RACE 1 RESULTS

11th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet
14th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21 Chevrolet

RACE 2 RESULTS

7th: RINUS VEEKAY No. 21  Chevrolet
16th: CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet

SEASON FINALE:  Nashville Superspeedway, September 15 (NBC, 3 p.m. ET)

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 20 GUYCARE CHEVROLET

CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet: “Race 1 was solid! 23rd to 11th with a lot of cool passes on track. The first stint was a little bit rough, we had a lot of understeer. Over the course of the race, we made good changes to the car, the guys on the stand got the strategy right and we pitted at the right times. Overall, I was happy with my first short oval race in an Indy car.

Today was not the continuation that we had hoped for. The No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet crew again put together a really strong car for me and we had a pretty good start to the race. We were running with the lead pack guys and had a solid race going. Then we had the incident with the No. 15 car which was a bit of a weird one. I didn’t push super hard into the corner but he was completely checked up and I was fully on the brakes. I couldn’t really avoid him, which resulted in us having a drive through penalty. We had a bit of damage as well so we were kind of hanging on throughout that stint until we could get the front wing changed. Tough day. We finished ahead of the people that we needed to, but we probably should have finished even farther ahead with more points. It will all come down to Nashville which is also a new track for me, but we’ll see what we can do!”

RACE 1

• The first race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee 250s doubleheader was Christian Rasmussen’s first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on a short oval. Taking over the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet from team owner Ed Carpenter for the final three races of the 2024 season, Rasmussen was the 16th-fastest qualifier for Race 1. However, a Friday evening engine change prior to the race meant he was subject to a multi-position grid penalty and had to start 23rd. 

• Rasmussen moved up one spot at the start of the race and stayed in 22nd until his second pit stop. Following the stop, he used clear track and fresh tires to his advantage and began to mount his charge forward. The final restart of the race took place on Lap 203 and Rasmussen had worked his way up to the 15th position. He passed two cars on the restart, then his teammate several laps later. Rasmussen’s final pass with 15 laps to go moved him into 11th, where he would finish his first short oval race in the No. 20. 

RACE 2

• Rasmussen started Race 2 from the same position as Race 1 after qualifying 23rd. With multiple cars in front of him having issues, he was running 20th before the race ever went green. After the restart, Rasmussen picked up four positions in the first 10 green flag laps. He was up two more positions to 14th following his first pit stop.

• Following a restart on Lap 125, Rasmussen found himself in the middle of a pack of cars. With nowhere to go, he made contact with another competitor and a yellow flag flew. Rasmussen had to serve a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact which would ultimately place him on his own race lap. The No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet suffered front wing damage in the incident but after repairs, Rasmussen was able to finish in the 16th position. 

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET

RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 Chevrolet: “Yesterday’s race was tough. We really struggled with grip, especially at the end of the race, and P14 was about all we had. But today, P7 and I think we can call that a very good day! It was very sketchy out there today, a lot of guys were in trouble. On our last stop, we had to go to 25-lap old tires. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the 50-lap old tires we had on the car! That made it tough, I was really hanging on by a thread there at the end. It was a good day though and this is what we need to do to finish out the season on a strong note.”

RACE 1

• Despite being a five-year veteran in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Race 1 of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee 250s doubleheader was Rinus VeeKay’s first race at the Milwaukee Mile. His first of two qualifying laps landed him 14th overall, but he moved up one spot on the starting grid to 13th as other competitors served their grid penalties. 

• VeeKay moved into the Top 10 immediately on the start, courtesy of impressive three-wide passes. Following a restart on Lap 158, VeeKay picked up three more positions to make his way into the Top 5. He was running 8th before his final pit stop, but got trapped a lap down to the leaders when a yellow came out the following lap. He struggled with a lack of grip over the course the final laps, but still managed a 14th-place finish. 

RACE 2

• VeeKay’s second lap of qualifying slotted him into 15th on Race 2’s starting grid. The first 15 laps of the race were run under yellow. Once the race went green, VeeKay settled into the 13th position prior to his first pit stop. Following the Lap 70 restart, VeeKay locked in a position inside the Top 10 and ran no lower than 10th for the remainder of the race.

• VeeKay continued to race his way forward, moving up to 7th. Though he did not have any sticker sets of Firestone Firehawks left, he brought the No. 21 to pit road under the last caution for a newer set than what was on the car. Quick work by the crew gained him one position for the final restart on Lap 239. Even with used tires, VeeKay managed to hold off all but one car behind him and finished 7th.

• With his 7th place result at the Milwaukee Mile today, VeeKay has at least one Top 10 finish on each oval track this year. The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season concludes in two weeks on the Nashville Superspeedway oval.