Alexander Rossi Perked Up for Winning Brew at 'Home' Arlington

Alexander Rossi enters Sunday’s Java House Grand Prix of Arlington after a sixth-place start and finish in last weekend’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway.

The result moved Rossi from 16th to 10th in the standings entering the third race of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Sunday’s race (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls) marks the debut of a highly anticipated event in Arlington, Texas. The 2.73-mile street circuit winds through Arlington’s sports and entertainment district, passing two iconic venues: AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers.

“I'm pumped,” Rossi said. “This has been one race we've all been looking forward to since it was announced. The partnership with Mr. Jones (Cowboys owner Jerry Jones) and the Cowboys is really exciting.

“I can't think of an event that has been this highly anticipated in quite some time. We've been waiting for this one for a couple years, knowing the work that's gone into it from Penske Corp., the series and everyone involved. It's awesome to get back to Dallas. I can't wait to put on a great show for everyone.”

Rossi has added motivation this weekend. His No. 20 ECR Chevrolet (photo, above) carries primary sponsorship from Java House.

Last season, Ted Gelov, owner of Heartland Food Products Group, joined ECR as co-owner. The partnership brought Heartland’s brands Splenda and Java House as sponsors on the cars.

“It's a race you certainly want to show well at,” Rossi said. “Java House, Splenda and Heartland Group set a high standard when they came into the championship last year. The brand activation, commercials and the car liveries elevated the whole aesthetic of the team to a level that really only rivals Arrow McLaren and their papaya look.

“This will be a hugely important race for Java House as they expand their market share across the country. Having two cars carry the brand is a big honor for both of us (he and teammate Christian Rasmussen). There's always pressure to perform, but when the title sponsor is on your car and your boss is handing out trophies on the podium, you want to be one of the guys up there.”

Java House also sponsored last year’s race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Rossi started 22nd and finished 15th. Teammate Christian Rasmussen qualified 11th and finished ninth.

Like the rest of the 25-driver field, Rossi has never raced on the Arlington street circuit. Limited track data complicates preparation.

“You only have essentially a GPS scan with walls placed around the perimeter,” Rossi said. “Both Honda and Chevy have the same track model, so you don't have bumps modeled or grip differences depending on surface. It helps you know what corner comes next, but braking points, grip levels, the racing line and where the bumps are -- everyone will be figuring that out together starting from zero.”

Even so, Rossi does not expect the unfamiliar track to shake up the order for long.

“At this level, drivers have all seen new tracks before,” he said. “It probably levels the playing field for the first 20 minutes of practice. After that, everyone gets up to speed quickly.

“By qualifying, the teams that are strong on street courses will still be strong. It will be an equalizer early, but then everyone gets the most out of the car and it returns to the normal order.”

Rossi does expect a stronger street-course showing than the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he started last in the 25-car field and finished 16th.

“We don't need to do anything,” Rossi said. “St. Petersburg was a pretty isolated incident. Street circuits are a focus for the organization, and there are some things in the pipeline that should help close the gap.

“In qualifying at St. Pete, there was no team failure or issue. It’s been rectified, so there are no concerns heading into this weekend.

“ECR is taking steps in the right direction. I think the team has taken a step forward from last year. Unfortunately, so far in 2026 it hasn’t shown in the results.”