Alexander Rossi was among the first people to greet Christian Rasmussen following the Danish driver’s initial NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Aug. 24.
Rossi, who finished fourth in the race, jumped out of his No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet and sprinted to victory lane to congratulate his Ed Carpenter Racing teammate.
“It’s not every day someone gets their first win, so it’s great,” Rossi said.
Rossi knows the feeling. His first INDYCAR SERIES victory came in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 as a rookie with Andretti Global. At the time, he said the magnitude of the accomplishment didn’t fully sink in.
Nine years later, Rossi’s leadership is evident in his first season with Ed Carpenter Racing, especially in the way he celebrated Rasmussen’s breakthrough, which came in his 30th career start.
The two ECR drivers (photo, above) didn’t know each other before this season, but their personalities immediately clicked, sparking a friendship.
“Getting to know Alex (Rossi) and working more closely with him this year has been really good,” Rasmussen said. “He brought some maturity to the team that I think we really needed. Our relationship on and off the track is strong. We get along super well and have a similar sense of humor, which really helps on race weekends.
“But I think those things come because you get along to begin with. If we didn’t connect at the track, the rest wouldn’t follow. We’re in a good spot.”
Rossi joined ECR in 2025 after a challenging stretch in his career. He won seven races in his first 60 INDYCAR SERIES starts but managed just one win in the next 54, all with Andretti Global.
In need of a reset, Rossi moved to Arrow McLaren in 2023 but went winless in two seasons, though he earned nine top-five finishes. Once a title contender with points finishes of second and third in 2018 and 2019, Rossi slipped to ninth or 10th each year afterward.
ECR, meanwhile, also sought a resurgence. After Rinus VeeKay’s win in the Sonsio Grand Prix in May 2021, the team struggled. The No. 20 Chevrolet posted entrant points finishes of 16th, 17th, 21st and 22nd, while the No. 21 entry landed 11th, 12th, 15th and 13th over the same seasons.
A major reset came before the 2025 season.
Rasmussen was promoted from part-time driver to full time, Rossi joined from Arrow McLaren, and Indianapolis businessman Ted Gelov — owner of Heartland Food Products Group — became co-owner of the team. Gelov’s investment significantly shifted ECR’s trajectory.
“It’s been a tough couple years for them, but the belief that Ted and Java House had in this organization has made a difference,” Rossi said. “It’s never an easy road. There’s a lot of work ahead. There are still foundations to build and develop before you can really take advantage of that investment.”
Rossi’s 2025 campaign was up and down. He opened the season with three top-10 finishes in the first four races, including a best result of eighth at Barber Motorsports Park, but managed just one more top-10 in the next 10 events.
Rasmussen began his season slowly, with a best finish of 12th before the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. But in that race, he led his first career laps — eight total — and finished sixth, signaling a turning point.
From there, Rasmussen found his stride, especially on ovals. Over a 10-race span, he earned five top-10 finishes, four of them on circle tracks. His strength on ovals carried him through the season.
Meanwhile, new team leadership kept evolving. Before the Aug. 10 BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI, team president Tim Broyles stepped away from his strategist role on Rossi’s car to focus on the business side. Team co-owner Ed Carpenter (above photo, right) stepped in as interim strategist for the rest of the season.
The changes paid off. Rossi finished fifth in Portland and fourth in Milwaukee, helping him to finish 15th in the final standings. Rasmussen’s Milwaukee Mile win validated ECR’s new direction.
“It’s a team that’s growing,” Rossi said. “There’s a huge amount of runway in front of it, and it got what it needed in terms of investment and belief. Looking ahead to 2026, we’re light years ahead of where we were when we arrived at St. Pete this March.”
Rasmussen closed the year with top-10 finishes in five of the six oval races and ranked third in total oval points among all drivers. The next step in his development will come on road and street circuits, as he scored the 21st-most points among drivers, leading to a 13th-place overall points finish.
“We’re in a good spot as a team,” Rasmussen said. “ECR is a team to watch and a team on the move. I’m really excited.
“If you told me at the start of the year this is where we’d be, I’d be pretty happy. We’ve just taken it one race at a time, knocking off results. I think we could’ve had another win at St. Louis (World Wide Technology Raceway), but we started on the back foot there after being sent to the back. Still, it was an amazing year, especially on the ovals.
“I’m looking forward to next year, to see the road and street course results follow.”