Alexander Rossi on Wednesday was announced as the newest driver at Ed Carpenter Racing, which will be the third team in four years for the former Indianapolis 500 winner.
Rossi, who won the 100th running of the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2016, will join Christian Rasmussen in the two-car lineup. Carpenter, who had already scaled back to racing just ovals, will only run the Indy 500 next year in a third ECR entry.
Rasmussen this past season as a rookie was slotted to share the car with Carpenter, but the team owner ultimately backed out of the final three races of the year. Rasmussen finished the year in the car and kept it in the Leaders Circle program, which gives the top 22 teams in the standings a monetary bonus that ECR desperately needed.
For his efforts, Rasmussen was given a contract extension and a full-time seat alongside Rossi, who has been looking for a new job since June when Arrow McLaren said it was not resigning him after two seasons. The ECR driver deals were described as multi-year and announced Wednesday, which was also Rossi's 33rd birthday.
Rossi will replace Rinus VeeKay, who said Monday on social media his contract was not renewed after five seasons. Rossi will drive the No. 20 Chevrolet and Rasmussen the No. 21.
“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.
"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.”
That's all Rossi was looking for after he left Andretti Global, the team that took him in after Rossi left Formula 1, after the 2022 season. Rossi was in need of a fresh start and Arrow McLaren offered one, but he never found any consistency and will be replaced next year by Christian Lundgaard.
Rossi scored just two podiums in 34 races with McLaren. His last victory was in 2022 when he still drove for Andretti.
Although ECR does not field cars that contend for the IndyCar title, the team is routinely among the strongest each year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rossi in 2016 was the first American rookie to win the Indy 500 since 1928.
“I’m honored that Ed and the entire ECR ownership group recognize the value I can bring to the team,” Rossi said. “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.”
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing