ECR soars back to winning ways in Milwaukee

Ed Carpenter Racing is back in the business of out-dueling IndyCar’s biggest teams.

The team won multiple races with Josef Newgarden in 2016, added a win with Rinus VeeKay in 2021, and grew dissatisfied with the lack of subsequent victories, which led to an offseason of retooling many aspects of its operation, including bringing in new co-owner and chairman Ted Gelov – along with an infusion of new funding to the program.

It also brough Alexander Rossi into the team to pair with sophomore ace Christian Rasmussen who propelled ECR to new heights on Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile in the No. 21 Chevy.

“That's why he's here,” ECR team president Tim Broyles told RACER. “We have a lot of faith in him, and he really shines at these types of places. He's just coming into his own.”

ECR became the fifth team to win this season, adding to the tallies produced by Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Global, Arrow McLaren, and Team Penske.

“It's a long time coming, but man, it's great for this group, and made a lot of changes this year,” Broyles added. “We welcomed Ted Gelov and the Heartland brand and Splenda. It's just been awesome. Chevrolet, man, they brought it.”

Rasmussen’s teammate Alexander Rossi finished fourth, his best result of the season to complement his young teammate’s top career IndyCar finish.

“Alexander as well,” Broyles continued. “This is big for the team. We've been working hard. This shows how much work's been going on behind the scenes, how hard these guys have been working in the shop. Engineers have been digging in deep and, man, this is the future. This is what we're looking for. We're growing and plan on doing this a lot more.”