Ed Carpenter Racing has not had a particularly strong start to the weekend, but the team owner insists they are in a better position thanks to the testing of young team driver Christian Rasmussen.
Rasmussen is driving part-time with the team this year, racing the No. 20 on the road courses, while Carpenter is driving the oval track entry himself.
The 24-year-old completed a rookie test at World Wide Technology Raceway earlier this year in preparation for his Indianapolis 500 debut and helped the team prepare for this weekend’s event.
Although Carpenter and Rinus VeeKay qualified 21st and 14th respectively, but VeeKay will start from 12th due to penalties imposed by other drivers, Carpenter stated that he is much happier with the handling of his team’s cars.
“We’re definitely in a better position than we were at this race last year,” Carpenter said. “The team did a good job and gave us something better than last year.”
“Christian (Rasmussen) did a test here on Rookie Day and prepared us really well. I am definitely much happier and feel more comfortable here than I have in recent years.
“I thought it felt pretty good with the changes we made. I think with the way people qualify, everyone cuts a little bit and it’s really just going to be a matter of finding the balance.”
VeeKay expressed a similar sentiment, saying he was happy with the balance of his car and was able to go full throttle in Turns 3 and 4 during Friday’s races.
Last year, Ed Carpenter started 27th and finished the evening in 24th place, while Rinus VeeKay climbed from his 20th starting position to 11th place by the end of the race.
Both riders will start from a little further up the field tonight and will be looking to score good enough results to stay above the important Leader’s Circle cut-off line.
