On Thursday, May 23rd in 2024, it was a pleasant but overcast morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Anticipation was building ahead of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, and Carb Day final practice and the race itself were both well in sight.
Christian Rasmussen walked into the media conference flanked by Sting Ray Robb and Augustin Canapino, and would be sharing the eighth row with them on the Sunday. He had qualified in 24th for the Indy 500 in his rookie year, at an average speed of 231.682mph. In the media room, there were questions about Robb’s faith, Canapino’s Argentinian heritage, and Rasmussen’s Tuesday and Wednesday activities away from the track.
However, there were murmurings that some of the other drivers were unhappy with how Rasmussen had conducted himself through the week’s practice sessions. This was Rasmussen’s first taste of an oval in an IndyCar, experiencing a baptism of fire in the shape of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This was scheduled to be his first and only oval experience of 2024, with team owner Ed Carpenter taking the reins for the rest of the season.
Rasmussen was undeterred by all of this noise.
“It doesn’t bother me that they’re talking about it. I think for me, practice has been all about getting comfortable, figuring out what you can get away with, (and) what’s over the line.”
Fast forward to March 2026, and his competitors will not stop talking about the way he races.
Those murmurs have turned into exclamations. Thirteen drivers voted for him as the driver they trusted the least to race alongside.
But how did we get here?
Getting a taste in 2024
Rasmussen ended up finishing a strong 12th in the 2024 Indy 500. He also ran the final three oval races to try and force his #21 Ed Carpenter Racing entry into the Leader’s Circle – Carpenter himself felt like his own performances had been dwindling, and failed to see the chequered flag in both races in Iowa. Rasmussen stepped back into his own machine, and finished in the top sixteen three times, and securing the Leader’s Circle bonus in the process.
His driving in the Indy 500 practice was particularly impressive. He made late overtakes, defended hard, and flirted with large crashes as he tested the limits.
For a rookie in his first IndyCar oval race, it was eye-opening.
An entire year’s preparation for the Indy 500 can be undone in a practice crash. In 2024, Marcus Ericsson went from contender to fighting to even make the race after a practice crash on the Thursday before qualfying forced him into Andretti Global’s backup chassis.
Perhaps Rasmussen’s naivety almost play in his favour. Whilst he must have been acutely aware of the consequences of wrecking his primary car, being able to wring every inch out of the practice sessions would have done him a world of good.
Even with others were irritated by his antics, Rasmussen was turning himself into an oval superstar.
Making moves in 2025
Christian Rasmussen’s first taste of success was at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2025, where he flew from 25th to 3rd. Having struggled dramatically during qualifying, he was one of the few drivers brave enough to try the high line throughout the race.
He made nearly seventy passes that night, pushing his way through the field on multiple occasions.
What is unique about Rasmussen is that he is not afraid to test different lines mid-race. He felt comfortable using the high line at WWTR.
Once he ‘found out how well [my] (his) car worked on the high side, it was just game on’.
At the 2025 Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250, he powered his way through the field from 9th. He pulled off a string of remarkable saves mid-race, including holding onto a vicious snap from the rear of the car trying to pass Kyle Kirkwood on lap 129.
He was 7th when a caution came out for weather, pitting for fresh tyres to attack in the closing stages of the race. He forced his way past Christian Lundgaard, before weaving around Pato O’Ward and teammate Alexander Rossi.
After Josef Newgarden nearly forced him into the wall on lap 228, Rasmussen responded two corners later diving up the inside instead. His engine revved into the limiter as he flew up to the back of Scott McLaughlin, surging past with imperious mid-corner speed.
His pass on Alex Palou was breathtaking. He hunted down the champion with commanding speed, and was decisive in his move, sweeping around the outside in turns three and four before sealing the deal crossing the line to start lap 236.
Rasmussen pulled off a stunning maiden win in sublime fashion, hunting down the sport’s very best and passing them all in a series of barely believable moves. In the post-race media, McLaughlin and Palou were full of praise for his bravery and execution.
McLaughlin said ‘I think he’s very fast. He’s very brave. He makes some really nice split-second decisions…he’s not scared of taking the chance.’
Palou also recognised his aggressive nature, stating that ‘He always races hard. He was going to pass me or go to the wall.’
Rasmussen was impressively relaxed when discussing how he carved his way through the traffic in Milwaukee.
‘We did what we do best on ovals: running whatever line the car in front is not. Again we were amazing in traffic, which is what made the difference today.’
Crossing the line
The 2026 Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway had it all for Christian Rasmussen. In his two trips to the podium in 2025 (one being the maiden win in Milwaukee), he gained 30 places across the two races from his starting position.
He started 20th in Arizona, but made moves high and low to carve his way towards the front in trademark style. Once he muscled his way past David Malukas and Josef Newgarden, it appeared that only Will Power stood between the Ed Carpenter Racing driver and a second IndyCar victory.
Will Power kept Rasmussen in check for a few laps, placing his car in the middle of the two lanes leaving the Danish driver with no clean air to help him overtake. Rasmussen’s car was already loose at the rear, and his onboard frequently showed him sawing at the steering wheel to keep himself out of the barrier.
On lap 206, Rasmussen lunged to Power’s inside. As Will Power covered the move, Rasmussen darted to the right, trying to give himself the best run heading around the opposite end of the oval.
Power was subsequently pinned to the bottom lane of the track, and Rasmussen’s momentum saw his nose draw level with Power’s cockpit. This suddenly became a rapidly closing gap, and the contact squeezed Rasmussen into the wall.
Somehow, Rasmussen continued on, but his suspension was badly damaged. He held the lead, wounded, until lap 241. He was passed by Kirkwood, hit the wall again seconds later, and ended up finishing 14th.
Immediately after the race, Will Power was pretty clear that ‘I should have just let him go. I know who he is.’
David Malukas also weighed in on Rasmussen’s race, saying that his style was ‘all attack.’ Mid-race, the new Team Penske driver thought to himself that ‘I’m going to stop defending this because I feel like we are going to crash.’
Clearly not a great deal of sympathy from his competitors.
Hero or Villain?
Christian Rasmussen was emotional after the race in Phoenix, declaring that ‘we were the class of the field today, (and the) best car out there. You can’t just run people into the wall’.
Rasmussen has a right to be frustrated about the incident with Power. He was far enough alongside to be granted some space on the outside. However, had he just kept studying Power and his defence for a couple more laps, he most likely would have won the race at a canter.
Marco Andretti wrote on social media that ‘when you make brave moves, you have to know the others won’t always expect you to be there’.
Rasmussen also crashed out of the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway in 2025. Buoyed by the Milwaukee victory, he must have felt like he had a good chance the following week.
However, a bold move around the outside of turn 1 on the opening lap saw him lose control, spin and nearly collect others on his way to the wall.
When you race with an all or nothing mentality, the highs will be extremely high, but the lows will be more frequent.
Rasmussen is too talented to consign himself to this.
He constantly flirts with the fine line between aggressive and reckless. So daring that some watch his onboards through interlocked fingers, so skilled that he flies around his rivals with ease.
Some fans absolutely love the edge with which he drives with. Some of his competitors find him impossible to reason with and reckless.
But above all, I feel he makes watching IndyCar feel human.
In an increasingly sterilised motorsport world, Rasmussen’s rawness adds a unique and exciting storyline to every oval weekend.
In time, some more nuance might finish the jigsaw that is building the ideal short-oval racer inside Christian Rasmussen.
The talent, aggression and raw pace is undeniably there.
I hope he never loses that.
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