Ed Carpenter Racing isn’t ready to say who will be driving its Nos. 20 and 21 Chevys next year, but its team owner/driver says talks to continue with ECR veteran Rinus VeeKay and rookie Christian Rasmussen are making progress.
“We’re not going to confirm anything yet, because nothing’s done, but Christian’s been doing a really good job – probably better than a lot of the results that he’s gotten at times,” Ed Carpenter told RACER. “He’s a driver in our camp that I think can do a good job and deserves more time in the car.
“We certainly have strong feelings about both of our drivers and can definitely envision a future with both of them, but don’t have anything done yet. We’re still just finalizing budget and everything else. But definitely there’s interest in both guys. Rinus has been with the team a long time. Christian’s fresher, and needs more time, but we’re happy with where he’s at.”
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VeeKay and ECR are about to close their fifth season of IndyCar competition together. The 23-year-old Dutchman (main image) has delivered seven finishes inside the top 10 this year to send him into this weekend’s season finale at Nashville Speedway sitting 14th in the points. A strong run on Sunday could lift him as high as 11th in the standings, but with a pair of 12ths and a pair of 14ths from his first four seasons with ECR, VeeKay wants to take the next step in competitiveness and has attracted interest from other teams during his latest visit to free agency.
“My contract is coming to an end this year and I’ve spoken to Ed and he’s showed interest in keeping me, so we’re thinking about next year, but it’s very tough,” VeeKay said. “These are important decisions. I want to be successful in my career, so whatever happens, that’s what we go for, right? I’ll be back in IndyCar, that’s for sure. So that’s all I need to know. That’s the most important thing.”
Rasmussen isn’t facing the same level of market demand and needs an invitation from ECR to continue his IndyCar career.
“I would love to continue with Ed Carpenter Racing,” said the 24-year-old Dane. “I think it is the team’s intention as well. But nothing is done before it’s done, so we’ll just see how it all works out.”
Carpenter also has 18-year-old Indy NXT driver Josh Pierson, who signed a development deal with ECR in 2023, to consider as he charts the team’s plans in the coming years.
“He’s certainly an option for the future, but he needs some more time,” Carpenter said of the young American who sits 14th in the NXT championship. “He knows he needs more time. He’ll likely be back in NXT again, which is where he needs to be right now. He’s a nice young man, works hard, and a lot of it is just going to depend on how he develops and what types of steps he can take.”