Christian Rasmussen won his first IndyCar race on Sunday, partly due to his aggressive driving style that allowed him to pass six cars in the final 29-lap stint.

Rasmussen’s aggressiveness has been a talking point this season, usually with the conversation asking whether or not it is over the line.

The young driver’s team owner Ed Carpenter does not see his approach as a problem, however, and put his full support behind Rasmussen following his victory.

“Christian impressed us a ton before he ever got in one of our cars, the way he finished off the INDY NXT championship that he won,” said Carpenter.

“The back half of that season, it was a tight battle, but he really took control of it at the end. That level of intensity, dedication and improvement that he showed from his two years in that championship is really what stood out to me.

“Then we put him in a car [for a test day] at Barber against Oliver Askew. A bit of a showdown. He rose to that challenge, as well. When you put a car in front of him, especially when he’s got a tire advantage, it’s a scary thing.

“People talk about they don’t like everything he does. We haven’t asked him to change one thing. He’s attacking and being aggressive, not settling for anything.

“That’s the mentality we want to have as a team. Really proud of the effort and he way he finished today.”

Respected by others

Perhaps because he earned the victory at Milwaukee, Rasmussen’s style accrued respect from other competitors as well.

Multiple drivers came to victory lane to congratulate him in person, including his team-mate Alexander Rossi who lifted him off his car as soon as he climbed out.

But the appreciation from those outside the ECR team are perhaps more representative of the true opinions of the paddock.

“That’s how he races,” said Scott McLaughlin, who finished third on Sunday. “You got to respect it.

“I think he’s very fast. He’s very brave. He makes some really nice split-second decisions.

“As we’ve seen, it’s bit him in the backside a couple of times as well. He’s learning. He’s getting better.

“I don’t know. I’ve said for a long time, he’s going to win a race at some point. He’s been really strong. He’s not scared of taking the chance.”

Rasmussen has finished in the top 10 for all five oval races this season, showing how well his driving style is suited to the banking.

He has one more chance to make it a perfect six-for-six next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway for the season finale.

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Ed Carpenter Racing has unveiled a drastically different set of liveries for the 2025 IndyCar season.

The two cars sport complementary designs, with both entries featuring a mix of baby blue, yellow, and black.

Alexander Rossi’s #20 entry is primarily blue on the car’s nose and rear wing, with hints of yellow being shown on the engine cover and other small highlights.

The #21 entry of Christian Rasmussen features much larger stretches of yellow, including on both wings, the sidepods, and the rear fenders.

The cars prominently feature the team’s newest sponsors Java House and Splenda, which are household brands recognizable to most fans of the sport.

“It is extremely exciting to have Java House and Splenda join our lineup!” said Carpenter. “To have not only one, but two, consumer brands is a great opportunity for ECR and IndyCar.

“In the few short months since Ted [Gelov] has joined ECR, the strides the team has made have been remarkable. It has been a full team effort and I am proud of everyone for the work they have put in.

“We are more than ready to see everything come to fruition when the Java House and Splenda cars roll out in St. Pete!”

The new branding, including a new team logo, is part of a bigger change for ECR, which added Ted Gelov to the ownership group late last year.

Gelov is the owner of Heartland Food Products, which is the parent company of both Java House coffee and Splenda sweetener.

His influence brought more than sponsorship for the long-running team, but also helped reshape the inner workings of the organization.

With additional perspective from a successful businessman from a different industry, Ed Carpenter has related there is so many new processes behind the scenes that this year feels a lot like 2012 when he started the team.

ECR hopes the new look and new management processes will lead to a productive year with their two drivers.

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Ed Carpenter Racing has announced that Alexander Rossi will join the team for the upcoming 2025 IndyCar season, pairing with Christian Rasmussen for the entire schedule.

Rossi has been looking for a new ride since early July, when it was announced that Christian Lundgaard would be filling his seat at Arrow McLaren.

He remained uncommitted throughout the end of the 2024 season, but ECR has now announced that he will fill the team’s #20 entry next year.

“I’m honored that Ed [Carpenter] and the entire ECR ownership group recognize the value I can bring to the team,” said Rossi.

“Their commitment to excellence, along with the power of Chevrolet and the ambitious plans they have for the future made this opportunity impossible to pass up. I’m eager to get started and contribute to the team’s continued success.”

Rossi will be racing alongside Christian Rasmussen, who was a rookie in IndyCar last season.

The Danish driver was originally scheduled to run only the road course races and the Indianapolis 500, but a late decision by team owner Ed Carpenter placed him in a seat for the final three oval races of the season as well.

Carpenter made the decision to help secure a Leaders Circle payout for the entry, which worked out as Rasmussen finished higher than Carpenter had throughout the early portion of the season.

Rasmussen will now be a full time driver for his sophomore season and will shift over to the #21 entry for 2025.

Ed Carpenter making changes to his team

“It is an exciting day to not only welcome Alex [Rossi] to the team, but to extend our relationship with Christian [Rasmussen],” said Carpenter in the press release.

“We are very excited about our lineup, and other partnership announcements that will be forthcoming.

“As excited as I am about these additions, I also want to thank Rinus [VeeKay] for his five years with the team. It is always hard to say goodbye to a teammate and a friend, but I am confident that Rinus’ career will continue to blossom.

“As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, I am fully focused on getting ECR back to new heights, winning races and contending for championships.”

Both drivers have signed multi-year deals with ECR, keeping them with the team at least through 2026.

Carpenter will still be behind the wheel for the upcoming Indianapolis 500, driving a third car for the squad for the premiere event.

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Ed Carpenter Racing has announced that team owner Ed Carpenter will relinquish his driving duties for the final three events of the 2024 IndyCar season.

He was originally scheduled to drive the #20 entry for all of the season’s oval rounds, including the final events at The Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway.

A late change of plans means that the team’s rookie Christian Rasmussen will climb behind the wheel and gain valuable track time to close out the season.

Rasmussen has been driving the #20 for the season’s road and street courses as well as the Indianapolis 500. He also completed some oval testing for the team that reportedly went very well.

“First off, this was a very difficult decision for me to make. I want to make it clear that this is not a retirement announcement,” said Carpenter, pre-empting questions that would be coming about his driver status.

“However, the reality is, I have not performed to the level that I expect of myself for the team. Christian tested at Gateway prior to the race and he showed me that he deserves this expanded opportunity.

“He also had such a strong performance during the Month of May and has earned the chance to continue his development. I am excited to watch him finish the season out strong for the No. 20 crew and the entire ECR team.”

The #20 entry currently sits 24th in the entrant standings, and is perilously close to the cutoff line for the series’ Leader’s Circle payout.

The decision to place Rasmussen in the car seems to be, as much as anything else, an attempt to make sure the car remains high enough to earn the monetary award.

“First and foremost, I am incredibly thankful to Ed for providing me this opportunity,” Rasmussen said.

“I am excited to drive the No. 20 in the remaining three races and I am fully committed to giving the team my absolute best.

“While I haven’t raced at Milwaukee or Nashville before, my past performances on ovals have been strong and I’m eager to add these tracks to the list!”

Carpenter’s best finish this season has been 17th, while Rasmussen finished 12th at the Indy 500 and earned a top 10 result at Mid-Ohio.

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Ed Carpenter Racing has not had a particularly strong start to the weekend, but the team’s owner insists they are in a better place thanks to testing done by the team’s young driver Christian Rasmussen.

Rasmussen is racing with the team on a part-time basis this year, contesting the road courses in the #20 whereas Carpenter takes over the entry himself for the ovals.

The 24-year-old completed a rookie test at World Wide Technology Raceway earlier in the year in preparation for his Indianapolis 500 debut, and helped the team prepare for this weekend’s event in the process.

Despite Carpenter and Rinus VeeKay qualifying 21st and 14th respectively, though VeeKay will start from 12th due to other drivers’ penalties, Carpenter related that he was much more happy with how his team’s cars are handling.

“We’re definitely in a better place than we were this race last year,” said Carpenter. “The team did a good job bringing us something better than what we had last year.

“Christian [Rasmussen] did a test here at rookie day and did a really nice job getting us more prepared. I’m definitely much happier and more comfortable than I’ve been here in the past couple years.

“I thought it felt pretty decent with the changes that we made. I think with the way people are qualifying, everyone’s trimming a little bit, and it’s really just going to be how you hit the balance.”

VeeKay gave a similar sentiment, saying he has been happy with the balance of his car and has been able to push the throttle flat in Turns 3 and 4 during Friday’s running.

Last year, Ed Carpenter started down in 27th and ended the evening in 24th, while Rinus VeeKay climbed from his 20th starting position up to 11th by the end of the race.

Both drivers will be starting a bit further ahead this evening, and will look to earn results good enough to keep them above the all-important Leader’s Circle cutoff line.

The post Rasmussen’s assistance put ECR in a ‘better place’ for Gateway IndyCar race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Ed Carpenter Racing has unveiled new liveries for all three of its cars for the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series season.

The designs are very similar, with a striking gold color on the front half of the car, splashed over dark blue for Conor Daly’s car and white for Rinus VeeKay’s entry.  Ed Carpenter, who is only scheduled to run the season’s oval races, will have the same scheme with black on the back half.

Bitnile, which came onboard with the team last year, is now the primary sponsor on all three cars and is labeled as a team partner in the release.

The company has not been immune to the recent trend of value loss for nearly all cryptocurrency-related companies, but still appears to be fully invested in the team for at least the near future.

“We are excited to confirm BITNILE.COM as our team partner and unveil our new paint schemes,” Carpenter said.

“Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay are both very talented drivers who bring a wealth of experience to our team. As for the No. 33 BITNILE.COM entry, I am excited to be back behind the wheel for the oval races, which will include my 20th Indianapolis 500.”

The release confirmed that Carpenter will be running the season’s five oval races in 2023, which mirrors what he has done for the past nine seasons.

The new liveries will be on track for the IndyCar open test session starting on Thursday, as the two full time drivers get back in the groove ahead of the season’s first race on March 5 in St. Petersburg.

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Ed Carpenter’s IndyCar team is awash with sponsorship from cryptocurrency companies, but he feels that will not a problem going forward despite many digital currencies losing value recently.

Bitcoin, one of the world’s most popular decentralized currencies, has lost over half its value compared to the US Dollar over the past three months.  And it is not alone.

Many other digital currencies have also lost value, and many of the companies that manage those funds are suffering. This includes BitNile, which itself has lost nearly two-thirds of its stock value this year.

With Conor Daly being sponsored by BitNile, and Rinus VeeKay being sponsored by BitCoin itself, there was some concern that the recent downturn would negatively affect the team’s operations.

The owner denied that prospect, however, and assured Motorsport Week that his sponsorship deals are safe for this and next season.

“Not really,” said Carpenter when asked if he was worried.  “With BitNile, we’re promoting their mining operation, but BitNile itself has a lot of different companies.

“They’re actually in a pretty good and stable position with the way their crypto investments are relative to some of the other firms you’ve seen get in trouble that were over-leveraged.  For us, everything is looking okay.  We’ll see how it goes in the future.”

Carpenter commented on Daly’s deal as well, which goes through next season and is fully dependent on BitNile’s continued sponsorship.

“Yeah, everything’s very positive.  Going well.  I don’t expect any changes there, and we’ll see what happens.”

Carpenter is racing alongside his two full time drivers this weekend, as he is running the season’s oval races in a third car for his own team.

The post Carpenter: No sponsorship issues related to crypto crash appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Ed Carpenter has set the fastest lap of the short Saturday morning practice session for this year’s Indy 500, lapping the circuit at 234.410 MPH.

That lap is the fastest single lap turned at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since Arie Luyendyk completed a lap at over 237 MPH in 1996.

Behind Carpenter was a trio of Chip Ganassi Racing drivers, who have all looked dialed in the entire week.

Conditions for the short morning session were much more representative of conditions expected later in the day for qualifying, thus many drivers chose to head out and turn some laps.

10 drivers, however, chose to use the data they gathered during the gusty Friday practice to set up their cars for qualifying.

The fastest no-tow lap, which is calculated as a fast lap with no car in front to provide a draft, was set by Scott Dixon, followed closely by Alexander Rossi.

There is only a short break until qualifying, which will set positions 13-33 for next Sunday’s race.  The top 12 will run again on Sunday to lock in the top spots.

Rain is forecast to arrive shortly after qualifying begins, however, so drivers may only get one attempt to make their four-lap runs and not have a chance to better their times later in the afternoon.

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