Yahoo Autos Indy NXT champ Rasmussen graduates to IndyCar with ECR
Reigning Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen has been chosen by Ed Carpenter Racing as its newest driver for the No. 20 Chevy, and in a twist, the team will revert to its former practice of ride sharing with the car.
Rather than place the 23-year-old from Denmark in the No. 20 as Rinus VeeKay’s full-time teammate, ECR will park the uncompetitive No. 33 Chevy driven by Carpenter on the ovals and pair the team owner with Rasmussen, with the newcomer handling road and street courses and his team owner stepping into handle the oval in the No. 20.
The only exception will take place in May when Rasmussen is placed in a third ECR entry to make his Indianapolis 500 debut.
“I am very excited to join Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season.” Rasmussen said. “It is a dream come true and something I’ve been working towards for a long time now. I want to thank Ed Carpenter and Tim Broyles for the opportunity and I’m ready to get to work and show everyone what we can do!”
Rasmussen and 2019 Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew took part in a shootout for the seat, which led to almost a month of analysis before a decision was made.
“He did an excellent job when we tested him at Barber Motorsports Park last month and showed that he is fully ready to take the next step into the NTT IndyCar Series,” Carpenter said. “We are excited to add him to our lineup and we are anticipating a successful 2024 season.”
