Editor’s Note: This is another installment in SPEED SPORT’s preview of each NTT IndyCar Series team. To read other team’s previews, click here.
Ahead of the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series season, Ed Carpenter Racing rebranded in more ways than one.
Aside from a fresh logo and branding colors, ECR cut ties with Rinus VeeKay, who competed for the team for the last five seasons.
In his place is 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi. After a part-time schedule with ECR last year, Christian Rasmussen has been elevated to full-time duties.
Team owner Ed Carpenter will pilot a third entry (No. 33) at the Indianapolis 500.
Ahead of this weekend’s season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.), here’s a look at each driver:
Key Losses: Rinus VeeKay (Dale Coyne Racing)
Key Additions: Alexander Rossi (Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team)
No. 20 — Alexander Rossi
Two seasons with Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team didn’t pan out the way Rossi had hoped.
During his tenure with the team, Rossi garnered two podiums and a best finish of ninth (2023) in the standings. Despite a rough last few seasons to his standards, Rossi heads to ECR with plenty of experience and success in key moments, specifically the Indy 500.
In his last three starts at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, Rossi boasts three straight finishes of fifth or better.
Now with his third team in the last four years, Rossi will look to right the ship that looked to be destined for championships at one point in the early stages of his career.
No. 21 — Christian Rasmussen
In limited action with ECR last season, Christian Rasmussen impressed enough to land a full-time ride with the team.
While he earned an average finish of 18.4 in 13 starts, the 2023 Indy NXT champion snagged a ninth-place finish at Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course and was the highest running rookie at the Indy 500 when he finished 12th.
A Rasmussen-Rossi combo may be potent, especially on ovals with the team’s blistering speed its shown in recent years at Indy and Iowa Speedway.
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