almost a month since the season began in St. Pete, but now the competition resumes in earnest.

There are a lot of firsts happening with this event: first Saturday race, first night race, first oval race, first time IndyCar has raced here since Phoenix International Raceway became ISM Raceway. But the only first that matters is who takes first place when the checkered flag drops under the lights.

Who’s in position to win on the first and only oval track before the Indianapolis 500? Who could gain valuable points in the 2018 IndyCar championship competition? There will be a lot to watch for in Arizona.

Let’s break the race down in our Phoenix Grand Prix preview.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH:

  • Will the cars improve? The new cars were a handful in St. Petersburg, up to and including the wreck that cost Robert Wickens a win. Teams have had a few weeks to go over what we saw in Florida, so hopefully they will be more knowledgeable (if not more comfortable) now. And we can avoid any more race-ending crashes and odd avoidable contact penalties.
  • Penske not quite perfect: IndyCar fans have been so used to Team Penske, and Chevrolet, dominating the series. That was not at all the case before, with Josef Newgarden being the highest-finishing Penske car in seventh place and the six spots above him being filled by a half-dozen Honda drivers. Will the top team reclaim their former glory in Phoenix?
  • The track’s the thing: Numerous drivers mentioned the difficulty of the racetrack during Friday night’s qualifying session. The track also played a factor in spots during the previous race, particularly with Scott Dixon when he went briefly airborne. Keep an eye on whether or not ISM Raceway comes to play, especially with numerous rookie drivers who aren’t as well versed in fighting the track.

THREE DRIVERS TO WATCH:

  • Simon Pagenaud: The 2017 Phoenix Grand Prix winner will start second after he lost the pole position to Sebastien Bourdais by a thin margin of just 0.391 MPH. He may be rolling off second, but Pagenaud was still blisteringly fast, and he comes in with that impressive victory behind him. Plus, Verizon IndyCar Series fans know that Pagenaud can win anything except the Penske Games.
  • Ed Carpenter: The first oval race means it’s also the first race for Ed Carpenter, who’s the series’ only oval specialist. Carpenter had a few nail-biting moments in qualifying and got a rough starting spot as a result, but this will be the first opportunity for IndyCar fans to get a look at him this season.
  • Robert Wickens: The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rookie impressed last time out as both the Verizon P1 Award winner and a near race-winner. But being competitive in professional racing requires consistency, so can Wickens be fast in more than one race? His qualifying run for the Phoenix Grand Prix was impressive, and if he can post a Top 5 or even a Top 10 at the end of the night, he’s an early Rookie of the Year candidate.

Next: What we learned from the 2018 IndyCar season opener

The 2018 Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix is Saturday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET. For full coverage of the 2018 IndyCar season, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided.