INDIANAPOLIS — Ed Carpenter Racing announced Wednesday morning that Christian Rasmussen will finish the NTT IndyCar Series season behind the wheel of the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet.
The 24-year-old Danish rookie will compete in this weekend’s doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile and the season finale at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
While team owner Ed Carpenter was scheduled to drive in the remaining events this year, he found importance in providing an opportunity to Rasmussen.
“First off, this was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Carpenter began. “I want to make it clear that this is not a retirement announcement. 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.”
Rasmussen’s final race of the season was set to be last weekend’s road course event at Portland (Ore.) Int’l Raceway, but he will now compete in the last three races of the season. Rasmussen, last year’s Indy NXT champion, won both short oval races on his way to the title last year.
In addition to his duties this season as road and street course driver of the No. 20, he also competed in ECR’s third Indianapolis 500 entry. He earned the distinction of being the highest finishing rookie in the field, driving from 24th to 12th over the course of the 500-mile race.
Rasmussen is grateful to Carpenter, his teammate and team owner.
“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!”
Though the Milwaukee Mile will be Rasmussen’s first IndyCar Series race on a short oval, he recently completed a test day at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. Rasmussen’s full-time teammate, Rinus VeeKay, will also be making his Milwaukee Mile debut as the track returns to the NTT IndyCar Series calendar for the first time since 2015.
Nashville Superspeedway will also be a new venue for both as the 1.33-mile oval has not been on the schedule since 2008.