Christian Rasmussen finished his maiden NTT INDYCAR SERIES season 22nd in the standings, but that doesn't tell the whole story. His rookie season was strong, particularly in the second half of the year.
The Danish rookie competed in 14 of the 17 races for Ed Carpenter Racing after initially being hired to drive all 10 of the road and street course events in addition to a third ECR car for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, where he was the highest-finishing rookie in 12th place.
Team owner Ed Carpenter shared the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet for the seven oval events. However, Carpenter sat out the final three races as he elected to give Rasmussen the opportunity to compete at both Milwaukee Mile races (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) and the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway (Sept. 15).
Rasmussen finished 11th, 16th and 14th, respectively, in those oval opportunities. That effort landed Ramussen a full-time opportunity in the No. 21 Chevrolet for 2025 teaming with newcomer Alexander Rossi who joins ECR in his 10th season, seven of which with Andretti Global and the last two with Arrow McLaren.
“I’m incredibly excited to earn a full-time role with Ed Carpenter Racing,” Rasmussen said. “My rookie year in INDYCAR was full of firsts, and I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned into my second season. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to team up with Alexander (Rossi) to push the team forward and fight toward the front of the grid more consistently.”
Rasmussen was pleased with the performance in 2023 but described the year of good results being taken away by situations out of their control.
“I’m happy with the progression during the year,” he said. “Especially the second half was definitely stronger than the first half. Once I can see that progression going in the right direction, that’s really all I can ask for.”
The turning point of Rasmussen’s first NTT INDYCAR SERIES season came at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He was 14th-quickest in both pre-qualifying practice sessions and charged forward eight spots to finish 13th in the June 23 race. He finished ninth in the next event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 7.
Rasmussen had a 21.28 average finishing position in his first seven races, then improved to 16.57 over the second half.
“Around Laguna (Seca) I think things were starting to head in the right direction,” he said. The (Indianapolis) 500 was the highlight. I loved every minute of it. I think that was so cool. Hopefully I get to do that again. I also think Mid-Ohio was really strong for us -- made the Fast 12 (he started ninth) and finished ninth in the race was strong.”
The fact that a top 10 was a “good day” for Rasmussen made the 2024 season an adjustment for him. Rasmussen is used to performing on an elite level. He is the second driver in history to earn a season championship in each division that feeds the NTT INDYCAR SERIES – USF2000 (2020), USF Pro 2000 (2021) and INDY NXT by Firestone (2023). The other is Kyle Kirkwood.
Rasmussen competed in karting and won his first national title at age nine. In 2016, he finished second in Danish Formula Ford with five wins and 15 podium finishes. In 2017, he finished third in Danish Formula 4 scoring two wins and 12 podiums.
Rasmussen moved to the United States in 2018, finishing third in U.S. Formula 4 with five wins in 17 races. The next two years he raced in USF2000, winning 12 of his 32 starts. For 2021, he won seven times and had 12 podium finishes in 18 USF Pro 2000 starts. Then, two INDY NXT by Firestone seasons saw Rasmussen win seven victories in 28 races.
“I've been used to winning basically my whole career,” he said. “I don't think I've gone a season without a win since I was early teen years. So, it's been quite a while, but you kind of know that stepping up into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, one of the most competitive series in the world right now, and you don't just step in and win right away.
“I was pretty realistic about my goals going into the season. I think if I could continue my development as a driver, get better and better over the season, I think that was a good result for us. I feel like we've obtained that.”