A bold tyre strategy and a pass on Alex Palou at the legendary Milwaukee Mile gave Christian Rasmussen his first NTT IndyCar Series victory and Ed Carpenter Racing’s first victory since Rinus VeeKay’s 2021 triumph at the IMS Road Course.
While Alex Palou came close to a win, a perfectly timed caution for spits of rain during lap 209 allowed Ramussen and the ECR team to make a bold move and pit for fresh Firestones — a risky gamble. However, what followed within the next 28 laps was a pure masterclass in racing from the Danish driver.
Bringing out the best of ECR on ovals
Rasmussen’s maiden win at Milwaukee was the biggest surprise of the weekend as the Danish driver started the weekend struggling in IndyCar Practice 1, but recovered with a strong qualifying effort that gave him confidence heading into the race; eventually, he was able to show ECR’s potential on oval tracks.
“We were really struggling at the start,” Rasmussen admitted. “But we turned it around, and when it counted — we nailed it. We did what we do best on ovals: running whatever line the car in front is not.”
Rasmussen was the 2023 Indy NXT champion, but when battling it out on track with Palou, the driver appeared to be a seasoned veteran of the sport as he went all in to make his move on the 2025 champion, despite having questions about grip.
“I knew I was going to go for it,” he shared. “Didn’t know if the grip was there, but we made it stick into Turn 1.”
Tyre strategy seals the deal
What led Rasmussen to the top was ECR refusing to play it safe during the final caution flag due to rain; while many drivers, like race leader Palou and the two Penskes of Newgarden and McLaughlin stayed out, Rasmussen pitted from seventh, rejoining on newer tyres with a massive advantage in grip.
“We talked before the race, if there was a late yellow and you had a 20-lap tyre advantage, that was going to be huge,” Rasmussen said. “That’s exactly what we had.”
From there, it was pure execution as the driver went carved his way through the field, and by lap 232, he was in clean air as he pulled past Palou.
For team owner Ed Carpenter, Sunday’s win was validation for years of effort, investment, and belief in Rasmussen’s talent. “He’s relentless when he feels it. That’s what we saw today, and this team needed it.” It was also ECR’s first win since 2021, and a landmark moment for longtime sponsors Direct Supply, who were on-site to celebrate.
Learning to master his racing style
Rasmussen also credited his veteran teammate, Alexander Rossi, for helping him shape his approach on and off track, “having a real veteran around has helped a ton,” he said. “Just seeing how he operates has changed how I think. I trust what he says, and I’ve learned a lot.”
This directly blends into his racing style, which is often labelled as “aggressive.” However, the driver shared that over the season, he’s had the opportunity to truly observe and understand how different drivers race, allowing him to fine-tune his approach on track.
“I’m still aggressive, but I’ve tuned it. We’ve finished every race this year except the ones where we had mechanical issues. That’s progress.”
Hopes for Nashville
With just one round remaining in the 2025 IndyCar season, Rasmussen’s breakthrough sets a powerful tone for his future with ECR. Looking ahead to Nashville, the driver hopes to carry the momentum onto the next race, but credits his first win on an oval being one of the special moments of his career.
“Hopefully we can carry this into Nashville,” he said. “But this — this one’s special.”
