From sprawling saves that make commentators shout “Holy cow!” and call him a “walking highlight reel” to delivering his team’s best results this year, IndyCar has a new oval star in the making.
And, he comes from Denmark!
HE SAVES IT! 👏@ChristianR_DK used a lot of wheel to keep it under control. pic.twitter.com/2jw3lp7xxO
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 12, 2025
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen has been one of the under-the-radar stars of 2025 in IndyCar, taking sixth at the Indy 500 and a maiden series podium at Gateway.
It might look more surprising given last year he started his rookie campaign doing the road and street courses, with a 12th at the Indy 500 his first and very impressive oval outing.
➕2️⃣2️⃣ positions! 🤯@ChristianR_DK drove a rocket to his first podium result, capturing the @Jostens Biggest Mover Award in the #Bommarito500. pic.twitter.com/MWkyVqyTNO
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 16, 2025
He made such an impression that Indy 500 polesitter and somewhat of a local hero at the 500, Ed Carpenter, elected to bench himself and put Rasmussen in his car for the final ovals of the season.
That was with the entry teetering on the brink of the leaders’ circle points, so Rasmussen’s results were basically directly responsible for whether the team got $1 million or not.
No pressure, mate!
He delivered, and has had another strong season, currently sitting ahead of the team’s big-money off-season signing Alexander Rossi from McLaren in the points standings.
“I think it is one of those things that feels quite natural to me,” Rasmussen tells The Race of his adaptation to ovals, after finishing sixth and eighth at Iowa last weekend, the last one a disappointment as a late caution ruined his chances of finishing higher.
“But also I’m quite different to the rest of the European guys that have come over, because I did all of my junior formula categories in the US, I came up through the Road to Indy where we were introduced to oval racing very early on.”
That development path is serving him well as he’s been in the top 10 in all four oval races so far this year, and in those at various stages he has pulled off the most ridiculous saves where the car has gone sideways and most drivers in the field would have crashed, but he is able to claw it back from the brink of oblivion.
It’s weird because it’s those saves that get big attention in clips and replays, so in that sense it’s a good thing, but also it’s losing time and slowing the car down, so it’s not necessarily something you want to get used to. It’s an interesting dynamic, whether to celebrate it or not.
It is, fundamentally, better than having a big crash, so it probably is worth celebrating!
“It’s one of those things where, when you drive a car in the limit, stuff is going to happen,” he adds.
“A little too tight there.”
Think so, @ChristianR_DK? 😬 pic.twitter.com/IOUQHr0aOy
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 17, 2025
“Fortunately, I’ve been able to save a lot of them. Especially this one at Iowa this week was pretty crazy. But I also think we’ve been able to get a lot of attention just because of how well I’ve been able to race on ovals.
“It’s hard to get past people, but we’ve been able to do stuff. I’ve been able to do stuff with the car that a lot of people have not. I think that was seen in St Louis.
“I think we didn’t have the fastest car there, but I was able to move through traffic as well as anyone out there, and I think really that was what made the difference, and especially in these short ovals, traffic management is super important, and a big part of doing well there.”
Take it all in @ChristianR_DK 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wpr8QBPhRV
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 16, 2025
That Gateway podium – on his first visit to this track as he missed it in 2024 – was kind of a microcosm of his season. He qualified 25th, at one stage his car was literally on fire leaving the pits, and he needed an extra pitstop to get fuel in the car, and still simply drove through the field.
FIRE under the No. 21 🫣@ChristianR_DK keeps it going and is currently running P16. pic.twitter.com/LY6MpNcivG
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) June 16, 2025
Doing that often means there has to be an element of aggression and risk involved. The close-knit nature of oval racing means conflict with other drivers on and off the track is almost unavoidable at times, but Rasmussen feels he’s towed the line well.
“I’ve finished all of my oval races the start of my IndyCar career, and this year there’s been no penalties,” he says.
“What people think is their business, but I like to think that I am pretty respectful on the ovals. I think I’ve had some instances this year where I feel like other people have done some stuff that I don’t agree with, or that I probably wouldn’t do, but I think that I’ve raced well on the ovals this year. I think I’ve been respectful to everyone.
“Obviously you can rub wheels and that stuff happens sometimes. But also that’s part of racing and being in as competitive championship as IndyCar, that’s just kind of part of it.”
Despite his speed on the ovals, sadly it feels like there’s often been something going wrong for Rasmussen, especially on the road and street courses. Even in results that look decent on paper like Thermal where he finished 12th, but was suffering from a hybrid issue.
He had a pit speeding penalty at the Indy road course, engine failure at Gateway, a fuel issue at Mid-Ohio and that’s just to name a few.
“I don’t think we got any fuel there.” 😳@ChristianR_DK‘s out of fuel, causing the second yellow of the race. pic.twitter.com/lZakiFdQn3
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 6, 2025
But he still sits 15th in the championship in a team that is rebuilding under new co-ownership this year. It’s investing in a lot of new areas.
Rasmussen is making himself a vital cog in that rebuild on his performances alone. While he hasn’t eradicated mistakes, he certainly has made very few high-profile or crucial ones this year, and he’s been far more consistent on all tracks. He’s hopeful what he is doing is enough to keep him at the team in 2026.
“A lot of people say that you’re only as good as your last race, if you believe in that,” he says.
“It’s a performance-based career that we’re in so obviously having good results is important. I think it’s important not to only focus on the ovals, I do think that we’ve had some good results elsewhere.
“We’ve been unlucky a couple times, which has taken potentially good results away from us, but we’ve still shown that we’re fast on road courses as well. Obviously the ovals has been the highlight, which it’s great, but to be successful in IndyCar, you need to be a well-rounded race car driver.
“What’s really important is to also look at our progression. Last year there was a lot of mistakes made, or at least some mistakes made on my part, which is, I guess, part of a rookie season.
“But I think it’s important to note, coming into that second year that a lot of that has been cleaned up, and there’s been very few mistakes on that side of things. And I think we’ve been very consistent, and I think it shows.
“We’re obviously not fighting for a championship right now, but we are a massive jump ahead of where we were last year and I think that’s the most important part for me as a driver, but also for the team to be able to compete higher up in the championship.
“Obviously that’s the goal with with the new partners, they want to be a team contending for race wins and championships in the future.
“And I think this is a good step in the right direction.”
