Note: This continues a series of 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES team previews on INDYCAR.com from Feb. 26-March 1. The season starts Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.
Starting Lineup: Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet), Ed Carpenter (No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet in all oval races), Christian Rasmussen (No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet on road courses/street circuits and No. TBD Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge).
2023 in Review: Once again, the organization’s highlight was its performance in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. VeeKay earned his third consecutive front-row start, led 24 laps and finished 10th while Conor Daly secured an eighth-place finish. Carpenter gave the team three qualifiers in the top 16, although he finished 20th. Daly drove the first seven races before being replaced by Ryan Hunter-Reay. Carpenter completed his 10th season competing only on the oval tracks, and his best result was qualifying fourth for the second race at Iowa Speedway, the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade. VeeKay finished the season by finishing sixth in the BITNILE.com Portland Grand Prix and qualifying in the sixth position for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
New for ’24: Rasmussen, who won last year’s INDY NXT by Firestone championship, will take the reins of the No. 20 entry on the road courses and street circuits as Carpenter continues on the oval tracks. Rasmussen will be in the team’s third car for the “500.” Carpenter gets two additional chances to race this year compared to 2023 with the doubleheader at The Milwaukee Mile and the season-ending race at Nashville Superspeedway.
Keep an Eye on This: VeeKay is due for another big day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to being a race winner on the road course (in 2021), he has started in one of the top four positions for all four of his “500” starts while leading laps in each of the past three races (57 total). He has a pair of top-10 finishes, but with each year of experience he improves his chances of being in contention for the win in the late going. Don’t be surprised if it’s sooner rather than later.
Little-Known Fact: Carpenter will be one of five drivers competing in this year’s doubleheader at The Milwaukee Mile who were in the field the last time the NTT INDYCAR SERIES raced there in 2015. The others will be Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Will Power. Going back farther, only Carpenter, Dixon, Rahal and Power raced at Nashville Superspeedway, which will host its first series race since 2008 on Sept. 15.