Yahoo Autos Indy 500 Winner Alexander Rossi Lands at Ed Carpenter Racing
After several months of speculation as to where he might land, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi has a ride for the 2025 IndyCar season. The former Arrow McLaren driver is moving to Ed Carpenter Racing as part of a multi-year deal.
On July 2nd, it was announced that Arrow McLaren had signed 22-year-old rookie Christian Lundgaard to the No. 7 car in 2025, leaving Rossi without a ride as he entered the new season. Rossi was with McLaren for two years, but when it came time to negotiate a new contract between the driver and team, they ultimately could not agree to terms.
Rossi made a splash on the IndyCar scene right off the bat, with an Indianapolis 500 victory in his rookie year — a feat that has only been accomplished three times since 2000, putting Rossi in the elite company of Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves. He has gone on to win eight races across his first eight seasons.
Rossi stood on the podium twice during his tenure with McLaren, but didn't record a win in his two years with the team.
"I’m honored that Ed and the entire ECR ownership group recognize the value I can bring to the team," Rossi said in ECR's press release. "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 joins Christian Rasmussen, who also signed a multi-year deal with ECR after a successful rookie campaign. Team Owner Ed Carpenter will step back and only run the Indianapolis 500 in the 2025 season; he raced five of the 17 rounds in 2024.
"It is an exciting day to not only welcome Alex to the team but to extend our relationship with Christian," Carpenter said. "We are very excited about our lineup and other partnership announcements that will be forthcoming."
ECR has repeatedly been in the news cycle this week, as Rinus Veekey announced that he was leaving the team after five years. Veekey has been a driver for ECR since the 2019 rookie season.
“As excited as I am about these additions," Carpenter said. "I also want to thank Rinus 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.”
In a social media post, Veekey thanked ECR for their five years together while acknowledging the ups and downs of the partnership.
"We had some excellent success together, but as happens in racing, we had some challenges too," Veekey wrote. "But most importantly, we always gave the maximum and had fun... with a great team spirit."
The veteran presence of Rossi and the new star power of Rasmussen mean ECR will be better suited to move up the tiers of IndyCar teams and compete for wins. But the new drivers aren't the only changes at the team; ECR also acquired a new co-owner, Ted Gelov of Heartland Food Products Group, this week, which brings with it new sponsorship from Heartland's house brands, including Splenda and Java House.
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