Alexander Rossi was signed as the team’s new leader in 2025, but after a solid start, he slipped down the order and was often outperformed by his less experienced teammate Christian Rasmussen. Rossi’s best finish came with a fourth place in Milwaukee — ironically, the race Rasmussen won. The 2026 season is set to bring an intriguing battle for leadership within the team.
“When I think back to last year, there was so much momentum in the final third of the season,” Rossi said. “Christian’s win in Milwaukee was huge for the team. Everything at the end of the year was trending up. Over the off season, we’ve been able to invest more — hire new people, restructure things — and everything’s moving in a really positive direction. We feel 2026 can be a great year for ECR. We’re much further ahead now than we ever were at any point last season.”
Christian Rasmussen was one of 2025’s standout surprises. After a quiet rookie year alongside Rinus VeeKay, he started the season behind established teammate Rossi but steadily became the quicker of the two. His strongest performances came on ovals, where he finished in the top 10 in five out of six races — highlighted by third at Gateway and victory in Milwaukee.“I’m really excited for the year ahead,” Rasmussen said. “We saw a big performance jump from ECR last year, and now it’s about continuing that. Everyone on the team — myself included — is excited about what we’re bringing into 2026. We all got a taste of our potential last year, and this is the time to show what ECR is capable of. My goal is to compete for race wins more often, make our bad days less bad, and stay consistently in the top 5 and top 10.”
PhotographyPenske Entertainment
