STARTING POSITIONS

14th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet
27th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 Chevrolet

RACE: Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
TRACK: Barber Motorsports Park
LOCATION: Leeds, Alabama, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course
RACE LENGTH: 90 Laps

BROADCAST: Sunday – 12 p.m. CT (NBC)

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUYCARE CHEVROLET

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet, Starting 14th: “I was on a good lap and I just wanted to finish it off strong, maybe a little too strong! I think without the time I lost in Turns 12 and 13, we would have been transferring into my first Top 12. It’s not awesome when you’re that close. But, it’s only my third NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying! I’m pretty happy with the progress we are making. We’re getting closer and I am getting more used to the car. We keep getting better and better, both myself and Rinus (VeeKay). Obviously, Rinus had a super strong Practice 2. We rolled off the truck well and have continued to make good changes. We’re in a good spot!”

OF NOTE: 

• Christian Rasmussen missed advancing to the next round of qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park by less than .03 of a second. The No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet crew made strong improvements to the car in each session, culminating with this afternoon’s qualifications. Rasmussen’s quickest lap was separated from the 6th position by a mere 0.0284. With only the top six cars advancing, Rasmussen will start from 14th in his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

• Barber is the first track Rasmussen will race at where he already has experience behind the wheel of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car. He completed a successful day of testing with Ed Carpenter Racing at Barber in September 2023, just prior to being signed as road and street course driver of the No. 20 for the 2024 season. Rasmussen is also no stranger to success at Barber Motorsports Park. In last year’s INDY NXT event, he set the track record in qualifying, started from the pole position and led every lap before winning the race. His victory was the first of five wins on his way to claiming the 2023 INDY NXT championship. 

•  The No. 20 Chevrolet will compete in the colors of GuyCare for the entirety of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. GuyCare clinics provide discreet and confidential care, ensuring men’s health and well-being through proven therapeutic interventions and wellness programs. After successfully opening their first clinic in Salt Lake City, GuyCare is now expanding its service offerings nationwide through the launch of a Telemedicine program. Additional clinics will open in select NTT INDYCAR SERIES race markets throughout the 2024 season. 

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, Starting 27th: “It looks like it was an electrical issue. My build laps were fine and the car felt really good, I just lost power on the straightaway. There wasn’t a direct fix we could do out on pit lane so our best course of action was to fix it overnight and save a set of tires for the race. We will have to be committed tomorrow, but Woody (Brent Harvey, No. 21 strategist) knows how to make great calls so nothing lost! It just really sucks with how much I like this track, being fastest in practice, and knowing we were going to be fast in qualifying. I just wanted so much to make it through and give them back something for their hard work! We’ll have to do that tomorrow, I am still so proud of them. It’s nothing they did wrong, it’s racecars. They break sometimes.”

OF NOTE: 

• Spirits were high after Rinus VeeKay set the fastest practice lap of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. However, the No. 21 Chevrolet was hindered by an electrical issue in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Without a quick fix available in the pit lane, VeeKay was not able to rejoin qualifications or turn a lap on red Firestone Firehawk tires. He will start the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix from the 27th position.

• Despite the setback in qualifying, VeeKay will look to continue a history of competitiveness at Barber Motorsports Park. Two years ago, he earned his second career NTT P1 Award at Barber and started from the pole position. He led 57 of the 90 laps last year before earning a third place finish. In his first two starts at Barber, VeeKay did not finish lower than 6th.

• Now in his fifth season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, VeeKay has stepped into a veteran role as Ed Carpenter Racing’s senior full-time driver. He has spent his entire career behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet and is the longest tenured full-time driver in the team’s history. He joined ECR prior to the 2020 season, following a rapid ascent through the Road to Indy ladder which included 16 wins and 36 podiums in 48 races. After being named 2020 Rookie of the Year, VeeKay became an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner in May of 2021 with a victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.