Christian Rasmussen heads into his second IndyCar season with Ed Carpenter Racing. The Danish driver already got valuable mileage under his belt, having kicked off his year at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. With limited winter testing available and a long off-season in IndyCar, every lap counts. Therefore, the iconic endurance race offered more than a P5 in his class for Rasmussen.
Speaking to The Girls Who – Motorsport, Rasmussen reflected on what Daytona gave him ahead of the season and what he believes defines success as he returns to the IndyCar grid.
Shaking off the Winter Rust
Daytona has become a familiar way for Rasmussen to begin his racing year, and he admits it plays an important role in preparing both mentally and physically for IndyCar’s demanding calendar. “Yeah, always good to do Daytona,” Rasmussen said. “I always enjoy doing Daytona start of the year, especially just from the standpoint of driving a car.”
With minimal on-track opportunities during the off-season, Rasmussen explained that simply being back behind the wheel is invaluable. While it may not be an IndyCar machine, he explains, “At least it’s something [to drive], and you can kind of knock some of that rust off that builds up over the winter.” Rasmussen finished fifth in the LMP2 class at Daytona with AO Racing in the No. 99 ‘Spike’ Dragon car. This was not the result he and the team were hoping for, but he adds, “It’s always a fun experience.”
Defining Success in INDYCAR
As Rasmussen turns his focus fully back to IndyCar, consistency is at the forefront of his goals. Rather than chasing standout moments alone, the Danish driver is focused on building a season that limits mistakes and delivers strong results week in, week out. A success would be “just competing for race wins more often,” he explained. “And I think making our bad days less bad.”
For Rasmussen, progress specifically means being a regular presence at the front end of the field. He describes it as “being more consistent up front, being more consistently in the top five, top ten.”
The Dane is heading into the new season with extracurricular early-season racing already under his belt, a clear mindset heading into the year, and confidence from his rookie season win. Thus, Rasmussen believes the foundations are there to build a more complete and competitive IndyCar season. A campaign where experience, consistency and preparation play just as big a role as outright pace.
See more articles on drivers’ goals and teams’ outlooks for the 2026 IndyCar season here.