Christian Rasmussen addressed his standing among IndyCar drivers following a striking display during the NTT IndyCar Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Despite being named the least trusted driver in side-by-side racing in a preseason poll of 25 full-time IndyCar competitors conducted by FOX Sports, Rasmussen remains undeterred in his approach on track. The poll revealed Rasmussen received 13 votes as least trusted, just ahead of Romain Grosjean with 12 and Santino Ferrucci with 9.
The Danish driver expressed no surprise at the poll results and emphasized that such opinions do not influence his driving style or tactics.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Rasmussen said at the press conference. “At the end of the day, people can think what they’re going to think. I’m not going to change that. What we’re doing is working, especially on the oval, so we’ll continue down that road.”
Rasmussen further noted that this perception might even provide an advantage during close racing situations.
“I noticed a lot this weekend that some of the passes were made easier,” he added. “If people are going to pull up because of what they think I’m going to do, hey, let them do that. It just makes it an easier job for me.”
Strong Race at Phoenix Highlights Rasmussen’s Competitiveness
At Phoenix Raceway, Rasmussen executed a remarkable performance by starting deep in the field and steadily advancing through the pack, demonstrating speed and skill that placed him in contention for victory. During the race, he led for 69 laps and at one point appeared to have the fastest car on the track. The decisive battle for the lead came late when he engaged in a close side-by-side duel with Will Power on the back straightaway, which resulted in Rasmussen making contact with the wall and sustaining damage to his car. This incident forced Rasmussen to fall back, finishing 14th despite his earlier dominance.
After Phoenix, Rasmussen Looks Toward Upcoming Race Weekend
The outcome at Phoenix left Rasmussen visibly frustrated, especially since he believed the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet had the potential to win. However, his focus quickly moved to the next event on the schedule, the first-ever Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, marking the third consecutive race weekend for the IndyCar series. Rasmussen will once again represent the Java House-backed entry alongside teammate Alexander Rossi.
Reflecting on the Phoenix race, Rasmussen acknowledged the difficulty caused by the damage to his car but expressed readiness and optimism about the challenges ahead.
“Obviously, looking forward to it. Yeah, it’s going to be a big weekend for the team. We haven’t quite had the start to the season that we wanted to. Obviously, we showed we had a great showing at Phoenix. Just didn’t end up getting the result… we’re ready to bounce back on a big and exciting weekend for the team,” he said.
With the Arlington race approaching, Rasmussen aims to build on the promising pace he has demonstrated and translate it into stronger results for the team moving forward.
