Alexander Rossi showcases Ed Carpenter Racing’s late-season gains with fifth-place qualifying effort
- Jeffrey Hrunka
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor
Monterey, CA - For Ed Carpenter Racing, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca marks the end of a turbulent season for the Chevrolet-backed organization. Bad luck, combined with an inconsistent road-course program, has left the team mired in the driver standings.
A fifth-place qualifying effort for Alexander Rossi, driver of the No.21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, on Saturday ahead of the Mission Food Monterey Grand Prix looks to be the end of the bad spell.
“Road courses have been a huge struggle for us,” Rossi said on @ECRIndy on X, after Saturday’s qualifying result. “The last couple we have started to see light at the end of the tunnel, and it's been nice to get a result for the organization after what has been a challenging year.”
The upswing in performance was put on notice on the streets of Washington, D.C., for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington when both drivers timed in the Top-10 in both practice sessions and saw Christian Rasmussen, driver of the No.21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, advance to the Firestone Fast 6 in qualifying for a career-best fourth-place starting spot.
Although Rasmussen wasn’t able to translate that to a finish, as he was involved in an incident on Lap 43, when Marcus Armstrong, driver of the No.66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, spun him to Rinus Veekay, driver of the No.76 Chevrolet. Rasmussen was forced to settle for 14th.
“There are so many times this year we have just been caught out at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Rasmussen said. “We have been competitive at a lot of places just haven't had the chance to show it.”
In Milwaukee it was business as usual. The Danish-based driver took back-to-back Top-10s for only the second time in his career with a fifth- and eighth-place finish in the doubleheader around The Milwaukee Mile Speedway. While he wasn’t able to match his winning result from a year prior, he has the opportunity to earn three consecutive Top-10s for the first time in his career heading into Monterey.
A ninth-place finish in last year’s running of the Grand Prix of Monterey only adds to the confidence.
"I think this weekend is about taking ourselves into the off-season on a good note,” Rasmussen said.
As for his teammate Rossi, the same cannot be said.
Over the last seven races, he has failed to find the Top-10. This unlucky streak dates back to Road America, where Rossi tied his season-best finish of sixth. A fifth-place qualifying effort in Firestone Fast 6 qualifying at Laguna Seca looks to be the upswing the American-based driver has been looking for.
“A lot of effort has been put into this, and there is still a long way to go,” Rossi said on @ECRIndy on X, after Saturday’s qualifying result. “Tomorrow is obviously where it all actually matters, but a good day nonetheless.”
This effort only highlights the pace Rossi has displayed throughout the weekend.
In practice one, he timed ninth (01:10.501s), one spot ahead of Rasmussen in tenth (01:10.555s). Rossi was slightly slower in second practice, ending the session eighth with a 1:10.659s. Consistent speed kept him inside the Top-10 in final practice on Saturday afternoon with a 1:11.144s for tenth.
“This year has been super tough, but not necessarily the team's fault all of it,” Rasmussen said. “Again, we're still building. We're still getting better. I think there's a lot of opportunities for us to improve things for 2027.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES rounds out its season in Monterey, California, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on Sept. 6 on FOX or the FOX One app.
Comments